The Cinema Hotel

by Francis Blaise

A hotel like no other has just opened between the Grand Boulevards and the Marais in Paris. In that area close to the legendary Grand Rex Theatre, 123 Sebastopol is dedicated to cinema, films and artists that took part in making the Seventh Art what it is today.

Philippe Maidenberg conceived the whole rehabilitating, interior architecture and design of the building with the complicity of Jean-Paul Belmondo, Claude Lelouch, Daniele Thompson, Agnes Jaoui, Jean-Pierre Bacri, Elsa Zylberstein and Ennio Morricone.

A single step into the main entrance (1, 2 & 3) will set the tone as the entire place is dedicated to cinema. Under the glass roof is an actual film set with natural light reflecting on mirror tables with adjustable camera-stand like legs, the bar is embellished with furniture and items from a shooting set or a theatre.

Philippe Maidenberg also designed the famous “Director” chair as a homage to Claude Lelouch after whom he named it. It has all the classic features such as the side pocket in which one can slip the screenplay, the director’s name embroidered with gold thread in the back and the same overstitching as the inside finish of a Ford Mustang.

Comfortably sat, life passes by before our eyes as if one had just given the “Action” signal also suggested in letraset on the great light board facing the staircase leading to the projection room, fitness center and meeting rooms.

A Star for each floor

The sixth floor is dedicated to “L’As des As” (the Aces’ Ace), Jean-Paul Belmondo (4 & 8), overlooking the whole city of Paris the same way the actor did with the French box-office. Emblematic and unforgettable pictures of films he was in immediately transport the visitor into the atmosphere of Jean-Luc Godard’s A Bout de Souffle (Breathless), Claude Lelouch’s Itinéraire d’un Enfant Gâté or Henri Verneuil’s A Monkey in Winter (Un Singe en Hiver).

Below is the Claude Lelouch area (5 & 9) with numerous subtle references to the director’s world. A large backlit board displays authentic pieces of celluloid film from the director’s feature films right above the bedhead for Technicolor dreams.  The most legendary sequences of films such as Un Homme et Une Femme (A Man and A Woman), L’Aventure C’est l’Aventure or La Bonne Année (Happy New Year) with Lino Ventura and Françoise Fabian decorate the entire wall.

As for Daniele Thompson (6 & 10), she chose the rather vivid and bright colours of lightwood. Known for her generosity, she offers a warm and luminous atmosphere in her “quarters”. In the bedrooms, one can either find a patchwork of photographs or large pictures of scenes from her most famous films. There are also personal comments of hers about her father Gerard Oury, her friend Sydney Pollack and other cinema legends. The high-end and soft fabrics underline the feminine elegance of the setting, so does the herringbone parquet flooring made with whitened ash wood or the velvet cushions and bedspreads.

The design furniture is both recreational and colourful with – as its centrepiece – an office table with its top filled with pink fuchsia pigments as a tribute to Klein. The chairs come from Daniele Thompson’s latest feature film.

For the part of the hotel dedicated to Agnes Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri, Philippe Maidenberg has worked on numerous documents and conversations with Agnes Jaoui in order to imagine the area he would design after them. The bed looks as if it is being set in motion by the pictures covering the wall: photographs, handwritten notes on a story-board, drawings that put us right in the middle of the duo’s creativity. The red and gold curtains are a reference to the theatre, the large presence of wood, parquet, the kilim carpet and warm colours of the bedrooms are here to remind us of a stage. Philippe Maidenberg also made small allusions to Jaoui and Bacri’s films by displaying unlikely ties or a moustache, framed as if they were paintings, referring to Jean-Pierre Bacri’s character in the very popular film Le Goût des Autres (The Taste of Others).

Both dramatic and lively, Elsa Zylberstein has built her identity as an actress after having worked as a dancer. The decorator’s imagination for her was drawn towards her peculiar womanhood along with punctual personal references to her artistic work. It is like entering a quiet nest with touches of pink and grey, the two main make-up powder colours used by dancers, another key dance element in the room is the training bar on the wall.

A large bedhead with classical carvings overlooks the bedroom with – on each side – a baroque inspired chandelier and rugs made of faux fur that remind us of the more glamorous side of the cinema industry we’ve all dreamed of. Right above the office and dressing table is a Venetian mirror that reflects natural light into the room under the eyes of Gena Rowlands and John Cassavetes whose portraits were chosen by Elsa Zylberstein who is a great admirer of their work.

And finally, one of the most important and influential figures in cinema around the world: maestro Ennio Morricone who gave Philippe Maidenberg his trust to transpose his world. A meeting, conversations between the two men helped them build an environment associating music and cinema. Centrepiece of this collaboration: an original handwritten film score sent by fax as a contribution to the hotel’s conception that was reproduced in a giant format to cover the bedroom wall. Above the bed is a moulding of the maestro’s hands around a screen showing one of his concerts with headphones at disposal to escape instantly into one of these great cinema classics. On each side of the bed are snare drums with a lamp on top – the same that are used with music stands – assembled as night tables. The general design is very refined. The centrepiece is the office desk that was conceived as a black varnished upright piano with a concert stool. The velvet, the dark wooden parquet and the carpet represent a score in photonegative thus creating a quiet atmosphere, ideal for listening to some music.

The hotel is a surprising and elegant place that puts you under the spotlights as if you were a film star and will help you discover the world of amazing personalities for a night or longer.

HÔTEL 123 SÉBASTOPOL 123, boulevard de Sébastopol. Paris

Hôtel particulier

Text by Lime Mistral. Photos by CP.

If our capital cruelly lacks ambitious projects, it has loads of little treasures that just need to be discovered. Evidently the Hotel Joyce is one of them. Designed and renovated by Architect and Interior Designer Philippe Maidenberg, the hotel establishment is an audacious mix of comfort, elegance and decoration winks.

If you need to be convinced, just have a look at the three clocks designed by George Nelson and manufactured by Vitra or the African armchair by Cheick Diallo. As for the optic fiber that illuminates the parquet floor, it takes you to a parlor curled up next to a stone wall – Designer Guild sofas and Polspotten ceiling lights. All the originality lies in the Eiffel style dining room. Located under a vast glass roof, it contains Thonet 50s armchairs, leather seats from old cars and Girard wooden dolls… The 44 rooms of the hotel including a junior suite are each different in colors and furniture and express a cozy comfort always in the spirit of the hotel.

Bright and poetic, the Joyce Hotel is a setting protected from the heated Parisian life, away from the noise. Evenings are soft and quiet for moments of serenity not far from the theaters of the 9^th district of Paris. A hundred meters away only, don’t hesitate to walk in the restaurant Les Comédiens… not very Artravel style, but no problem, we love it! And Charly the boss will know how to welcome you with class…

What’s up?

Here is a new “gem hotel” nested at the heart of the 9th arrondissement, with 44 rooms including a suite (nights from €180 to €380), all decorated in a joyful and colorful tone by Philippe Maidenberg. The architect winks to classic design (clocks by George Nelson, seats by Thonet…) but also contemporary (chairs by Philippe Starck, Patricia Urquiola…). On the walls and floors, one can find the impertinent drawings by Fornasetti. toutes décorées dans un esprit gai et coloré par Philippe Maidenberg.

29, rue la Bruyère (9e). Tel. : 01 55 07 00 01.

1, 2, 3… Action!

November 2013

Philippe Maidenberg is not a first-timer. After having staged the music world (with Rickie Lee Jones, Manu Katché, Jacques Higelin…) at the Triangle d’Or Hôtel, the architect gets on with cinema. And what cinema! Jean-Paul Belmondo, Claude Lelouch, Danièle Thompson, Agnès Jaoui, Jean-Pierre Bacri, Elsa Zylberstein, Ennio Morricone: all gave their time -and soul- for the decoration of the place, conceding sketches, photos, scripts, film rolls, handwritten notes, storyboards, film set decoration and personal items.

One will notably remember the red poly carbonate transparent chairs straight from the latest Thompson film “Des gens qui s’embrassent“. Or, even more iconic, the ties and the famous moustache of Bacri immortalized in “The Taste of Others”. A collection of details that bare witness of the part played by the stars involved, and give a real authenticity to the project, like the numerous winks to cinema: director’s armchairs, camera tripods as table legs, hanging projector lamps, pillows with a camera lens, flight case for the bathroom bowls… And the highlight of the hotel is a cinema room in the basement. Just book your ticket… for the night.

■ MARION TOURS Hôtel 123 Sébastopol, 123, bd de Sébastopol, Paris 2nd. From 280€ per night. 01.40.39.61.23, www.astotel.com.

Joyful stop in Paris

Philippe Maidenberg is one of these architects who transport you in the blink of an eye in a world of their own, far from the chichis and hotel concepts that take themselves too seriously. Opened in December 2009 in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, the Joyce Hotel is in his image – inventive, warm and witty. “I wanted a fun and light place”, Philippe said. Target met.

As shows, from the entrance, the astonishing breakfast room situated under an Eiffel style glass roof, well of light magnified by countless mirrors reflecting the sky, the vegetation wall and the large animated cloud suspended in the air. A permanent show that one can enjoy even more once sitting on the Thonet chairs or the long leather seat made of luxury car seats. In the same audacious vein, the 44 rooms (including 1 suite) are accessible by an elevator or a starred staircase.

All the rooms have a muted atmosphere, with, for some, a terrasse or a nice view on the rooftops. Dominant black and white, window-dessing bookshelves, pillows with colors high in vitamins, flannel on the wardrobe doors, prince-de-galles printed patterns (scanned from the architect’s pants) on the carpets… From design pieces to ingenious ideas, the Joyce Hotel is a must, a whiff of gaiety and fresh air in the capital.

■ MARION TOURS

“Breakfast with diamonds” in Hôtel 123

There’s something impalpable in the Hotel 123 that reminds you of the chic and youthful universe of Audrey Hepburn comedies. The hall sets the scene for this happy bijou hotel situated in the heart of the famous Faubourg Saint-Honoré: warm caramel colors, ethereal lamps made of white feathers or hearts of red crystal, a floor smothered with twinkling stars and a bar lined with silver lame. The same freshness and fantasy (the signature of architect Philippe Maidenberg) impregnates the 41 rooms and suites, giving them a homey and somewhat female atmosphere that, from what the hotel staff report, are particularly attractive to businessmen…

Close-up : The Joyce Hôtel

Situated at the heart of Paris, this chic and charming 3-star hotel firmly claims its environmental-friendliness and multiplies environmental initiatives: waste sorting, 50% renewable energies, eco and recycled equipment… The very elegant breakfast room lines recycled BMW seats, facing Thonet armchairs. Superb! Furniture by Starck and Patricia Urquiola, flannel by Jasper Conran and tiles by Fornasetti, iPod bases and open soft drink bar… M.A

Paris moves

Crisis or not, new venues abound. From the good deal bistrot to the street corner hotel and the hidden chic places, the French capital is still full of surprises. By Virginie Seguin.

[…] Surprising […], the Joyce takes its inspiration from the arty atmosphere of the 9th arrondissement, between cabarets and artists’ workshops (29 rue la Bruyère. For this relooking for the Astotel Group, Philippe Maidenberg mixed his own furniture design to winks, like the reception desk ornamented with Eiffel towers or the headboards replaced by bookshelf-like wallpaper, a reminder of the literary history of the area where Georges Sand and Victor Hugo used to live. The Parisians who are not looking for a 4 start bedroom can enjoy tea time there to discover the organic products served for breakfast under a zenithal glass roof. […]

Hotel from outer space

With a first name borrowed from painter Henner’s muse, a palette where azure blue sketches the mood of the day, a setting with solid character, the Joyce Hotel is the antitode to gloominess. By Noémie Barré. Photos Claude Weber.

As you enter, a counter with interlocked Eiffel towers sets the tone, like a welcome wink or a decompression chamber. Freshly hatched out at the heart of the Nouvelle Athènes, this halt is worth the stay! From the lobby to the 6th floor, the architect Philippe Maidenberg juggles with the symbols, using the hotel design and travel codes like a real playground. The tempo is set, the mood too. In the entrance hall, the clocks give the time in Paris, the Moon, and ‘Somewhere’ else…

Bright Earth globes and leds embedded in the floor delineate the walk of the globe-trotters floating in the Parisian weightlessness; suspended to the metallic framework, a cloud echoes the aerial films shown on the screens. Under the glass roof, pieces of atmosphere reflect on the mirror trays of the tables. And car seats, 1950’s armchairs by Thonet and low chairs without arms welcome the clients for breakfast. An outer space travel that unfolds in the open sky.

To continue the visit, follow the stars that stud the chair, the elevator and the corridors. Then, behind the bedrooms’ doors, discover a few masculine notes: Prince of Wales carpet, banded wardrobes, bicolor bedspreads. And to awaken these grey shades: pillows and bedside lamps by Jieldé are colored in pink, blue or acidulous green. Invigorating as you wake up, the bathrooms propel you at the speed of yellow or red light, at the heart of a busy day, hailed on the way by Fornasetti’s earthenware suns.

A graphic game this time: the white walls are used as paper leaves. Architect drawings drawn in black firmly plant the setting. Padded headboards, molding or bookshelves, frames or wall lamps with carefully drawn jewelry reinvent themselves in each room. This hotel chose the way of the stars to dream… But also engaged on the environment-friendly way by choosing energy sources, equipment and cleaning products that help protect the planet. A supplement of saoul that echoes the daily cares: Moisan bread and organic fruits for breakfast, Cosmebio N Ki range at bathing time. Humor, spirit, environment-friendliness… for a positive stay.

44 bedrooms (3 for disabled people) and 1 junior suite.

The chosen dishes of Christophe Hay

Chief executive of the Bessé Signature Group, Christophe Hay takes hold of the urban and colorful design of architect Philippe Maidenberg to launch the new restaurant of the Hôtel Bel-Ami, Les Mots passants*. There, assisted by Christian Mve Sho, he offers a short and fresh menu that changes 4 times a year, to the rhythm of seasons. It is made from carefully selected quality ingredients, like Annie Bertin of the Ferme de Biot, in Vende, between Fougères and Rennes, for the organic season vegetables; Vincent Doucet, Breton fisherman or the Sicaba co-op at the heart of the bourbonnais bocage for the organic meats. Lunch menus 21 and 29 €, wines from 28 € to 90 €. Brunch from 11 A.M to 3 P.M Saturdays and Sundays.

*The Passing Words, 7-11, rue Saint-Bene 75006 Paris

A 5^th star for the Bel Ami Hotel, in Saint Germain des Pres.

A flagship of the Besse Signature Group, The Bel Ami Hotel, which opened its doors in 2005, has managed to conquer the heart of the Parisians as well as of their international clients to become in incomparable location in Saint Germain des Prés. Text – Florence Bernardin. Photos – Frédéric Delmas.

Designed in an ancient printing house where the first novel from Guy de Maupassant, “Good Friend”, was edited, the Bel Ami Hotel distinguishes itself from other hotels with its diversity and originality of its rooms, notably the ones autographed by the architect Philippe Maidenberg. Cheerful, warm, and featuring beautiful materials, the new rooms composed of pink and green tones are rather surprising with their contemporary look and their understated luxury. “The clients who frequent the hotels want to have a new experience and enjoy the colors and materials which you can’t find everywhere”, explains Laurence Guinebretière, General Director of the hotel. These rooms provide a different setting and concept where one quickly finds oneself at ease and where each seemingly minute detail is unforgettable.

Crowned a five star hotel several months ago, the hotel is located two steps from the mythical cafes “Le Flore” and “Les Deux Magots”, two locations which are also distinguished by their high class services. The bar at the Bel Ami which is both intimate and lively at the same time, serves delicious cocktails as well as a menu by Christophe Hay, offerint dishes created with a base of natural products. “Our wish is to put the Bel Ami at the center of Saint Germain des Prés, says Laurence Guinebretière. “We therefore regularly organize events and literary evenings to bring together known actors and artists.”

With the goal to also host business meetings and seminars, the Bel Ami offers a variety of conference rooms furnished with ultra modern equipment as well as a VIP area to welcome important guests. With the recent opening of the well-being spa Esthederm, which provides face and body treatments for both men and women, the Bel Ami aims to be a hotel which is both full of life and serene, at the heart of one of the most popular Parisian neighborhoods.

Hollywood Version

The 123 Sébastopol, a new 4-star hotel in Paris, chose a decoration style inspired by cinema.

This hotel should please the film-lovers! Inside the 123 Sébastopol, all the decoration has been thought to remind the inside of a cinema or a film set. This establishment is the work of architect Philippe Maidenberg and all the artists that have accepted to join in and give him their personal vision of their art. As a result, the 123 Sebastopol is an anthem to culture and Parisian art de vivre, thanks to an ideal location between the Opera house, the Grands Boulevards, the Sentier, the Beaubourg and Marais areas. This part of the center of Paris is historically tied to cinema, with the mythical Grand Rex cinema in its core since the thirties, and the old Sebastopol cinema, whose imposing facade marked the boulevard until 1986 before it was shut down. Located opposite the Gaîeté Lyrique theater, this new establishment wishes to create a bond between the various neighborhoods of the center of Paris. Lights!

Inside, the lobby pays tribute to cinema. To French and European cinema, to the myth of American cinemas. Just help yourself with a cup of pop corn at the machine left at the disposal of visitors and the visit can start! The glass roof has been designed like a film set. Mostly lighted by natural light and reflected by mirror tables whose legs are the ones of an adjustable camera leg, the bar is decorated with furniture and objects that remind a film set or a cinema. The ‘The Director’ armchair, designed by Philippe Maidenberg in tribute to Claude Lelouch is manufactured and sold by Silvera. It takes after the film directors’ armchair style, with a pocket to leave a script in, the name of the director embroidered on the back with golden thread, and the topstitching reminds the interior of a Mustang. Comfortably seating, one gazes at the life set in motion as if someone had just shouted “Action!”… as suggested by a large illuminated sign.

123 Sebastopol Hotel – Like in the movies!

Just opposite the Gaite Lyrique, this new 4 star hotel in the Boulevard Sebastopol declares its love for cinema. The reception desk reminds an American box office, the entrance wall with its hand casts – a wink at the Hollywood stars – set the tone wanted by hotel architect and interior designer Philippe Maidenberg. Over 6 floors, the sixty three rooms have been refurbished with the complicity of leading actors. Jean-Paul Belmondo, Claude Lelouch, Danièle Thompson, the Agnès Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri duo, Elsa Zylberstein and Ennio Morricone have all played the game and given a bit of their intimacy. A punching ball next to an espalier stands as a headboard and a bedspread reminds of a boxer’s robe in the Belmondo bedrooms. In the Lelouch bedrooms, the scenery is made of black and white film roll, and a reel as a bedside table. Chairs from Danièle Thompson’s latest film, Des gens qui s’embrassent, can be found in one of her rooms. Special mention for the 424, dedicated to La Boom! In a hotel where cinema is in every floor, there is of course a screening room, as an extra to all services expected in a 4 star hotel: lobby, bar, fitness room.

123 Sébastopol. 123, boulevard Sébastopol, V. Tél. 01 40 39 61 23. www.astotel.com