Hotel de Lille, Paris, France

Tucked in the scenic Left-Bank neighbourhood of Saint Germain des Près, the nineteenth-century Hotel de Lille is a pied-à-terre for culture fiends. Here guests can immerse themselves in the world of a local literary figure, artist or performer like enfant terrible Serge Gainsbourg and author François Sagan who actually lived on the same street at number 73.

In a former life, the Hotel de Lille was a boarding house for destitute creative types that sat above an antiques shop. Now the hotel lobby, a roaring fire slotted in a wall clad with a steel Pierre-Alexandre Poulain mural cut-out, and bright red Diamond Bertoia armchairs bring warmth to the ultra contemporary space. Throughout the hotel, conceived using sustainable materials, designer Jean-Luc Bras breaks up the linear look with bright fabrics, original artworks and photography, flea market finds and antiques.

Each a tribute to a cultural figure, rooms come with memorabilia like Sagan’s original typewriter and a selection of hand-picked books and documentaries. Adding a homely chic to the clean understated look accentuated by Kvadrat wall coverings that recall concrete, back-lit beds, brass lighting fixtures and Knoll marble-top bedside tables, Eames chairs are paired with shaggy rugs and 50s Danish style sofas.