In Paris, Maison Barrière Vendôme Brings The Stories of 27 Famous Women to Life

Doors opened this January to Maison Barrière Vendôme, a boutique hotel within a storied Paris mansion set between the Tuileries Gardens and Place Vendôme. Once the headquarters of Lacoste and a library frequented by former French president François Mitterrand, the fully redesigned property encompasses 10 guest rooms, 16 suites and apartments, and a signature restaurant. Maison Barrière Vendôme represents an intimate new concept with the prestigious Hotel Barrière portfolio, which includes Le Majestic in Cannes, Le Normandy in Deauville, Fouquet’s New York, Le Carl Gustaf in Saint Barths, Les Neiges in Courchevel, and many others.

Interior designer Daniel Jibert helmed the project, translating a design direction based upon legendary people. “The owner selected 27 famous women, one for each of the 26 keys, and one for the restaurant,” general manager Olivier Fernandez shares with Surface. Jibert looked to the lives of these public figures—Nina Simone, Agatha Christie, Bette Davis, Marlène Dietrich, Isadora Duncan, Maria Callas, Audrey Hepburn, Marie Curie—for details that could be transformed into tactile elements.

In the rooms these manifest as luxe, layered visions—complete with Pierre Frey fabrics, Lalique sconces, and Declercq curtains. Though the walls bear texture, no wallpapers were used anywhere in the hotel. “It’s all hand-painted. This is quite rare,” Fernandez continues. “The rooms and corridors were all painted by Atelier de Ricou, who are famous for refreshing French monuments.” All of this is coupled with antique items designed to evoke the woman whose story the room is telling.

One floor above the ground level, guests will find the private Mexican-inspired restaurant, Frida, named, of course, after the artist Frida Kahlo. Murano glass light fixtures by designer Aristide Najean complement a piece by French sculptor Thierry Martenon. The restaurant’s footprint is extended by a glass-and-steel architectural addition that sits in the elevated central courtyard at the heart of the hotel. It’s accented by vibrant green Mediterranean zelliges, a type of large tile mosaic work.

Service here, Fernandez explains, is driven by a different approach than many of the other surrounding hotels. “I said to my entire team before the opening, ‘we have only 26 keys, let’s pretend we are a countryside house and this is the first time we are going to greet guests.’ I had them imagine all the questions that we must ask to make these people feel happy,” he says.

This undercurrent feeds into the restaurant’s ethos. “This is why we have decided against setting hours for breakfast,” Fernandez says. “If the guest wants to have breakfast at 6pm, why not? In a countryside house, if your best friend comes, and they’re tired and wake up at 2pm, would you not serve them coffee and eggs if they want it?” Fernandez explains that they can do this as they’re only 26 rooms—and because he has no desire to ever provide a buffet, which isn’t as high-touch.

Charming attributes like bird and owl sculptures by Clémentine De Chabaneix, and the whimsy of the granite reception desk amidst sea green and gold walls, envelop guests upon entry. But the rarefied address on Rue de Castiglione, in the 1st arrondissement, not far from The Ritz Paris or Le Meurice, lends the most value. “The address is exclusive,” Fernandez says. “There are so many places around Paris where people like to be seen. If you want to have a place with personalized service, designed like a private residence, you have Maison Barrière Vendôme.”