Hôtel Lilou in France welcomes guests into an unspoilt natural setting

Once a popular winter destination for the sunshine-seeking 19th-century English aristocracy, the allure of the historic French seaside town of Hyères evanesced when a railway expansion diverted crowds to the beaches of Cannes and Nice – leading the area’s grand hotels to shutter their doors. Hôtel Lilou is a new offering in town set to attract a new generation of travellers to the region, following an extensive renovation by Paris-based Studio Haddou-Dufourcq.

A first look at Hôtel Lilou

The creative studio, led by Florent Dufourcq and Kim Haddoubegan, began by restoring the 19th-century building’s original facade to its 1930s colours. ‘We thought returning to the original colours was a sign in the city of something coming back to life,’ says Dufourcq. Inside, the soft shades of beige, cream and off-white show off Hyères golden light and link together the 37 rooms, which the pair divided into four themes inspired by the town and its connection to travel. ‘There was nothing inside, just plain walls, so we had a blank canvas. We wanted to tell Hyères’ hospitality story but translate it into something contemporary. We want to make it a great destination again,’ adds Haddou.

For a particular room’s style, Haddou and Dufourcq reimagined typically ornate ceiling mouldings as geometric lines – a design detail mirrored in the winter garden rooms, which sees a textured trellis pattern on the walls. ‘Both spaces are pretty traditional, but we’ve added a contemporary spin with the geometrical lines. It’s a balance between something a century old and something modern and graphic’, tells Florent. Rattan furnishings continue the conservatory feel and nod back to the 1930s, when the material was an innovation for its malleable properties.

Arched doorways referencing the city’s early 19th-century Moorish architecture grace some of the rooms – a result of wealthy residents returning from their travels with new design inspirations. Meanwhile, to further enhance the city’s golden light and pay homage to the golden age of travel, Studio Haddou-Dufourcq accented all guest spaces with a bespoke collection of glossy poplar burl wood furnishings inspired by the high-shine art deco woodwork of the Orient Express.

The rest of the hotel facilities are a natural extension of the rooms, with archways linking a burl wood bar to the trellis-lined restaurant, allowing guests to wander between the two at leisure. The library sees straw-covered walls and floor-to-ceiling windows that maximise Hyères’ summer sun and comprises shelves with tomes on local subjects such as architecture, gardening, and travel.

Hôtel Lilou is located at 7 boulevard Pasteur in Hyères, lilouhotel.fr