Design Well Done
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 The all-white lobby contrasts with the colorful bar. |
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Paris does old so well that it often hurts to see international design hitting the city, especially when so many classic cafés are being done over in insipid pseudo design. But when it’s done well and isn’t spoiling a part of the city’s heritage, why not? That’s the case for the Murano Urban Resort, a hotel, restaurant, bar and soon-to-be spa, which opened last summer on the very non-prepossessing Boulevard du Temple, on the edge of the upper Marais, site of the city’s latest wave of trendy shops and galleries (and where Christian Lacroix recently opened the Hôtel du Petit Moulin). The Murano, named for the Venetian glass that turns up in chandeliers, mirrors and light fixtures throughout the hotel, has a great look, provided by designers Christine Derory and Raymond Morel. In the hotel’s glass-roofed lobby, for example, the flames that seem to be sprouting from the back of a long, low white-leather sofa are actually coming from a gas fire in a horizontal niche fireplace that runs almost the width of the room. Relief from this all-white purity is provided by the brightly colored upholstered panels in the bar, which has a stock of over 130 types of vodka. The white walls and “stalactite” tube lighting in the large restaurant are offset by seating in rich shades of red and purple. What is truly impressive in this hotel, however, is the great attention paid to detail: indirect room lighting that changes color at the whim of the guest; redingote-style bathrobes with fitted waists; cute, chubby silver mini-bars that don’t have to be hidden; an umbrella waiting in the closet for intemperate weather; an egg-shaped toilet; and so on. Even the silver electrical outlet covers are attractive. Are the Hôtel Costes’ days as Paris’s preferred celebrity hangout numbered? Murano Urban Resort: 13, boulevard du Temple, 75003 Paris. Tel.: 01 42 71 20 00. Fax: 01 42 71 21 01. 43 rooms, 9 suites. Single and double rooms: €350-€650; suites: €750-€2,500. muranoresort.com/ or book through Parismarais.com Reader Reaction: Click here to respond to this article (your response may be published on this page and is subject to editing). |