Hôtel Parister — Paris, France

The Experimental Group, a globally recognized hospitality brand, has returned to its roots in Paris with the opening of its first-ever flagship hotel, Experimental Marais. This move marks a significant milestone for the brand, which began with the Experimental Cocktail Club in 2007, founded by childhood friends Olivier Bon, Pierre-Charles Cros, and Romée de Goriainoff, later joined by Xavier Padovani. Over the years, the group has expanded its portfolio to include bars, restaurants, hotels, and beach clubs across Europe and New York. The Experimental Marais is their third hotel in the French capital and is strategically located in the historic Marais neighborhood. The Marais, known for its narrow cobbled streets, centuries-old private mansions, classic bistros, and Parisian terraces, embodies the quintessential Parisian experience. It offers a blend of French food, culture, and style, making it an ideal setting for a hotel aiming to capture the essence of the city. The hotel occupies the former Sinner hotel and retains its designer, Tristan Auer, whose distinctive Parisian style is evident throughout. Auer, known for his work on prestigious hotels like Hôtel de Crillon and Hôtel du Louvre, has transformed the space from its previous gothic-religious theme into a sophisticated haven. His design concept for Experimental Marais revolves around a fictional, well-travelled character immersing themselves in Parisian culture and fashion. The building itself was once an Orange telecoms office, a surprising origin given its current elegant aesthetic. The hotel features 43 guest rooms, each identically laid out by category on every floor. The rooms successfully erase any trace of the building's former life as an office, offering generous space for Paris standards, with even entry-level rooms starting at 20 sqm. The Suite has been reimagined with creamy neutrals and design collectables, while other rooms maintain their original appeal with bright white walls, abstract artworks, and a mix of materials such as ceramic lamps on fabric-covered bedside tables and vintage-style wooden desks paired with wicker stools. A notable design element includes Pierre Paulin's bright green and yellow curved armchairs. Bathrooms are outfitted with products from Swedish brand La Bruket, Japanese toilets, large rain showers, and Experimental branded robes. The cathedral-style restaurant, known for its impressive double-height space, has undergone a retro-inspired redesign by Auer. High tables and stools have been replaced with cozy brown leather bistro banquettes, and the former black carpet now features a 1970s-style abstract design. Neo-Gothic touches, such as grand chandeliers and candelabras, contribute to a dramatic dining ambiance. The fifth-floor Suite offers a luxurious Parisian apartment experience, complete with Ligne Roset cream leather Togo sofas, a record player, and a decanter. The bathroom in the Suite includes a Serge Gainsbourg-inspired tub set under a black archway with deep red tiles, and the floor provides excellent views of Paris’ zinc rooftops. Deluxe rooms are also highly recommended, particularly those on the third floor and above for optimal views. Connecting five mixed-category rooms on the third and fourth floors can create an expansive 150 sqm space. The hotel's mini-bar features pre-batched 'Travellers Cocktails' created by the Experimental Cocktail Club, inspired by cities where the group operates, including London, New York, and Paris. Snacks from Parisian pastry chef Arnaud Larher are also available. The hotel’s restaurant, Temple & Chapon, has quickly become a sought-after dining spot, offering a crowd-pleasing menu by French chef Mélanie Serre. The menu blends classic New York chophouse dishes from the 1950s with French roots, featuring options like Rockefeller oysters, paté en croute, pepper sauce beef filet, and flamed grilled cockerel. The American Bar serves Experimental's signature cocktails and classic American concoctions. For relaxation, Experimental Marais is one of only two hotels in the group to offer treatments by the Austrian brand Susanne Kaufmann, including facials and bespoke massages. The hotel also features an atmospheric Roman bath surrounded by arched columns and a steam room. Experimental Marais is positioned as a fitting flagship for the brand and the Marais neighborhood, offering a boutique experience that complements the area's historic charm. The combination of cool Experimental cocktails and the NYC-style restaurant aligns well with the fashionable reputation of the neighborhood, solidifying the hotel's place as a desirable destination in Paris. #ExperimentalMarais #ParisHotels #BoutiqueHotel #MaraisDistrict #TristanAuerDesign #LuxuryTravel #HotelReview #FrenchHospitality #InteriorDesign

Hotel Hotel, a new boutique accommodation offering in Canberra's New Acton precinct, is the result of an extensive collaboration involving over fifty designers, architects, and artists. Located within Nishi, a mixed-use building, the hotel aims to transcend the sum of its individual design elements by engaging with complex urban systems, emphasizing diversity, sustainability, urbanism, arts patronage, and community development. The dramatic entry experience features a staircase designed by March Studio, constructed from more than 2,150 pieces of recycled timber. This intricate design element provides a striking contrast of rustic and baroque, high-tech and low-tech, and represents the project's multifaceted approach. The developer, Molonglo Group, intentionally fostered a pluralistic design process, believing that multiple voices and creative input, even if initially messy, lead to a richer and more challenging outcome. The hotel lobby, described as vaguely subterranean, showcases custom-developed furniture and objects by Broached Commissions and designers like Lucy McRae, Adam Goodrum, and Charles Wilson, alongside curated mid-century pieces by room designer Don Cameron. While Fender Katsalidis Architects and Japan’s Suppose Design Office designed the Nishi building, and March Studio was responsible for the lobby, the various design strands successfully integrate into a cohesive guest experience. Molonglo Group and Don Cameron collaborated to establish a sensibility for the hotel, drawing inspiration from the romantic ideal of the Australian shack. This concept translates into a focus on authenticity and sustainability through the use of enduring, quality materials and vintage furnishings. The aim was to create hotel rooms that feel like a home – inviting, tactile, and designed to age gracefully, similar to a cherished leather jacket or pair of shoes. The lobby features expressed materials like lightly finished timber and raw concrete, while the rooms offer textured surfaces, autumnal colors, and carefully tempered lighting to evoke a sense of being transported. Beyond its interior aesthetics, Hotel Hotel's genius lies in its holistic understanding of urban ecology. Situated above 220 private apartments, the hotel's lobby functions as a semi-public arcade with a cafe-bar and retail tenancies, supporting the amenity for both hotel guests and permanent residents. The Nishi building also houses a cinema and a 6-Star Greenstar office, providing recycled water and other services to its neighbors, further integrating the hotel within a broader sustainable and community-focused environment. The Molonglo Group emphasizes breaking down traditional boundaries of development to create truly great places that benefit the entire neighborhood. Through the work of numerous skilled individuals, Hotel Hotel is characterized by meticulous design and subtle details. However, it is the Molonglo Group’s deep appreciation for the intricate systems that define successful urban environments that truly elevates the project, allowing it to surpass the individual excellence of its components and contribute significantly to Canberra’s burgeoning New Acton precinct. #HotelDesign #Hospitality #InteriorDesign #SustainableDesign #UrbanDevelopment #ArchitecturalCollaboration #CanberraArchitecture #RecycledMaterials #BoutiqueHotel

French design firm Le Berre Vevaud, comprising Raphaël Le Berre and Thomas Vevaud, undertook the transformation of a three-floor hôtel particulier in Paris’s 16th arrondissement into a functional and luxurious family home. The project aimed to integrate the art of living with comfort for an art-collecting couple and their two children. The initial impression of the property revealed grand volumes and abundant natural light, necessitating extensive redesign. The designers focused on the first-floor living area, dining room, and kitchen, creating an open-plan layout to maximize natural light. To address the six-meter-high ceilings, a mezzanine level was constructed. This elevated platform now serves as an office overlooking the dining room and offers a view of an olive tree. This intervention cleverly utilized vertical space while maintaining the flow and original decadent character of the property. Adjacent walls were opened to create a larger lateral room, framing views between the living and dining areas. The dining room features a cloudy gold leaf canvas by Anne Féat Gaiss, a black round-legged Olbia cabinet from Le Berre Vevaud’s own furniture collection, minimal Sophie S’Assoit chairs from Maison Dada, and a custom marble table beneath a vintage 1950s eight-arm chandelier. The living room showcases mural artwork by Martin Berger, black wood sculptures by Charles Kalpakian, Ignazio Gardella armchairs, and a cantilevered bronze coffee table by Yann Dessauvage. A carved screen in cut-out brushed oak veneer was added to partition the sitting area from the entranceway elevator, which connects to street level. The design draws inspiration from a combination of materials and textures, spanning the Art Deco period to the bold colors and forms of the Memphis movement. Le Berre Vevaud's expertise extended beyond architectural ingenuity to interpreting the couple's extensive art collection within a domestic context. In the entranceway, a 17th-century portrait by Hans Hansen Rasch is casually displayed above a custom Belize bronze console. A bedroom features a Sophie Calle photograph and a pink and gold patterned de Gournay screen by David/Nicolas, alongside a custom-designed bed, presented in an unassuming manner. The home not only provides a backdrop for a diverse art collection—including modern and contemporary sculptures, photographs, paintings, and classical pieces—but also incorporates a 1,000-square-foot spa. Le Berre and Vevaud repurposed part of the ground floor courtyard for this zen-like space. The staircase leading to the spa features dark materials and waxed concrete to create a subdued atmosphere and mimic natural stone textures. Under a gridded skylight, a raised platform houses a circular Jacuzzi. Opposite, a shower room and hammam sauna are adorned with minuscule mosaic tiles designed in collaboration with Beton Blanché, aiming to transport the owners into a tranquil environment within their home. #ParisianHome #HôtelParticulier #LeBerreVevaud #LuxuryDesign #ArtCollectorsHome #SpaDesign #InteriorArchitecture #FrenchDesign #Mezzanine #ArtIntegration

Interior designer Olga Ashby transformed a 1911 Haussmann building pied-à-terre in Paris's 7th arrondissement into a sophisticated and welcoming space designed for both large gatherings and tranquil relaxation. Spanning 1,615 square feet on the Rive Gauche, the apartment features a spacious entertainment living-dining area, two studies, and two bedrooms, meticulously curated with refined art and design pieces. Ashby's vision was to create an "easy hedonistic experience" that embodies the effortless elegance of Parisian life with a modern twist. The design ethos centers around a livable cabinet of curiosities, incorporating hidden doors and charming architectural details. The apartment showcases a blend of contemporary and bespoke creations, with collaborations involving notable brands such as Dedar, Sacco Carpet, and Phillip Jeffries. A unifying element throughout the space is the consistent use of light travertine with gray stripes, which appears in the kitchen, as a bar support in the living room, on the fireplace in the second bedroom, and in the main bathroom's basin unit. The material palette is further enriched with sophisticated touches of red marble, wool, and silk, enhancing the aesthetic appeal of the rooms. Circular movement was a key consideration in the design of each room, intended to foster flow and connection within the apartment. Ashby drew inspiration from the city's outdoor ambiance to inform her color scheme, opting for a serene palette of beige and gray in the living room. The rest of the apartment features earthy tones, punctuated by vibrant hues introduced through carefully selected art pieces. This thoughtful approach to color and texture contributes to the home's distinctly French feel, balancing classic elements with contemporary design principles, functionality, and artistic expression. Throughout the pied-à-terre, bespoke furnishings and fixtures are prominently featured. The living room includes wall coverings by Phillip Jeffries and a Trizo21 ceiling light. A curved sofa from Ashby's "River flow collection" is upholstered in Dedar (Lamberto), complemented by vintage armchairs upholstered in Dedar (Vuk). The main bedroom features a bed and a rug that are collaborations between TIH Joinery, Olga Ashby, and Sacco Carpet, respectively. The entrance hall is adorned with Nathalie Katwal's "Majorele" wall art. In a study area, a rug depicting sun rays is a joint design by Sacco Carpet and Olga Ashby, accompanied by foot stools from Liang and Eimil, upholstered in Dedar (Tiger Beat and A Soft Place). The dining area showcases an ovular wooden table designed by Olga Ashby and Three One Four studio, paired with vintage chairs upholstered in Dedar (A soft place). A dining bench is a custom piece by THI joinery, designed by Ashby and upholstered in Dedar (Alpakhan). The main bathroom features a Lusso Stone bath. The guest office includes a desk by TIH Joinery, designed by Olga Ashby, and an NV Gallery chair upholstered in Dedar (A soft place). The kitchen, with fronts designed by Olga Ashby and TIH joinery, is equipped with ArchiProMenager appliances and Hudson Valley wall lights. The main study features a TIH desk upholstered in Majilite fabric (Finesse Ivory) and bookshelves, both collaborative designs by Ashby and TIH joinery, which include Vellum Faux Books. These details collectively underscore the apartment’s blend of Parisian elegance with modern design and artistic flair. #ParisianPiedATerre #InteriorDesign #OlgaAshby #HaussmannBuilding #LuxuryApartment #BespokeFurniture #FrenchElegance #ContemporaryDesign #HomeDecor

Nido Architecture co-founders Chiara Patrassi and Alexandra Bernaudin collaborated with hotel owner and director Carine Tissot and six contemporary artists to design the interiors of the Drawing Hotel in Paris. Tissot, also co-founder of the annual Drawing Now Art Fair, provided the artists with creative freedom to decorate the hotel's hallways. Despite initial unfamiliarity with contemporary drawing, Patrassi noted the artists' enthusiasm and willingness to work with new mediums. The hotel features five distinct floors, each showcasing a unique visual theme. Swedish painter Thomas Broomé utilized perspective grayscale lettering for wallpaper depicting an ideal library on the top floor. Watercolorist Françoise Pétrovitch designed the fourth floor with forest green walls, sophisticated paintings in simple frames, and variegated tufted wool carpeting. Draftsman Clément Bagot's abstract colorful splashes are embedded behind glass panes in all-black walls on the third floor. Muralist Abdelkader Benchamma hand-drew trees and plants on white walls for the second floor, and graffiti duo Lek & Sowat created a psychedelic environment spanning walls, ceiling, and floor on the first level. These vibrant corridors contrast with the calm, relaxed atmosphere of the 48 guest rooms, where artist-designed printed-fabric headboards serve as a transitional element. The hotel was an unexpected venture for Tissot, who discovered the building while seeking a location for a permanent gallery. Patrassi and Bernaudin joined the project in 2016, during the initial construction phase of the ground floor. Faced with the typical Parisian challenge of limited space, the architects made crucial alterations, such as replacing frosted-glass shower modules with transparent ones and substituting minuscule closets with glass-and-steel wardrobes to create separate toilet areas. The overarching design principle was _chaleureux_, meaning welcoming, prominently featured through tinted oak paneling and custom wood furnishings throughout the hotel. This included the lounge's leather sofas, reception desk, bar, and various tables. The ground level, spanning 1,900 square feet, posed a significant challenge, needing to accommodate the entrance, reception, retail space, and lounge. The reception area features an angular design with low shelves displaying books and objects for sale. A partition of oak rods, serving as a library, defines the adjoining lobby, which includes a bold black-and-white rug, a Neri & Hu loveseat, and a sculptural Philippe Nigro chair. Beyond this, the cocktail lounge overlooks a courtyard with red walls, a tribute to Luis Barragán. Stairs lead to the basement Drawing Lab, a contemporary gallery that was the genesis of the hotel concept. The exterior of the hotel more closely resembles a bookstore or art shop than a traditional hotel, reflecting the goal of achieving a gallery atmosphere rather than a 'deco' look. The roof terrace offers guests views of the surrounding Parisian mansard rooftops, furnished seasonally with tables, chairs, and umbrellas. The stairs leading to the terrace are currently painted white, with the possibility of future artistic installations. The project team included Magali Amblard for Nido Architecture, Maurice Azoulay as Architect of Record, Symbiosis for landscaping, Douet Design for lighting, Cap Structures for structural engineering, Innovation Fluides for MEP, and Ramos Catarino for woodwork. #NidoArchitecture #DrawingHotel #ParisHotels #HotelDesign #ContemporaryArt #InteriorDesign #ArtisticCollaboration #HospitalityDesign #CustomFurnishings

The allure of Parisian decor, characterized by its unique blend of historical architectural elements and chic, lived-in comfort, captivates many. This style often features elements such as herringbone floors, marble mantels adorned with gilded mirrors, expansive floor-to-ceiling window treatments, plush sofas, and curated antique collections. These components collectively contribute to a sophisticated yet inviting atmosphere. To achieve this distinctive aesthetic, a foundational step involves selecting a warm and inviting color palette. Soft whites and subtle blushes for both paint and furnishings establish a serene backdrop that enhances vintage pieces and luxurious textures. This neutral base creates an ideal setting for entertaining, evoking a sense of calm and elegance typical of Parisian interiors. A cornerstone of Parisian decor is its embrace of vintage charm. Incorporating antique furniture, aged decorations, and items with a natural patina is crucial. This approach not only honors historical design but also imbues the living space with a unique, storied character, making the home feel authentically lived-in and deeply personal. Refreshing flooring can significantly impact the overall French aesthetic. While authentic centuries-old herringbone floors are ideal, sanding down existing wood floors to lighten them can create a similar airy and bright ambiance. Lighter floors offer a striking contrast to the typically rich and dark vintage elements found in Parisian-inspired homes, contributing to a refreshed appearance. A quintessential element of Parisian decor is the gilded mirror. These mirrors, often large and ornate, serve both an aesthetic and functional purpose. Positioned over a mantel or in an entryway, they expand the perception of space and add a touch of classic opulence. The strategic placement of such mirrors is a key design tip for mimicking the grandeur of Parisian apartments. Balancing vintage treasures with modern pieces is essential to prevent a space from feeling outdated. Integrating contemporary art, sleek light fixtures, or other modern elements alongside traditional Louis XIV-style pieces creates a dynamic and personalized look. This juxtaposition ensures the space remains current while retaining its historical essence. For homes lacking inherent architectural history, faux finishes can introduce an aged appearance. Techniques such as Venetian plaster or Roman clay paints can replicate the worn, warm textures often found on the walls of historic Parisian residences, adding depth and character. Even without a built-in fireplace, a standalone mantel can be added to emulate the focal point often found in Parisian living rooms. These mantels can be customized with stains or paints to harmonize with the existing decor, providing a classic touch. Furniture selection plays a critical role in maintaining proportion and balance. Pieces that complement the vintage vibe, such as a curved sofa upholstered in velvet, introduce a luxurious feel while fitting seamlessly within the room's scale. This careful consideration of furniture contributes to the cohesive and refined atmosphere. Installing decorative molding, whether crown molding or picture frame molding, is another effective way to add architectural interest and an old-world charm to any room. This detail is a hallmark of classic Parisian interiors, enhancing the texture and depth of the space. Elevating the decor with luxurious materials is paramount. Velvet upholstery, silk pillowcases, or a marble fireplace mantel can instantly infuse a French quality into a room, appealing to the tactile and visual senses. Layering vintage and colorful rugs is advised to unify the various elements within a room. This method adds cohesiveness and warmth, particularly beneath the feet. A darker vintage rug in an entryway can serve as both a practical and stylish welcome for guests. Finally, displaying fresh flowers is perhaps the simplest yet most impactful way to embody Parisian decor. Romantic blooms such as roses or peonies can create stunning displays in living areas, while a few stems on a bedside table add a touch of fresh elegance, regardless of their origin. #ParisianDecor #HomeDecor #InteriorDesign #VintageCharm #LuxuryMaterials #ColorPalette #GildedMirrors #DecorativeMolding #FauxFinishes