DATE
2019 – 2020
PHOTO CREDITS
@ Stephan Julliard
Creation of and production of the interior architecture and furnishings for the Hôtel de Pourtales on rue Tronchet in Paris.
Creation of bespoke furniture collection for the site.
11 suites, 1200 m2
The Hôtel de Pourtalès was built in 1839 by Félix Duban, the architect of Paris’s Ecole des Beaux-Arts (Fine Arts School), by the request of a Swiss-born banker, diplomat and art collector called Count James-Alexandre de Pourtalès. Nestled between the Madeleine Church and the Boulevard Haussmann, the building was designed in a neo-Renaissance style. Its arches, pilasters, friezes and even its interior courtyard evoke the ideal Tuscan palazzo.
Linked to the adjoining contemporary building, it was transformed into the luxurious No Address hotel in 2010, attracting a celebrity clientele that included Madonna, Prince and Leonard Di Caprio. It has recently been completely relooked under the direction of the studio Labaye Sumi and rechristened Hôtel de Pourtalès.
Labaye Sumi’s main focus was to create an aesthetic coherence between the very different architectural typologies: the traditional style of the 19th century and the modernity of the 21st. These two contrasting expressions are harmonized by a chromatic gradation, which firmly structures the interiors. While each space has its own specific character, they are all linked by a common identity, allowing clients to discern a familiar atmosphere all throughout.
The hotel consists of two rooms and nine suites, the latter ranging in sizes from 95m2 to 367m2, which stretch over seven floors with a lush garden in the central courtyard and planted terraces on both the first and top two floors.
Warm, luminous tones, enhanced by touches of green and yellow, resonate with the abundant vegetation in the double-height Garden Duplex and the Sky Penthouse. The classical 19th-century atmosphere in the intermediary levels is combined with a variation of muted tones to create an intimate interior, which highlights the original wooden vaults and beams, while plush textures and fabrics create a cosy ambiance. The project’s most striking gesture, meanwhile, is the monumental fresco in the Garden Duplex, created in situ by the Parisian decorative painters, Redfield & Dattner.
More than anything, Labaye Sumi’s aim was to create the impression of a home, an illusion enhanced by the fact that each suite comes with its very own kitchen. The meticulously hand-picked furnishings are both sculptural and resolutely modern. Iconic pieces by Charlotte Perriand, Gerrit Rietveld, Carlo Scarpa and Le Corbusier rub shoulders with the creations of a new generation of French designers, such as Garnier & Linker and Studio Pool.
They are mixed with a custom line of furniture, which Labaye Sumi imagined specially for the hotel. Their design approach juxtaposes an industrial aesthetic with that of craftsmanship. To this end, they called upon the renowned Belgian marble specialist, Van Den Weghe, to create coffee tables, consoles, desks and benches, fitted with lacquered metal legs.
Labaye Sumi’s homage to Félix Duban can be read implicitly not only in this collection, but also in their design for the hotel’s lobby, discreetly hidden from view in the inner courtyard. There, they embrace classicism by opting for a palette of “burnt” colours reminiscent of Pompei and commissioning a fresco for the pitched ceiling. They also installed a series of columns that accentuates the impression of symmetry and echoes the architectural elements of the building’s façades. The effect created gives the visitor the feeling of entering a private residence. A timeless and intimate home-away-from-home.
What was your brief for the decoration of the hotel?
You could say it was a very short brief. Our clients really trusted us. Basically, they asked us to create a place where everyone could feel at home, which was something elegant, light and soothing.
What are the building’s strong points?
There’s a really incredible diversity of volumes. Its 1,200m2 are split up into spaces of very different sizes, from small rooms to the penthouse with a 360° view of the whole of Paris from its terrace.
And the challenges?
The main one was the schedule, which was pretty tight. There was also the constraint of not being able to alter the existing architecture.
What atmosphere did you want to create?
One characteristic of our work in general is the priority given to creating harmony. We don’t like things that are spectacular. We prefer a project to dazzle through its details… a beautiful trimming, for instance. For this project, we wanted to conceive a space where you feel good. We really love going to hotels and think they should be restful and help you ground yourself quickly in an unfamiliar city. They ought to be surprising but reassuring at the same time.
Can you say a few words about the large mural in the Garden Duplex?
We really wanted to introduce some custom elements into the hotel. That’s why we commissioned the ceramicist, Charlotte Jankowski, to create a small collection of dishes with a special enamel we developed together. And for the double-height of the Garden Duplex, we thought of the decorative painters Redfield & Dattner because we wanted a vast landscape as a reference to the presence of large-format paintings in the interiors of the 19th century when the Hôtel de Pourtalès was built. We requested that it plays off the lush garden terrace of this suite and also with the incredible light that comes in and changes constantly throughout the day. Austin [Redfield] and Violette [Dattner] opted for a palette of brick, sage and charcoal tones, drawn from the furniture, which they made vibrate by adding flashes of gold. It feels like you could almost be in a wood and is reminiscent of a pre-Raphaelite painting.
Who is the hotel’s clientele?
People who don’t want to go to a normal hotel, who prefer the anonymity offered by the Hôtel de Pourtalès. It’s more like a residence. Each suite is arranged like an apartment. The service is also remarkably high-level and bespoke. They’re capable of responding to just about any request.
