The view of Paris from the Suite Eiffel of the Hotel Lutetia is breathtaking. Up seven floors, under the canopy of the hotel’s rooftop, the view from its windows shows you why Paris is a city that can sweep you off your feet. Not to mention the Hotel Lutetia’s incredily rich history in the first half of the twentieth century. But this evening, the view and the hotel’s storied past take a backseat to the Suite itself, designed and customized by sculptor-designer Guillaume Piéchaud.
It was an honor to be able to visit the inauguration of the newly-designed Suite Eiffel; made even more exciting by the presence of the designer himself. Guillaume Piéchaud accompanied us into the Suite, and we were greeted by furniture at once bright, playful and futuristic: a cobra table, swan lamps, shark seats, a spider endtable and desk.
Made of polished metal, crystals and stainless steel, Guillaume Piéchaud’s furniture sculptures are sleek yet graceful, their forms fluid.
The beauty of the Suite is in the play of contrasts: sharp, cold material against the plush carpets and bedroom linen.
As the visit of the Suite was about to end, I asked Piéchaud what his favourite piece was. Without hesitation, he gestured towards the wall, where an oval metal sculpture hung, light radiating behind it. “I love this one because of the light it gives,” he told me. The contemporary sculpture bathed the room in a warm light.
Artists like Guillaume Piéchaud get free reign in decorating the Suite Eiffel (past artists include David Lynch and the Campana brothers), allowing them to be part of the history of one of Paris’s greatest hotels. The way they celebrate the old and the new, never afraid of change, makes Hotel Lutetia sparkle even more brightly in the City of Light.
You can book a night in the Suite Eiffel or drop by the Hotel Lutetia to see the works by Guillaume Piéchaud, which are on exhibit in the hotel lobby until February 28, 2013.
Hotel Lutetia
45 boulevard Raspail, 75006