Paris, the cultural home of artists, designers, haute-cuisine, couture and luxury is renowned for good hotels..some like The Ritz or the George V are a byword for luxury and sophistication but Hotel Chavanel, a new hotel, based in the historic Madeleine quarter has just taken the boutique hotel to a new design level. After months of renovation and refurbishment the hotel has been completely transformed by clever contemporary touches and extensive use of fabrics such as lace…but not as you have seen before.
Cleverly, the architects, Anne Peyroux and Emmanuelle Thisy, and owner Sophie Charlet, have chosen to use Leavers Lace from Sophie Hallette, the family-run lace-makers who have been providing lace and tulle to haute couturiers since 1887.
Sophie Hallette see their creations on catwalks around the world, (theirs was the lace chosen by Sarah Burton for her iconic wedding gown for the Duchess of Cambridge), so they are used to designers being creative with their lace, therefore, when they were approached to collaborate with the Hotel Chavanel project, they welcomed the opportunity to take lace into the interiors sector.
“We are always looking to showcase the versatility of our lace, so when we were asked if our designs could be the inspiration for many of the soft furnishings we were delighted to be able to help. Our Leavers Lace design 56054.24/90 was selected and used throughout the hotel.
This design, which was created in the Sophie Hallette studio in 1962, is a floral corded Leavers Lace. At that time it was a revolutionary idea to produce such a lace on this loom, because usually the cords were hand embroidered onto the lace. By using the Leavers Loom everything was done simultaneously – thus savingproduction time.
The carpet is an exclusive reproduction by Ege who received a special licence to do so making this truly unique, and the lace was used for headboards in the bedrooms to great effect.“ said Maud Lescroart, Marketing Director of Sophie Hallette.
“We love the result because it looks modern and fresh, but still conveys luxury and couture. There are some beautiful creative touches like lace panels… and the walls of Leavers Lace curtains are extraordinary”.
The result? The coolest place to stay on the Right Bank!