It may already be unnecessary to introduce Maison Plisson. Much more than just an innovative concept, this general fresh food –...
We visited the C.O.Q Hotel, a new place with a surprising name in the 13th arrondissement, midway between a hotel and a sophisticated family house. Designed by Pauline D’Hoop and Delphine Sauvaget, the hotel with its 51 rooms is an eclectic fusion of chic. The interior is an interesting blend of vintage, custom and designer decoration. Inviting and warm, the atmosphere is charmingly relaxed and after exploring the luscious greenhouse beneath the striking skylight, the residing appeal is unmistakeable.
Pauline, Delphine could you present yourself?
Our journey began at l’Ecole des Arts Décoratifs de Paris, where we met. We finished in 2011 and fairly quickly launched ourselves as a duo. Three years later we opened our own agency, Agence Favorite.
After l’Ecole des Arts Décoratifs, I worked for a while in set design for La Grande Épicerie du Bon Marché and implementing the store windows for Isabel Marant. We didn’t think about interior and architecture until much later, during our studies we really liked engraving and screen printing. Our initial involvement was not the field we are in now.
How did you approach the C.O.Q Hotel project?
It was interesting because the direction given to us by Michel Delloye was to have fun, we received very little by way of rules and guidelines in which to adhere. The idea was to create a hotel that we would want to go to! From our side, we wanted something that was authentic, with ideas, moods and an ambiance implicative of times gone by. We really enjoy the concept of atmosphere, not in the sense of a juxtaposition of design pieces or finite decoration but by creating an ambiance that has soul and depth.
Ultimately we wanted a place that is intimate and personal for everyone, lending an impression of lasting existence. If someone feels like going downstairs in slippers or take a nap in the greenhouse, its means that we succeeded.
What was your vision?
We restored the space according to the vision we wanted to evoke, like a guided journey through a home; starting with the entryway, through the kitchen and proceeding to the dining room, living room and greenhouse. We also have a courtyard with a small chicken coop.
We had just one month to think about and give our specification, which is rather short but finally it wasn’t so bad as it gave the project some spontaneity. Sometimes having longer to work on something leads to a loss of organic thought or momentum, our desire was to really interpret the sense of natural legitimacy we had during the project.
And the furniture?
What was particularly exciting for us about this project was that we could really acquire all that our heart’s desired. For the bedrooms, we decided to design the furniture and incorporate certain pieces of vintage, for example a chair or stool. We really love a mix of materials, old linen, leather, wood, marble, brass and so on… the contrast between simple things give soul to the space. All the furniture in the rooms is in solid wood and the fifty woven rugs we had handmade by a single artisan in Britain. We used the Farrow & Ball range of paint on the walls.
We also designed the bedside lighting in the bedrooms. For other lighting we used the brands Rubn and Flos. For the ground floor we have a real assortment. On the floors we have vintage Turkish or Moldovan kilim rugs and the crockery is from a Nordic brand called Broste Copenhagen. We have some precise design elements, like the Quaderna table from Zanotta, the Florian Schulz lamps in the living area and the ‘tahiti’ lamp by Memphis Milano.
Tell us about the name C.O.Q. Hotel ?
The name is an acronym for Community of Quality. A running theme was the quantum of hard work and valued production applied by artisans and craftsmen during the project, this idea of quality was recycled many times over. Also we enjoyed the reference to the animal !
The aspect of community is also evident in our intentions for the ground floor, it’s a place to socialise and exchange words, play a game, read a book, listen to music and even has the possibility to watch a film.
Does this project embody your style?
Yes, I think so. It certainly features styles we like. We also got inspired by the style in our own apartments.
I think this is the one where we’ve had the most freedom, supported by a technical team with the highest skill set. I’m inclined to agree, thus far, it most exemplifies our style.
What other types of projects have you done?
Restaurants, apartments and private houses. La Gazette in the 16th arrondissement was our first restaurant and it’s thanks to this that we got to work on C.O.Q Hotel. Michel Delloye, the proprietor, had come in for a lunch and subsequently contacted us regarding joining the project.
C.O.Q Hotel
15 rue Edouard Manet, Paris 13ème.
Credits : Eve Campestrini@thesocialitefamily.com
Agence Favorite
6 place du Marché Sainte Catherine
www.agence-favorite.com
What is the dark teal/dark color of the Farrow and Ball paint on the bedroom and lounge room walls? It looks teal, but they don’t have dark teal.
Hague Blue? Railings?