Spend the night in Mathieu Lehanneur’s Musée D’Orsay Airbnb in Paris
Mathieu Lehanneur, designer of the Paris Olympic torch, turns Musée D‘Orsay’s clock room into an Airbnb, which comes with a chance to watch the Olympic opening ceremony
Mathieu Lehanneur, the French designer behind the Paris Olympic torch and cauldron designs, has transformed the city’s Musée D’Orsay clock room into an Airbnb guest room. The room is available for a one-night-only Paris sleepover on 26 July, including the chance to watch the Olympic opening ceremony from the rooftop, and an exclusive tour of the art museum.
Stay overnight in the Musée D'Orsay's clock room
‘I’ve crafted a unique space that is both romantic and contemporary, intimate yet sumptuous,’ says Lehanneur, who has furnished the room with his designs, including curvaceous ‘Familyscape’ sofas and ‘Trinity’ side tables, and unfurling ‘Guernica’ pendant lights that flank the bed, which appears to ‘float’ above floor.
The bed itself is set beneath the showstopper of the room, the glass and steel clock face – preserved from the museum’s former life as a railway station – through which you can enjoy spectacular (and round-the-clock) views, including towards the Sacré Coeur.
‘I wanted to combine opposites to create a place that was both intimate and monumental, historic yet firmly contemporary,’ says Lehanneur. ‘I designed the entire room around the clock; even the wood-panelled ceiling curves to follow the course of the hands.’
Wood encases the room ‘from the Versailles parquet floor to the vaulted ceiling’, creating a warm and luxurious bolthole. The lucky guest’s room-mate for the night is Lehanneur’s Olympic torch design, displayed within an illuminated alcove alongside some of his sketches.
A finely crafted leather punchbag, ‘a personal sporting touch’, and marble dumbbells are Lehanneur’s nod to the competitive goings-on getting underway outside.
‘I've always loved working on landmarks and iconic places,’ adds the designer of the project. ‘History never stands still. You must bring it to life through projects like this one.’
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Following past experiential stays such as at the Barbie-themed Malibu Dreamhouse and a Seth Rogan creative retreat in LA, The Musée D’Orsay project is part of Airbnb’s new ‘Icons’ series, which includes 11 unique locations ‘hosted’ by major names in design, music, film, art, sports, and more, that will become available to book throughout the year.
The series includes a night in the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, Italy, and a lap with Scuderia Ferrari ambassador driver Marc Gené; a stay in the family home of Bollywood star Janhvi Kapoor in Chennai, India; and a night in a Miami gaming loft designed by TikTok star Khaby Lame. Stays will be free or under $100 per guest, states Airbnb, and 4,000 bookings will be taken throughout 2024.
Mathieu Lehanneur’s clock room at the Musée D’Orsay is available to view now on Airbnb, and a chance to book opens 21 May 2024, airbnb.com
On the Wallpaper* staff since 2004, Bridget Downing worked first as production editor and then chief sub editor on the print magazine. Executive editor since 2017, she turned to digital content-editing in 2021 and works with fellow editors to ensure smooth production on Wallpaper.com. With a BA in French with African and Asian Studies, she began her career in the editorial research library at Reader’s Digest’s UK edition, and has also worked at women’s titles. She is the author of the (2007) first editions of the Las Vegas and Cape Town Wallpaper* City Guides.
-
Serpentine Pavilion 2024 by Mass Studies is underway
The Serpentine Pavilion 2024 in London, designed by Minsuk Cho and Mass Studies, will feature a specially commissioned soundscape and 'The Library of Unread Books'
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
’It was a mindset’: Boy’s Own revives the revolutionary acid house fanzine as a clothing label
Launching during Photo London 2024, Boy’s Own is a new clothing line featuring graphics from the 1986-founded DIY fanzine that documented the UK’s acid house revolution. Here, one of its founders, Cymon Eckel, tells Ben Perdue the story behind the new project
By Ben Perdue Published
-
Van Cleef & Arpels' immersive London exhibition takes visitors inside the watchmaking world
Van Cleef & Arpels’ exhibition, ‘Poetry of Time’, at South Kensington’s Cromwell Place gallery, traces the early days of the maison
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Public House brings a taste of good old London to Paris
Chef Calum Franklin opens Public House, a British-style pub and brasserie in Paris boasting interiors by Laura Gonzalez
By Nicola Leigh Stewart Published
-
Hôtel des Grands Voyageurs is a Parisian pied-à-terre for modern travellers
Designed by Fabrizio Casiraghi, Hôtel des Grands Voyageurs offers a journey back to the Golden Age of Travel
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Love is in the air at Hôtel de la Boétie in Paris
Hôtel de la Boétie, designed by Beata Heuman, emerges as the perfect Parisian pied-à-terre
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Chef Raphael Rego’s Oka Fogo in Paris is two Brazilian restaurants in one
Oka Fogo in Paris, by Michelin-starred chef Raphael Rego, offers two dining spaces, with interiors by Arnaud Behzad and joyful frescoes by Florence Bamberger
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Disneyland Paris Hotel has reopened its doors – and it was worth the wait
Step into the brand-new Disneyland Paris Hotel, where we discover luxury with a fairytale twist
By Hannah Silver Published
-
100 years on, Hotel San Régis continues to glisten with Golden Age glamour
Hotel San Régis is the discreet and luxurious Paris bolthole to bookmark for your next travel to the French capital
By Caragh McKay Last updated
-
Sushi Yoshinaga and sake bar Omasake bring Tokyo experiences to Paris
Sushi Yoshinaga and Omasake celebrate the coexistence of different universes in downtown Tokyo; situated within 27/4, a multipurpose hospitality project in Paris
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
Highstay's stylish travel apartments in the heart of Paris make a chic alternative to hotels
Highstay offers a wide selection of apartments in central locations across Paris
By Hannah Silver Published