2012-02-21

A panther-print carpet in the bar? No problem. Hot air balloons on the terrace? Why not? A Prince-of-Wales check motif on the walls? By all means! Bambi Sloan, who made her name revamping hip restaurants (Sketch in London; Derrière in Paris), was given carte blanche to dust off the decor of the Saint James Hotel. The result is simply smashing. Between the historical references and the designer’s personal touches, Le Style Napoleon III à la Sloan is pure magic.

 

Built in 1892 on the site of Paris’s first aerodrome at the edge of the Bois de Boulogne, the Saint James Hotel has not always been the luxurious establishment that it is today. For many decades it served as a Fondation Thiers student residence for France’s best and brightest. In 1986, a British businessman acquired it and transformed it into a private members’ club of the genre found in London. And finally, since 1990 the Saint James Paris has been welcoming guests as a luxury hotel-residence.

 

 

 

43, avenue Bugeaud

75116 Paris

Tel: (33) 01 44 05 81 81