Pompadour Suite, Le Meurice — Paris, France

The spruce up at Le Meurice continues at a stately pace. The ten-year project is particularly impressive for the fact that the hotel does not plan to close for business at any stage.
Barely six months after the Parisian landmark’s restaurant and public spaces emerged from a gentle refurbishment by Philippe Starck and his daughter Ara, comes the first of a series of freshened suites.
Overlooking rue de Rivoli, the Pompadour actually amalgamates three suites. Working with Studio Lally & Berger, Charles Jouffre has created a modern salon – furnished by a sweep of bold-faced named like Lucien Gau chandelier, Declercq, Prelle fabric and Maison Moissonier furniture – that’s been implanted with all the hi-tech you could point a remote at.
At the entrance, an archway designed by Atelier Pierre Bonnefille is painted in a matching hue to a vivid orange and fuchsia, embroidered drapes. Eighteenth-century armchairs are paired with contemporary sofas. A portrait of Madame de Pompadour hangs above the fireplace; this slides open to reveal a flat-screen television. Another unexpected touch is the reproduction of Josse-Francois-Joseph Le Riche’s Sevres porcelain masterpiece Le Déjeuner that, from its place on a shelf, is reflected in the sitting room mirror as a trompe l’oeil.
ADDRESS
228 Rue de Rivoli
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.
-
Two new portable projectors from Wanbo and Soundcore showcase extremes of scale
The ultra-compact Wanbo Dali 1 goes up against Soundcore’s mighty Nebula X1 Pro mobile theatre system
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the week
As we approach Frieze, our editors have been trawling the capital's galleries. Elsewhere: a 'Wineglass' marathon, a must-see film, and a visit to a science museum
-
Detroit is booming – again. Here’s what’s behind the city’s new renaissance
Once a poster child for urban renewal, Motor City’s experiencing a fresh wave of revitalisation. But what’s different this time around?
-
A night at Le Meurice’s Suite 1835 is like ‘sleeping in an exhibition’
At the historic Paris hotel, design studio Things From shake things up with an installation-like suite – a futuristic cocoon available until the end of 2025 only
-
Crosby Studios reimagines the espresso bar in Paris
Industrial poetry and a blaze of orange define Café Nuances’ latest outpost in Le Marais
-
Yannick Alléno takes over Monsieur Dior: ‘What would Christian Dior do if he were to create a restaurant today?’
At 30 Montaigne in Paris, the world’s most Michelin-starred chef reimagines French gastronomy as Christian Dior himself might have dreamt it
-
Les Domaines de Chabran redefines the Provençal summer house
Architect Alain Meylan and interior designer Liliana Atilova bring contemporary finesse to centuries-old country houses in southern France. Discover their latest
-
At La Fondation hotel in Paris, minimalism has irresistible warmth
Once a parking lot, this 17th-arrondissement stay now offers rooftop city views, cocooning suites, and interiors by Roman and Williams
-
Sip in style at 30,000 feet with Air France’s new premier cocktail collection
The airline partners with mixologist Matthias Giroud on three new signature cocktails for its La Première customers – here’s to a modern negroni, or a spicy non-alcoholic tipple
-
Discover Philippe Starck’s most surreal hotel yet
At Maison Heler Metz, brutalism meets bedtime story, with a 19th-century home perched on a concrete tower and a fictional host guiding the way
-
Locke unveils its most theatrical aparthotel yet in Paris
Design studio Fettle creates a layered and light-filled escape for the hospitality brand’s first Paris outpost, Le Jardin de Verre by Locke