Located just steps away from the La Madeleine, Rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré and the Champs-Elysées, Hôtel du Ministère, designed by interior architect and designer François Champsaur in 2011, has now added 18 new rooms to its original 24. Linked by a bright and colorful breakfast room, the two adjacent buildings now adjoin the original hotel. The new street side wing is crowned with a top floor skylight whilst the courtyard side wing features a regal Eiffel Tower style structural façade. The new Hôtel du Ministère addition offers unique duplexes and singular rooms with glass ceilings. Romantic spaces with an industrial Eiffel Tower aesthetic, bathed in starlight streaming through glass ceilings, with warm beech wood nests integrated with the original hotel paneling.
The interiors
François Champsaur puts his stamp on yet another project for the Hotel du Ministere, paying tribute to the artist and fashion designer studios that were formerly housed in this building. The metal structure of one of the building’s façades reflects the late nineteenth century architectural style of the Eiffel Tower. Many of the hotel rooms overlooking the courtyard enjoy two-story steelframed glass walls that provide light and spectacular panoramic views of Paris. Echoing the existing industrial aesthetic of the building, the design objective for this addition aimed to be particularly resolutely graphic. Geographic forms contrast and complement one another, just as pops of color balance the predominant presence of black and white, enhancing the rooms in unexpected/surprising ways.
The spirit of the ‘artist’s studio’ is omnipresent in the linear fixtures and fittings along with the graphic design of the black and white carpet. The painterly brushstrokes of the carpet provide spatial rhythm and echo the play of colors between the armchairs, drapes, cushions and mosaic flooring in the bathrooms. Each room features a color scheme based on one of the three primary colors. The oak headboard along with the opening/door to the bathroom softens the geometric lines, infusing the space with a harmonious balance of energy. All of the rooms on the courtyard have a mezzanine overlooking the living room like an eagles nest. In the bathrooms, there is a play on volume in black and white thanks to the asymmetrical washbasin, which imitates the mirror/which, is reflected in the mirror. The glass tile flooring is softened by the marble which makes up the washbasin and bathtub. Signature pieces, such as Carlo Molino’s Gilda armchair or Franco Albini’s Tre Pezzi, add to the unique character of each room as their tubular steel frames accentuate the industrial ambiance of the building. The black light fixtures by Serge Mouille reinforce this sensibility/ fee- ling while the curvilinear black and white wall light fixtures about the nightstands by Atelier Troupe kinetically contrast the rectilinear lines of the dressing tables that are in the same colors with comparable visual appeal. The soft and subdued night light juxtaposes with the large windows that allow natural light to engulf the space during the day creating light effects that highlight the hotel’s architectural elements and surface textures.
The drawn curtains, designed like paintings, make up a colorful atmosphere. The plaid woven wool only reinforces this feeling.Francois Champsaur, in collaboration with the owner of the Hotel du Ministere chose the artwork to decorate each space. Gouache, drawings and engravings all bring a unique touch that gives its intimate elegance. The galleries Marie Ricco, Maeght, Catherine Putman and Glineur Item Editions helped to complete the collection that was already in the hotel along with the sculptures of Sebastien KJito, lithographs of David Lynch, the works of artist couple KRM and visual artists Carmen Perrin and Stephanie Guglielmetti.
