Interior design by Jacques Garcia

Design

The interiors of L'Hotel are unlike any other luxury hotel. From rich silk drapes to textured wallpaper, renowned interior designer Jacques Garcia's famous eye for detail and extravagant textures cover every inch of this beautiful building. Owner, Jessica Frankopan, talks us through the fabulous interior design of our beautiful boutique hotel.

A city we call home

We fell in love with L'Hotel more than two decades ago. Apart from the fact that it is one of most famous hotels in Paris, it is also perfect in every way. Located in the heart of the Left Bank, L'Hotel is in a part of the city that we have always called home. Every street, every corner around us has a story to tell. L'Hotel does not just breathe history; it breathes poetry and love, excitement and passion. When we took it over fifteen years ago, we knew we were doing more than taking over a hotel. We were becoming guardians of an institution.

L'Hotel is where Oscar Wilde spent his final years; it’s where Frank Sinatra romanced Ava Gardner, where Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor stayed when they visited the City of Love. It’s where my husband and I live when we are in Paris.

As spectacular as Paris

L'Hotel is small, but perfectly-formed. The fact that we only have 20 bedrooms means that we can give a level of service to guests that is not just exceptional (as it should be in a 5* hotel) but also personal too. Visiting Paris is a complete joy and our philosophy is to enhance that feeling by making time at L'Hotel as spectacular as the city itself.

Jacques Garcia

It helps that the rooms were designed by Jacques Garcia, one of the most celebrated designers in France. We loved working with someone who cared about the history of the property – and wanted to create rooms that reflected the famous building where the bedrooms are set off an extraordinary spiral staircase. I am really proud that the building itself, like the rooms and the service are jaw-droppingly good.

Opulent, fabulous, and sexy

Each bedroom is different – each is opulent, fabulous, and sexy, just like Paris. They combine rich fabrics and deep sensuous colours to create rooms that each have a theme of their own that draws on the past of Paris and France, including Charles X, Reine Hortense, and of course Oscar Wilde. They each have their own character and charm. The mirrored bed of Mistinguett is amazing, while the dark purples and silks of Mata Hari are just fabulous.

The private swimming pool in the cellars is pretty special. There’s nothing better than coming back from a day working or sight-seeing and floating in the candlelight.

Only in Paris

We’ve always wanted to make people feel that they have come back home when they come back through the doors; capitals are busy, bustling places filled with noises, sounds, and smells, and Paris is about as spectacular and vivid as you get. We wanted L'Hotel to be feel like home, but also to be part of the city too. I can’t stand hotels where I could be anywhere. L'Hotel is the opposite. You could only be in Paris.