5 Interior-Designed Hotels Worth A Visit
Hôtel Les Deux Gares:
Luke Edward Hall
When Adrien Gloaguen, founder of Touriste, came across a railway station hotel – a completely abandoned bourgeois edifice in a narrow alley of the 10th arrondissement between the Gare du Nord and Gare de l’Est in Paris – only one name sprang to mind: Luke Edward Hall.
“The building comprised a number of tiny rooms with adjoining walls and floral wallpaper, many of which were marked by the passage of previous travellers,” says Adrien. For each of Touriste’s hotels, Adrien aims to tell a story, and offer guests the chance to experience the best design at fair prices.
Adrien explains further: “Luke wanted to create an ‘anti-modern’ interior. In the vast reception area, emerald green walls, a black and white chevron marble floor, gilt furniture, giant mirrors, Warhol, Hockney and Cocteau exhibition posters are all in situ to greet guests. Luke is a master at forming unusual pairings, flirting with bad taste but never surrendering to it. The same creative freedom carries over on the upper floors. In each of the 40 guest rooms, Luke mismatches geometrical rugs in the style of David Hicks with splashes of pale pink or tangerine, headboards boasting broad stripes, classic tulip tables and fringed chairs in yellow velvet. To take things up a notch, he adds 70s-inspired light fixtures and yellow Art Deco bathrooms.
“The moodboard was mainly inspired by the 1960s and 1970s; you can see the eccentric and bold colours embedded in the interior design and furniture. Behind the eclectic combination of pieces is a relaxed elegance – Luke is telling the story of an eccentric Parisian whose art and furniture collection reflects his travels through time.”
Luke himself says it’s this combination of styles that, he hopes, will intrigue guests. “I always start my projects by leafing through old books and magazines; then, I visit galleries and museums. I allow myself the time to dream and invent stories. I love listening to stories from the past and feeling as though I’m entering another, more elegant era”.
“Drawing from a wellspring of artistic and intellectual references, the bedrooms tell the story of an eccentric Parisian. With their inviting and offbeat charm, these colourful sanctuaries encourage guests to immerse themselves in a respite from the outside world,” adds Adrien.
Visit HôtelDeuxGares.com
Hôtel de la Boetie:
Beata Heuman
Another one of Touriste’s hotel projects that secured a respected residential designer is Hôtel de la Boetie. Adrien Gloaguen tells us why Beata was such a joy to work with. “I’ve followed her work for many years, and I’m really drawn to her elegant style, so we gave her free rein to add a little panache to the Champs Élysées area.
“Beata hoped to instil a sense of mystery; once inside, guests are transported into another world. In the bedrooms, Beata Heuman original headboards are a defining feature and a piece of art in themselves. Woven as rugs and then upholstered, they take centre stage. On the ground floor, the lobby leads through to a theatrical lounge room lined in silver wallpaper – the perfect setting for working or a quiet drink in the evening.”
“I have really enjoyed working on this hotel,” Beata adds. “We’ve been able to explore certain concepts and moods to a greater extent. We can treat it a bit like a stage set, which is not the approach I would take when it comes to someone’s home. When it comes to residential the client is in the centre but with commercial work it is more about our vision. This has opened up new creative pathways for us, which has been inspiring. I also loved working on the branding – not something we’ve done for someone else before.”
Beata brings her discerning eye for offbeat art, antiques, and objects to each room, including many items from her own ‘Shoppa’, a collection of original interiors products that combine form and function with personality. The bedrooms feature The Knot handles on the wardrobes as well as lighting. Beata’s Cub Chair and Lion Chair can be found in the lounge areas, as well as irreverent statement lighting such as the Dodo Egg Light and her soon-to-launch Crinkle Lights and Paper Bag Lights.
Visit HôtelDeLaBoetie.com
Brown’s Hotel:
Paul Smith
British designer Paul Smith has created a suite at Brown’s Hotel in collaboration with Olga Polizzi, director of design at Rocco Forte Hotels. In the ‘Sir Paul Smith Suite’, expect to be surrounded by custom and vintage furniture, hand-selected artworks and designs from Paul Smith’s new home collection.
References to Paul’s signature stripes run throughout the suite, including in custom design collaborations between Paul Smith and The Rug Company, as well as design company Maharam.
“Drawing on the history of Brown’s Hotel as a storied residence for literary greats, the suite is a space not only for rest and relaxation, but also a place for inspiration and creativity,” explains Olga. “Every detail of the room, from the rugs to the art, has been carefully considered.”
“The furniture and art used here resonate specifically with the designer and his eclectic taste. Several pieces have been transported from Paul’s office at his Covent Garden HQ – most notably, his 1970s leather desk chair by Mario Bellini, as well as Christopher Simon Sykes’ impressive photograph of Chatsworth House library. As another personal touch, Paul has also selected a small library of books for the room.”
A range of specially selected items from Paul Smith’s notable collaborations also help to bring the room to life. Sofas, tables and leather goods make up part of his recent ‘Everyday Life’ collection with Italian luxury furniture company DePadova, with an Anglepoise lamp shining a spotlight on his longstanding partnership with British brand.
Visit RoccoForteHotels.com
@VILLAMABROUKA; ANDREW MONTGOMERY
Villa Mabrouka:
Jaspar Conran
Villa Mabrouka, interior designer Jasper Conran’s second hotel in Morocco, is set within a beautiful house in one of Tangier’s largest and most enchanting gardens.
“One step through Villa Mabrouka’s heavy carved wooden doors and you are immediately transported to paradise,” says Conran himself. “Once the secluded sanctuary of fashion legends Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, we have carefully renovated Villa Mabrouka from a former private home into a cosy yet elegant hotel. While respecting the extraordinary details Saint Laurent and Bergé introduced to the house while working with French interior designer Jacques Grange three decades ago, I also wanted to add my own thoughts and expressions in a complementary way.”
Conran’s design has embraced the clean lines of the house’s 1940s modernist architecture, while adding the quiet eccentricity and traditional service of an English country house, the romance of the Riviera’s heyday, as well as his own penchant for understated elegance and refined craftsmanship.
@VILLAMABROUKA; ANDREW MONTGOMERY
“The house’s generously proportioned rooms and sweeping terraces are flooded with natural light and offer views of the sea and sky through floor-to-ceiling glass windows and doors,” he says. Against the backdrop of whitewashed walls, there are many detailed elements, such as soft voile curtains, intricate fretwork, brass hardware and veined marble, as well as plenty of texture – think rattan on wall panels and headboards, and mother-of-pearl inlaid in mirrors and side tables.
“I have mixed glazed linens in shades of caramel, emerald and rose with delicate block-printed florals and antique Fez embroideries. Locally handmade bejmet and zellige glazed clay tiles have been used throughout, complemented by ancient Roman mosaics and 16th-century Andalusian tiles. Murano chandeliers, crenelated archways and beamed ceilings (some painted in the late designer’s signature shades of green and blue), and monochromatic marble floors are among the many touches created by Saint Laurent and Bergé that I have retained.
“I want Villa Mabrouka to feel deeply personal, like staying in a home rather than a hotel, reflecting the way I personally like to live, the things that I enjoy and the appreciation of beautifully made things,” says Conran. “I want it to be a place where you can spend time taking in the beauty of everything around you.”
Visit VillaMabrouka.com
Hotel Barrière Fouqet:
Martin Brudnizki
The eight-story Hotel Barrière Fouquet, situated in the heart of the Tribeca North Historic District, combines contemporary elements with the 19th-century architectural heritage of Tribeca. With its red brick facade, the building boasts large grid-paned windows incorporating elements of stone and cast iron that reference the architectural vernacular of Tribeca and SoHo in New York.
Meanwhile, the hotel’s interiors are a successful marriage between the modern industrialism of Tribeca and the elegant classicism of Paris. Led by internationally acclaimed interior designer and architect Martin Brudnizki, of Martin Brudnizki Design Studio, Art Deco was the main source of inspiration – a movement that is historic, while remaining quite modern.
“As a principal colour in the hotel’s palette, lavender is a theme throughout,” Martin explains. “Intrinsically French and with luxurious associations, lavender gives the rooms a residential underpinning and works well with the other green and cream tones. The Paris-meets-New York energy is also exemplified in the custom wallpaper – a lavender Toile de Jouy (created by Schumacher Hospitality) printed with scenes from Tribeca.”
The hotel comprises 97 residential-style rooms and suites – the crown jewel being Le Grand Appartement Terrasse, an expansive two-story suite on the seventh and eighth floors. “This suite features unique colours such as soft greens, blues and golds, departing from the primary scheme used throughout the rest of the hotel. It has two and a half bathrooms, entertaining and dining areas, an executive office, a master suite with a private terrace, a king-size bedroom, and three private balconies on the hotel's east and west. The suite's interior features glossier finishes, antiqued mirrors, plush fabrics, a massive chandelier, and floor-to-ceiling murals of exotic gardens and landscapes line the stairwell and entry walls,” explains Martin.
Visit HotelsBarriere.com
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