Modigliani had his home-studio here. Picasso lived nearby, and Gauguin spent time in the cafés of the zone. Rue de la Grande Chaumière bore marvelous though unwitting witness to the artistic ferment of Paris at the start of the 20th century, with the rise of extraordinary geniuses. Today, at number 15, in a building from the 18th century, the new Hôtel des Académies et des Arts cannot help but intertwine its own history with that of the street, acting as a channel of inspiration.
Inside this 4-star boutique hotel with 20 rooms we find an artistic workshop open to guests and to students of the fine arts. A veritable atelier with easels, brushes, pencils, paints, but also photography and sculpture, hosting introductory and advanced courses in collaboration with the academy, as well as temporary exhibitions.
The architect Stéphanie Lizée of Studio Lizée-Hugot, in charge of the interior design, has transmitted the desire to stimulate spontaneity and creative freedom in a sensitive, precise way, parallel to the offerings of a luxurious shelter for guests in transit.
For starters, there are no unnecessary decorations, so as not to set limits on imagination. Then comes the careful selection of colors, in a sober balance between the black and bronze of the velvets, and a warm green hue that acts as a leitmotif. Since the objects are an integral part of the context, the furnishings have all been conceived as a coherent set, thus specially designed by the studio and produced by artisans.
It goes without saying that art is everywhere. Paintings are strewn here and there, even on the floor, and some canvases seem to still be drying, hung on iron nails. In the courtyard, there is a stencil work by the artist Jérôme Mesnager, and above all there are large pastel frescos painted by Franck Lebraly, a tribute to the Cubists and Surrealists, to the figures of women in tones of blue and pink.
In the guestrooms, with views of the Parisian rooftops, the ceiling has been utilized like a canvas; a row of handmade nails runs along the walls, inviting the hanging of artworks, while high shelves provide a valid support for pottery and other artifacts. The oak headboards of the beds are also made to measure, in some cases with true niches, accompanying the silk coverings and some bold choices such as the stool with striped fabric in black and red.
With tones of cream and black, the bathrooms in glazed ceramic are a clear reference to the Parisian buildings of the early 1900s, with – in some cases – a quick hint of the contemporary, leaving the shower open to the bedroom.
Photo © Benoit Linero
