Cours des Vosges

Cour des Vosges PARIS

Set in the regal surroundings of Place des Vosges, the latest opening from Evok Hotels honours Paris’ storied past.

Words: Matt Turner Photography: Courtesy of Evok Hotels Collection

Evok Hotels is one of the most dynamic new hospitality groups to emerge from France in recent years. Since its creation in 2014, co-founders Romain Yzerman and Emmanuel Sauvage have developed properties owned by energy magnate Pierre Bastid into a portfolio of six hotels (five in Paris, one in the French Alps) each offering a unique take on luxury inspired by its location. Further projects are in the pipeline in Venice, Madrid and Rome.

Different designers have been employed to give each project a distinct look and feel; Jean-Louis Deniot creating the classic French ambience of Nolinski, Christophe Tollemer for the exclusive alpine luxury of Hameau de la Volière, Philippe Starck for the immersive eclecticism of Brach, and Tristan Auer for the risqué decadence at Sinner.

For its latest project, Cour des Vosges, designers Yann Le Coadic and Alessandro Scotto were enlisted to capture the art de vivre and elegance of an historic Parisian mansion. Tucked away behind the colonnades of Place des Vosges on the former site of the Hôtel de Montbru, a sophisticated sense of residential style pervades its 12 guestrooms and suites. Contemporary design combines with period objects, antiques and references in homage to its location in Le Marais.

The storied past of the French capital reverberates through its walls. This is the oldest planned square in Paris, and arguably its most beautiful. On its inauguration in 1612, famed architect Jean Baptiste Androuet du Cerceau – noted designer of several hôtel particuliers in the city as well as the Pont Neuf – had created the template for the residential squares that would proliferate across Europe, with its uniform, regimented, red-brick façades and vaulted arcades.

Through the 17 th and 18 th centuries it was one of the most fashionable and expensive addresses in the city – a favoured meeting place for aristocrats and nobles until the French Revolution not so much turned Parisian society on its head as decapitated it.

Lecoadic-Scotto has preserved this heritage, transporting guests back in time to this residence of a noble lineage of erudite scholars and art collectors.

The structure of the building remains intact, blending a mix of 17 th century splendour and 1970s design. A discreet entrance sandwiched between the hotel’s own Salon de Thé and neighbouring bistro Ma Bourgogne opens onto a private courtyard. From here, rooms are distributed across four floors with painted wooden ceilings, original beams and windows overlooking the brick pavilions in the tree-lined Square Louis XIII below.

A roman bath is hidden out of sight on the lower ground floor, open all day for guests who can also select in-room spa treatments using Orveda products.

Antique mirrors and art pieces adorn the walls, accompanied by furnishings upholstered in pastel blue and pink fabric. Lacquered screens and sliding walls offer a flexible space along with old terracotta, azure tapestries and

candelabra lamps. More modern interventions include a four-poster bed reimagined as a stainless steel canopy that can be closed off for complete privacy, a small kitchen for en-suite cooking and luxuriously appointed bathrooms.

Throughout the property, there is a collection of over 100 original artworks curated by gallerist Amélie du Chalard, alongside books selected by independent bookseller Anatole Desachy. Abstract modern paintings by the likes of Frederic Heurlier Cimolai, Ludovic Philippon and Laurence Garnesson nestle up against ancient sculptures. Paper pieces by Marine Vu and Helene Durdilly are complemented by a steel mobile by Alex Palenski. Eclectic it may be, but as with the design of the hotel, the transitions between Paris’ past and present are seamlessly layered, as another chapter in the story of this historic building unfolds. EXPRESS CHECK-OUT Owner: Pierre Bastid Developer / Operator: Evok Hotels Interior Design: Lecoadic Scotto Art Consultant: Amélie du Chalard www.courdesvosges.com