Hôtel Madame Rêve, Paris | Sleeper
Published by Sleeper Magazine, May 2022
Some cities are so transformative that you can lose yourself in its streets, melting and emerging anew in the space of a few footsteps. Paris is one of those cities. Somehow, it seems to bind itself to you, fizzing in the veins like an intoxicating panacea for the humdrum of life. Days spent there can be intense but invigorating, and inevitably leave you longing for more. Madame Rêve Hotel is the best translation of that visceral feeling I’ve yet encountered in a hotel. Both a bow to its past and a statement of intent, it’s the perfect addition to a city purring with spirit.
Opening its doors was no mean feat; the renovation of the old Louvre Post Office, located in the 1st arrondissement, into Madame Rêve Hotel took over nine years to complete. But during that time something special arose. Not just a hotel but a place to savour all the little fragments of life that come together to create meaning. That’s no accident, of course, it became Laurent Taïeb’s objective as soon as he laid eyes on the iconic building, but the completion process was a creative undertaking — how to replace the artistic essence of a structure with such clearly defined identity while also starting afresh?
“It was a very personal project —a contemporary tale that I imagined for myself and wrote for others,” he explains. “The creation of the Louvre Post Office building in 1888 struck my imagination and I was fascinated with that period of history.” So that’s where he began, in the Nineteenth Century, taking inspiration from the huge, cavernous spaces and ubiquitous French know-how to tell the building’s story. “This is where the idea of the grand café with its eight-metre high ceilings came from,” he adds. “I also wanted to express my fascination with the Viennese Secession by drawing inspiration from Josef Hoffmann for the creation of the chandeliers, eventually made by Mathieu Lustrerie. They are truly reminiscent of the grandeur of historic places.”
And that’s exactly what Madame Rêve Café is — a monument that doubles as a busy modern meeting point. Drenched in luxe textures, it glows the colour of molten amber and showcases crafts inspired by French innovators. There are whispers of French Art Nouveau master Emilé Gallé in the glasswork and nods to revered ébéniste cabinet-maker Louis Majorelle in the furniture. This theme continues throughout the hotel, with art by Olivier Masmonteil, Inès Longevial and María José Benvenuto on display, plus 800 works of Mail Art donated by a private collector hung on the walls of each of the 82 rooms and suites.
Taïeb himself designed much of the furniture, which has either been custom-made or sensitively restored. It’s a combination of vintage and contemporary styles that means Madame Rêve remains rooted to its foundations but has one foot in the present, too. “Many items have been sourced by French artisans,” he says. “Namely, Henryot & Cie 1867 whose distinctive chairs can be spotted at Le Jules Verne restaurant inside the Eiffel Tower or dotted around the Louis Vuitton Foundation art museum. Londoners may also recognise the Pierre Frey fabrics, also used to dress the punchy interiors at sketch Parlour in Mayfair.”
Decor in the rooms, all situated on the third floor, is centred around mesmerising walnut woodwork and solid oak floors. But despite this undeniable denseness they still ooze femininity. Made to measure velvet curtains cover the windows and furniture carved with sensuous curves and café-au-lait colours add softness to the scene, while also paying homage to Taïeb’s friend André Puttman whose motto is: ‘Life must be golden’. Presumably this also explains the giant glass roof, and why more than half of the rooms have balconies — there’s nowhere better for watching the ebb and flow of daily activity unfold below.
The hotel’s signature restaurant, La Plume, is located on the same floor and emits a similar honeyed warmth to its neighbours. The champagne-shaded, marble bar is the space’s main centrepiece but the wooden patio ensconced by 100 different plant species thrums on dewy nights. The menu, inspired by Taïeb’s Japanese travels and made by Benjamin Six from Zuma London and Zuma Dubai is exquisite, attracting a lively, metropolitan mixture of guests and locals. “It’s a place where both Parisians and tourists can mingle,” Taïeb muses. “We are attracting guests who are fun and creative, bringing a new energy to the city.”
But it’s arguably Le Roof that steals the show. Opening this spring, the bar and sky garden bursting with cherry trees offer panoramic views of the city, with jewels like the Church of Saint-Eustache, Beaubourg and the Pantheon all visible. It is especially magical at dusk, when the last rays of sun silhouette the Eiffel Tower against a silken peach sky; and once darkness has fallen, when the City of Lights begins to twinkle like a blanket of tiny diamonds. Even locals won’t struggle to embrace the wonder of their hometown here, exactly as Taïeb intended.
Born in Tunisia but raised in Paris, he grew up in the northern suburbs. “Saint-Open was my playground,” he recalls. “At the flea market I used to wander among the stands, inspired by all the different eras. This is where I first created my aesthetics.” Once the seed was planted, he went on to establish some of Paris’s most popular restaurants but nowhere bears the emblem of his creativity quite like Madame Rêve Hotel, a place he hopes will redefine the city’s hospitality landscape. “It was very important to us that we created a home-away-from-home,” he says. “That has never been seen before in Paris.”
That he will achieve this goal is without doubt — Madame Rêve is the kind of hotel that lingers in the memory long after you’ve left, much like the bespoke cedar and rose scent made by Olivia Giacobetti that wafts through its hallways. Everyone will find something to love here, from les bon vivants to nomadic workers to locals looking to rediscover their city. “It is an invitation to live with joy, pleasure and desire,” Taïeb concludes. Few will be able to refuse it.
