There are passions that follow us throughout our lives and that, one day, reveal themselves to be what truly drives us. For Bénédicte, that passion is art and more specifically drawing, which has accompanied her since childhood. A former IT engineer, this young woman left that field to devote herself to her first love and opened, in May 2025, a cultural and artistic café right in the heart of the 17th arrondissement, in a space whose architecture was a "love at first sight". Adorning these walls: works by about ten artists, selected according to the season and a specific theme, all available for purchase. Sometimes an artist herself, sometimes a teacher during workshops, she now wears many hats to bring to life this eclectic and colorful space.
©Lucie Guerra/Le Bonbon
A paintbrush in one hand, a coffee in the other
A place of culture, but above all a place to live, Feuille Blanche, Café Noir welcomes those looking for a creative escape, artistic or otherwise. The café section offers afternoon treats and hot beverages to accompany a reading session, work, or simply a break. Everything is homemade, using local and seasonal products. This question of eco-responsibility, Bénédicte carries through in her decoration — all furniture is upcycled — and in her workshops: a workshop dedicated to ecological transition will be offered on Tuesdays when school starts, followed by a visual arts workshop on Wednesdays and concerts on Thursday evenings.
©Lucie Guerra/Le Bonbon
« Everything folds up, everything gets put away », in just a few movements, the workshop transforms into an intimate performance space that can accommodate around twenty people and then allows the audience to connect with the artists.
Let your creativity flow freely
« Bénédicte is so much more than just a teacher. There's freedom here, you feel good in this space », says Laetitia, brush in hand, leaning over her drawing of the day, while acoustic music softly plays in the background. Ever since she discovered this workshop when it opened, this retiree has become a true devotee. « I came to take a drawing class with my daughter and I felt so relaxed, I forgot all my worries and mental loade », she adds before getting back to work. Today's project: recreating — with a touch of personal interpretation — a desert photograph in watercolor.
©Lucie Guerra/Le Bonbon
A place where you feel good and where you leave feeling more confident in yourself, that's exactly what Bénédicte set out to achieve. Every week, she offers painting workshops for adults and children, as well as linocut printing classes. Piano lessons, writing workshops, floral arrangements, or themed gatherings around Christmas for example, are also organized from time to time. Her mantra? Don't stifle your students' creativity. Here, we experiment with techniques, we bring ideas to life on paper, we let the creative child inside us speak out, and we focus more on the experience itself than on the final result.
For a coffee, a workshop, a chance meeting, or a moment outside of time... Blank Page and Black Coffee, it's a bit of everything.
like a second home: you come, you stay and you hate to leave! Address: 102 Rue Truffaut, 75017 Paris
