Noted in France
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Le Bouche à Oreille
Hotel du Temps has a depth, texture and warmth born out of genuine creative curiosity and fluid, fertile collaboration. And it’s a place that really does feel like home. Winsome, wistful, low-fi rooms have a look that is beguilingly indeterminate; a little bucolic, a touch Scandinavian, but also utterly, totally Paris right now. We talk to first time hotelier, Yoan Marciano about how Hotel du Temps came to be. ...read more
France Stories -
Château de la Resle
As someone who always choses white over red, many of my favourite places in the world are also, perhaps not uncoincidentally, great white wine producing regions. This six room B&B between Chablis and Auxerre beckons, though not just for its proximity to Grand and Premier cru vineyards. With its ivy-clad pale render, a steep slate roof and oeil-de-boeuf windows, one might imagine yet another faux historic mashup inside, but no. Dutch expats Johan Bouman and Pieter Franssens have retained the 17th-century boiserie, beams and baroque fireplaces, but otherwise opt for an entirely modern, très pays bas fitout, commissioning pieces from the Netherlands’ hottest designers. chateaudelaresle.com ...read more
France Noted -
La Villa 1901
Nancy, in north-eastern Lorraine, was France’s Art Nouveau hothouse, Emile Gallé’s École de Nancy an unlikely coming together of the region’s booming steel and glass industries and the sensuous, so-hot-right-then whiplash curves of the natural world. Visionary metal-worker turned Modernist architect and designer Jean Prouvé was also born into this milieu. This spendid mansion house, a particularly beautiful example of the signature local style and former family home, is an apt choice for design pilgrims to take in the city’s rich architectural heritage and museum collections. Owner Isabelle Jung-Hutin’s way with colour and mad, enchanting detail is moody and seductive; each room has a distinct look and design references. lavilla1901.fr ...read more
France Noted -
D’une île
A bucolic retreat in a conservation area of Basse-Normandie, just 90 minutes from Paris, this hotel-meets-medieval-village was dreamed up by Dutch expats Michel Mulder and Sofie Sleumera, a musician and fashion designer respectively. Guests are accommodated in a clutch of brocante-filled cottages, ancient and cosy, and there are some that can sleep four to six. A super convivial central cafe/restaurant/bar area dispenses coffee, wine and evening meals cooked with love and using locally-sourced produce. The surrounding countryside of Le Perche is a treat, with little-visited evergreen forests, rivers, medieval castles, manors and authentic rural villages. duneile.com ...read more
France Noted