This Otherworldly 'Padel Bar' Just Opened in Paris — Its Hypnotic Rainbow Palette Is Proof That Contrasting Colors Are the Biggest Trend Right Now

Something is up in the world of sports, and it's got padel written all over it. Since the beloved hobby began to take off about five years ago as a knock-on effect of the post-COVID-19 exercise renaissance, its global expansion hasn't stopped, as this new Parisian 'padel bar' goes to prove.

In its latest Global Padel Report, Playtomic, the world's leading app and platform for racket sports, predicts that the number of padel courts worldwide will reach 70,000 by the end of 2026. Meanwhile, in the How We Live, Shop and Look 2025 deep-dive of British department store John Lewis, which boasts an entire category page dedicated to padel, we learn that, unlike tennis rackets, Bullpadel gear has been "flying off the shelves" recently.

But who would have thought that padel's contagiously uplifting and dynamic spirit would go as far as to serve as the original brief for one of the coolest restaurants in Paris?

Inside PADEL15, Where "Athletic Motion" Made Experiential Design

Opened last month, the on-site canteen of PADEL15, Paris' debut indoor padel court, translates the bounciness of the sport in design form via the genius of local, cult interior studio Uchronia.

Think rainbow, gradient floors, bold contrast in interior design, and walls hinting at the grass and clay courts so ubiquitous in other racket sports, and sleek bar surfaces crafted with the help of premium tile manufacturers, Palet. A playful cartography of waves, expanding from the ground to the ceiling, and shifting from emerald green to burned orange, ochre, and cream, is PADEL15's most distinctive trait.

For the designers of the Julien Sebban-founded Parisian firm, this flowing pattern echoes "the trajectory of a ball or the energy of a rally on the court" — a visible rendition of "athletic motion".

"A Celebration of Play", With a "Gathering Point" at Its Heart

Anchoring PADEL15's bar and eatery in the sports club is a rounded counter that winks, once again, at the new, otherworldly era of Space Age design we recently dubbed as Space Oddity, and which Uchronia views as "the heart of the restaurant."

Heralded by a custom-made Palet façade in ceramics, it "rises like a chromatic sculpture", each piece a fragment in a hypnotic tapestry morphing from deep green to vivid orange. "Designed as a gathering point, it forms a focal core within the space, enhanced by a subtle interplay of reflections and light," the Uchronia team explains.

But the hues the studio picked for PADEL15 aren't the only things to develop vertically near this counter, or to infuse the room with a sense of escapism.

Serving up fresh, seasonal plates from breakfast to dinner seven days a week, the eatery feels like a gateway into another world, as a mirrored porthole window placed above its bar extends visitors' gaze upward, into the fantastical. The alien. The unknown.

Where Padel Is "Collective, Playful, and Accessible"

Whether stopping by for coffee or a drink ahead of your booked padel slot, or to indulge in relaxation right after a competitive or amateur match, PADEL15's restaurant will set you up for whatever comes next.

It's dopamine decor with an artisanal feel that of this new Parisian hangout, where bespoke perforated orange stools, graphic cushions, and cocooning banquettes create an atmosphere suspended between the comfort of home and an alternate, dream-like environment.

The ingredients for a contemporary design success are all there: chrome decor sprinkled in as a characterful statement, minty green tables and seating, and out-of-time, abstract forms.

It's "a space conceived as a celebration of play," the creatives at Uchronia explain. A joyful playground that, embodying the spirit of padel — "collective, playful, and accessible" — will leave you wanting to take the court, even if you never picked up a racket before.

Book your time slot at PADEL15.

FAQs

Wait, but What Is Padel?

First established in 1969 by Mexican businessman Enrique Corcuera in Acapulco, Mexico, padel is a fast-paced racket sport best described as a hybrid of squash and tennis. It is played in teams of two on a small, enclosed court with walls — an element Corcuera introduced to prevent balls from flying into his neighbor's yard in the first-ever padel court, which he had built outside his home. To play, people will need solid, perforated paddles and a low-compression ball, the main discrepancy between padel and tennis rules being that the ball can be played off the walls.

Why Is Padel Suddenly So Popular?

The padel breakout coincided with the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, a period that prompted many to reconsider the role that exercise and socialization occupy in their lives. Played in doubles (2 vs 2), this is a sport that's highly inclusive and inherently sociable, fit for people who want to spend time together while also pursuing a more active lifestyle.

Is Padel Harder Than Tennis?

Compared to traditional tennis, padel is generally considered easier to practice. Padel courts themselves have a say in this, as occupying a smaller surface than tennis courts, they require players less running resistance, making the game more accessible across most age and fitness types. But rackets, or better, paddles, which are lighter and, therefore, easier to handle, and more homogenously responsive to the ball than the strung ones of tennis, matter too. As does the presence and use of walls during games, which helps people pick up the point without the need to rush about excessively by intercepting the ball as it bounces around.

What Are Some Other Iconic Padel Courts?

As padel mania takes over the world, more and more destinations are opening up clubs and facilities dedicated to the sport — whether inside or outdoors.

From the cerulean-blue, lake-view padel courts of Tennis Malcesine, tucked between the waters and the mountain peaks of Lake Garda in northern Italy, and the mix of sacred and profane of Arnhem's Holy Padel center, hidden away inside a beautifully restored, early 20th-century catholic church in the Netherlands to the art padel court conceived by impact artist Marco Santini for US padel club designer, Padel Rev Courts, on the occasion for Miami Art Basel last year, the choice is yours.

Keep in the loop via Padel Destinations, an online directory to all things padel inspiration, starting from the most beautiful padel courts in the world.

In Paris for a winter escape? Stop by the theatrically revamped Élysées Lincoln along the Champs-Élysées for a time-traveling cinema experience.