An arty hotel from floor to ceiling : The Royal Monceau-Raffles

10 Jul 2012 - Hotels, Lifestyle in Paris

Completely refurbished in 2010 and decorated by Philippe Starck, the Royal Monceau-Raffles has become the quintessential arty hotel, where art and design take pride of place.
Unique in Paris : this hotel  has its own gallery, “Art District”, where international contemporary photographs are exhibited.  At the moment, and until 2nd September, Jean-François Rauzier is taking pride of place with his Hyperphotos, in which the real and the virtual are subtly blended. www.artforbreakfast.com. An art concierge is on hand to present the exhibition and also to make suggestions for cultural and artistic activities in Paris or to organise a private visit to a museum. Not far away, the Librairie des Arts, the only modern art bookshop set in a Parisian palace, offers a selection of multiple works (by Anish Kapoor last year) or single editions.
Art permeates the whole place:  in the bedrooms where photographs from the hotel’s private collection are hung; on the landings of each floor where contemporary exhibits take pride of place (La grande horde by Nicolas Polissky for example); in the restaurant (La Cuisine) where made-to-order, one-off plates by artists and designers are displayed and the ceiling is decorated with a fresco by Stephane Calais; in the hotel entrance where even the carpet displays the Philippe Starck trademark. Arty throughout! www.leroyalmonceau.com, 37 avenue Hoche, 75008 Paris

Parisforart special offer: visit the whole of this palace and its gallery as part of our Monceau-Ternes Artistic Itinerary