Montpellier’s Grand Hotel du Midi has just had an overhaul, courtesy of designer Julie Gauthron, who enhanced the original staircases, stained glass windows and ornate ceilings of the 1876 Haussmannian building with unexpected colour associations from black and yellow to red and aubergine, and subtle touches - such as dancers engraved into desk legs - inspired by her grandmother’s tales of dance evenings at the hotel. Meanwhile, custom fabric headboards, zany wallpapers, bold carpets and 50s Danish-style furnishings result in a contemporary-baroque look.
The same style runs through the scarlet red bar, Les Loges, where the eye bounces along the curve in the furniture. The breakfast room, with its original wood panels and green stained glass doors, are updated with dashes of lime and purple, while whimsical ballet motifs on the walls reinforce the hotel’s theatrical element.
Outside, the hotel is lined with stone balconies, from where guests can watch life unravel in Montpellier's buzzine square, the Place de la Comédie.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
22 Boulevard Victor Hugo
-
First look – Bottega Veneta and Flos release a special edition of the Model 600Gino Sarfatti’s fan favourite from 1966 is born again with Bottega Veneta’s signature treatments gracing its leather base
-
We stepped inside the Stedelijk Museum's newest addition in AmsterdamAmsterdam's Stedelijk Museum has unveiled its latest addition, the brand-new Don Quixote Sculpture Hall by Paul Cournet of Rotterdam creative agency Cloud
-
On a sloped Los Angeles site, a cascade of green 'boxes' offers inside outside livingUnStack, a house by FreelandBuck, is a cascading series of bright green volumes, with mountain views
-
Dine at Paris’s historic Maison Baccarat, reimagined by chef Alain DucasseThe newly opened Ducasse Baccarat restaurant – at the crystal house’s Paris mansion – offers not just a culinary experience but a cultural encounter
-
Stylish Paris ice cream parlours for melting momentsCool off with the best ice cream in Paris: Wallpaper’s favourite scoops span from classics at chef Alain Ducasse's ‘glacerie’ to ice cream sandwiches at JJ Hings
-
Feel at home at Auberge, Château La Coste's new inn for culture loversAuberge La Coste sits at the heart of the art-filled estate, minutes away from the joyful town of Aix-en-Provence
-
Contemporary coastal design rejuvenates Hôtel de la Plage in BiarritzHôtel de la Plage in Biarritz resurfaces with fresh interiors by Olivier Granet and architecture studio Gardera & Pastre
-
Paris’ Hôtel de Crillon celebrates the art of skateboarding with a new exhibitionHôtel de Crillon and The Skateroom anticipate skateboarding’s return at the Paris 2024 Olympics with a special collaboration
-
Ridley Scott turns three French farmhouses into artful holiday villasRidley Scott and family transform French farmhouses into holiday lets, the latest addition to the filmmaker’s Provençal wine estate, Mas des Infermières
-
Experience Paris like a local at Hôtel BalzacHôtel Balzac reopens its doors following a 1930s-inspired renovation by Festen Architecture
-
Hôtel Lilou in France welcomes guests into an unspoilt natural settingThe opening of Hôtel Lilou is set to revive the tourism scene of the historic French seaside town of Hyères
