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Without sounding trite, there’s something terribly French about this beautiful hotel in Paris, the first for interior designer Chloé Negre’s portfolio. It has to be said, this being her first crack at designing a hotel, she’s knocked it out of the ballpark. Hotel Bienvenue is the perfect blend of grandeur and welcoming warmth. It is another string in the bow of hotelier Adrien Gloaguen who also owns other hotels nearby, the successful Hôtel Paradis and Hôtel Panache.

The Bienvenue is located in South Pigalle, and is the reinvention of the century-old, former Hotel Fenelon. The brief was to create a hotel with an ethos to entertain differently, to treat each guest as a family member. “I wanted a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. A peaceful place where I could settle down with my wife and daughters,” said Gloaguen.

As soon as one enters, through the stunning art deco, black steel, glass doors, soft patinas great you, vintage armchairs recovered in floral fabrics, and curios (like those inherited from a grandmother) establish an intimate atmosphere. The reception counter has been kept in its original condition; a nod to the previous incarnation. A wicker sofa, vintage light fixtures, and faux-marbles painted by Pauline Leyravaud grace the delightful space. “Like in an old house, the pieces come together in joyful visual coherence – a space that is alive and warm,” commented the team.

The warmth and subtle touches are evident throughout the hotel. Bienvenue is divided into two buildings, the main house and the guest house, or Town and Countryside as the buildings are respectively referred to. Interestingly there’s a distinct difference between the interiors of the two.

The thirty-eight guestrooms in the Town are softly finished in pastels and rounded fixings, like the headboards on the beds perfectly mimicking the architecture of the art deco curved ceiling details in the rest of the hotel. A daring navy and white geometric carpet offsets the more feminine colourway of the rooms. Two staircases lined with velvety walls lead you to the guestrooms coined with names designed to put one at ease: “La Bien-Aimée”, “La Bien-dormie”, or “La Bien-vue”. In decorating them, Chloé Negre played at times on a graphic theme – geometrical rugs, thick navy and white stripes and monochromatic tones on the walls, pale green, pastel pink, pale yellow and powder box blue – and at others, with a countryside-in-Paris feel.

The eight guestroom in the Countryside annex, a small building to the rear of the garden which separates the annex from the main hotel, are outfitted in a series of floral wallpapers and floral curtain with thick carpets. However, whilst the rooms in the different buildings are deliberately decorated quite differently, they are discreetly complimentary. By implementing such design features as the round-edged furniture into both hotel spaces, they have bridged as it were the design between the two buildings.

Negre has also kept a close eye on making sure the heritage of the original hotel has been respected and remembered, retaining mouldings or discontinued tiles. It’s a blend of history and modernity which ultimately creates a distinctiveness to the space. “We want to give the impression of being in a unique place filled with an entire history. Like at a friend’s home where the recovered, restored pieces become parts of a narrative,” explains Negre.

The main hotel and the annex are divided by a garden courtyard designed by landscape architect Xavier Patricot. His beautiful garden, filled with topiary and luxuriant plants is set off by a gigantic fresco of a fantasy countryside by Julien Colombier which covers the courtyard floor. This luscious courtyard is first glimpsed from the long corridor coming off reception. It is then viewed more fully from the breakfast room, which has been furnished with chandeliers from the 40’s, eclectic furniture and two large china cabinets stocked with mismatched plates, adding a delightful reminiscence of old-world Paris. The dining room, another jewel in the crown, seats 30 on pink leather bench seats, contrasting against the khaki walls.

The hours Chloé Negre must have put into rummaging around old French antique shops finding pieces here and there must have been extensive. Although one suspects there are worse ways to spend your time than digging through bygone years of French furniture and fittings! However, the end result of all her searching is a creation of a hotel that speaks of timeless perfection. One feels every moment of the past, whilst thoroughly enjoying the modern interpretation of the now.

[Images courtesy of Hotel Bienvenue. Photography © Hervé Goluza.]