Hotel Nuage,
a Place To Be Inspired

There are those who instinctively continue the family business and others who prefer to venture elsewhere, away from a legacy with which they do not identify. Olivier Breuil, director of the Nuage Hotel, is one of these. Or so he thought. His thirties were an eye-opener for this engineering graduate. In search of freedom and independence, he left his career in Oslo to build a new life in Paris involving his painting studio – his childhood passion – and his family hotel, the Élysées Mermoz! A focal point throughout every moment of his life, and the one where he found himself returning to train with his father before taking over as director at the end of 2021. And a new era began under his leadership. An era of renewal, Nuage. An address that reflects him totally and which whisks us away into a world of indulgence and relaxation at the mere mention of its name. The same approach guided the architect, Jordane Arrivetz, in rethinking the entire building. In a “break with the consumerist hustle and bustle of the Champs-Élysées district”, the founder of Notoire Agency has chosen a myriad of materials for 30 rue Jean Mermoz that invite you to touch them, from Botticino marble to light oak and a carpet that makes you “want to kick your shoes off immediately”. These mediums are accompanied by a palette of sometimes soft and sometimes warm colours, organic shapes and textures “sufficiently different to bring vibration and substance” to create an effortlessly light and harmonious whole. A sensation that the former engineer was keen to capture, having been “guided by the memory of that feeling you get when you fly above the clouds and time seems to slow down”. Bright rooms far from the hustle and bustle of Paris, a cosy private screening room, a library stocked with selected books, with the help of the all-rounder Julie Barrau: no corner of this establishment escapes the slow living rule. A lifestyle that the happy owner offers to his visitors both in situ and during activities suggested by the hotel. Escapades that encourage guests to discover Paris from a different angle. And invite them to raise their eyes to the sky!

Hôtel Nuage, Jean Mermoz – 75008 Paris. Reservations by telephone on +33 (0)142 257530 or on their website www.nuage.paris/en/

Olivier, Jordane: Can you introduce yourselves?

Olivier

I’m Olivier, son and grandson of Correzian hoteliers on my father’s side, and we originate from Central Europe. I’ve had a winding and eclectic career as I didn’t want to join the family hotel business until I was 33!

Jordane

I’m the founder and artistic director of the agency Notoire.

Can you tell us about your backgrounds?

Olivier

At 18 I loved art and painting, but I didn’t feel mature enough to work as an artist or study Fine Arts. Since I didn’t want to study hospitality and I loved science, I became an engineer instead. But my desire for freedom, independence and my passion for painting caught up with me in my thirties. I left my corporate career while living in Oslo. Finally, I thought it would be silly to not at least try working with my father at the hotel while pursuing my passion for painting. So I alternated my days between the hotel where I learned the ropes, and my workshop. Today I just manage this establishment, which I’ve done up to reflect my tastes.

Jordane

I attended Camondo school in Paris, and after working for interior design agencies for a few years I went on to become the artistic director for Costes for 5 years. It was this experience that made me passionate about hotels and restaurants, and made me understand the cross-disciplinary side of the customer experience. That was my focus when I created Notoire.

Tell us about how you met. Olivier, why did you use Notoire Agency for the Nuage Hotel project?

Olivier

I met Jordane in the summer of 2020. Julien Desselle and his agency Desselle Partners introduced me to Jordane. I asked her to think about a pre-concept based on identity and storytelling. Jordane immediately found the right tone. When we looked at the mood board at the time, we were surprisingly close to the end result, even if it took a long time and was intense work. We both knew how to stay on track, and she knew how to respond if she felt one of my ideas wouldn’t work. I think that’s one of her great qualities and strength.

I've always known this building. As kids, my brother and I used to come to have lunch with my grandparents. As a teenager, I sometimes worked here with my father.

Tell us the story of this hotel. What made you decide to invest in this space?

Olivier

I’ve always known this building. As kids, my brother and I used to come to have lunch with my grandparents. As a teenager, I sometimes worked here with my father. There was still a telephone switchboard with original jacks, and all bookings were paid for with cheques sent by post! My grandfather Georges left his native Corrèze in the 1920s without a penny to his name and decided to try his luck in Paris. His ability to connect with people and his business skills meant that in the early 1950s, during a candlelit auction, he bought this hotel which was called the Elysées Mermoz. Built in the middle of the 19th century, located 200 m from the Champs Elysées, it then passed into the hands of my father Gérard who transformed it into a 3 and then 4-star hotel in 2010. At the end of 2021, it was reborn under a new name, Nuage.

Jordane, what guided the layout and decoration of the different spaces in this establishment?

Jordane

We wanted to create a place that breaks with the consumerist turmoil in the Champs-Elysées district. For each project, I am inspired by the site and the people I cater to. Olivier’s gentleness and creativity inspired me to use pure lines, light materials, for a relaxing, arty feel. We worked with botticino marble and light oak, with a lot of feminine style: the tabletops are curved, the cupboard handles have organic shapes, the corners are softened. Touch is omnipresent. In the rooms, benches are designed as day-beds, for work, reading, or even eating dinner. We chose a lot of fabrics with soft shades but also various textures to give life to the material. The link with “clouds” (Nuage) can be seen in the design of the carpets, with a gradient of warm colours that add warmth and a relief effect to the rooms. They immediately make you want to walk barefoot!

Is there any room that you particularly enjoyed working on?

Olivier

I wanted to choose everything, and discussed all of Jordane and her team’s ideas. From the teaspoons to the lights, from the shape of the headboards to the design of the carpet. Guests notice everything, down to the smallest details. Two rooms have a very personal touch. In the form of two lights. The first piece is a sconce that my 9-year-old son Léo designed and that we had made by the Art & Floritude Workshop owned by my friend Virginie Kompalitch. This sconce is shaped like a Ginkgo Biloba leaf, a legendary tree, one of the oldest species on earth, and which was my father’s favourite tree. The second is a large light installation for the breakfast room, based on my drawing of the sun rising over the sea, and also made by Art & Floritude. It is inspired by “Solen”, a painting by the Norwegian artist Edward Munch. For me, this piece is a tribute to Norway, a country I love and where I lived for several years.

Jordane

As we designed a lot of custom furniture and each room is different, we treated this project like a private residence.

Suites, lounges, a bar and even a cinema: the Nuage hotel has a global feel that advocates the slow lifestyle trend. Olivier, explain your concept of a boutique hotel.

Olivier

I was guided by the feeling of flying when you pass over clouds and their movement appears to slow down. If I were to describe Nuage in one word, it would be “inspiring.” I wanted the hotel to be an inspiring place. You feel inspired in a place where you feel good, where you can let go. That’s when ideas crop up, the mind thinks freely. When we breathe in, we absorb our surroundings. Life enters. Paris, when you know how to handle it the right way, is an inspiration, a source of energy. Nuage is a protected, bright, quiet place.

What is your target clientele?

Olivier

Above all, the hotel is designed for its guests. For example, we set up a library in the lobby with the help of Julie Barrau, bringing together books on poetry, art, meditation, neuroscience, children’s history books, drawing magazines, cookery books… everything that reflects the “slow” life. Guests can take a book to their room and read while lounging on banquettes that have replaced old desks. Similarly, the cinema room is reserved for guests who can share it or book it for private viewings.

How did you choose the program for your cinema room?

Olivier

People can choose from our wide selection of DVDs ranging from French classics, Tex Avery, to all my favourite films like “In the Mood for Love”. We also have a lot of nature documentaries. Plus we have Netflix and Disney Plus subscriptions.

We wanted to create a place that breaks with the consumerist turmoil in the Champs-Elysées district. For each project, I am inspired by the site and the people I cater to.

You also offer a concierge service that advises guests on atypical walks around Paris. What new light do they shed on the capital?

Olivier

Nuage is an invitation to look up at the sky, and more generally to discover Paris from another angle. My idea of the slow life here is to simply walk in the streets, linger on a café terrace, visit Louvre without queuing up to see only one painting and head out to sample a delicious pastry… For our clients, we have selected partners who offer tours of Paris, from a private Riva boat on the Seine, on horseback through the Bois de Boulogne or the park at Château de Versailles, or in side-cars with family or friends.

Your hotel focuses on local networks and eco-responsibility. How do you choose the people you work with daily?

Olivier

Modestly – we tried to be as consistent as possible between our aspirations stemming from the slow food movement and the choice of our equipment and service providers. For example, 100% of the spirits served at the bar are of French origin. To clean the hotel, we have eliminated all chemicals. We use the dry steam Vapodil system, which reduces our water consumption and protects our rooms and guests from harmful cleaning products. We also chose not to put minibars in rooms, as they’re energy-consuming and create waste.

Where will we find you in the coming months?

Olivier

At the hotel! We’ll soon be welcoming the artist Emmanuel Rivière who will talk about his work as a sculptor and will show a film he made about his father, who was a blind sculptor. Another father-son story!

Jordane

On the 15th and 16th floors of So’Paris, Boulevard Morland: the Bonnie restaurant, club and lounge. We’ll be taking you to the “space-age”, with feminine and futuristic shapes, graphic patterns, quilted walls, a clever use of light and reflection, and a 360° view of Paris.