Nestled between two stations and tucked down a narrow alley in Paris’ 10th arrondissement, you’ll find Hotel Les Deux Gares – a railway station hotel once abandoned and forgotten by time. Luckily, thanks to a little imagination and the vibrant stylings and direction of English designer Luke Edward Hall, the new hotel is welcoming guests into its colorful surroundings.
Luke Edward Hall is a London based artist and designer renowned for his romantic aesthetic and love of history, as well as his sense of playfulness. His artwork features throughout the Hotel Les Deux Gares, such as in the hotel lobby sitting room, where you’ll find his one of his painterly portraits sitting above a pair of armchairs that were made by the Italian architect and designer Paolo Buffa.
The designer has left his mark on the hotel beyond the portraits, as soon as you stepping in from the street, you’ll be greeted by vibrant emerald walls and black-and-white chevron marble floors.
You might have to take a moment before you can take in the oversized mirrors and decorative exhibition posters in a style that borrows ideas from multiple eras and just occasionally flirts with questionable taste.
The location
Located in Little India, Hotel Les Deux Gares is situated between Gare de l’Est and Gare du Nord. With only a five-minute walk to Gare du Nord’s Eurostar terminal, the hotel is an ideal location for a Wes-Anderson-style weekend away in the City of Lights.
The Hotel Lobby
The vibrant green paint color used for the hotel lobby sets the tone for the rest of the hotel. Luke describes the shade as: ‘an electric pea green’, which works as a strong backdrop for the eclectic pieces he’s selected for the interiors.
The lobby displays mid-century Spanish pink ceramic table lamps and a mirror designed and decorated by Luke which was inspired by William Kent’s Palladian masterpieces.
The Restaurant & Cafe
Guests can choose to have breakfast in the hotel or across the street at Cafe Les Deux Gares. At the restaurant, you will likely be enticed in with natural wines and a selection of fermented and pickled dishes.
The lobby sitting room
'A hotel, or the home of a bohemian Parisian collector?' was the imagined story that was central to Luke Edward Hall’s concept for the hotel’s aesthetic. With a wild mismatch of designs from different countries and decades, his aim was to create an eccentric retreat for travellers to Paris.
Dominated by a traditional Toile de Jouy wallpaper, the lobby sitting room is a space full of surprises such as a vintage leopard print sofa.
The bedrooms
Head upstairs to one of the 33 bedrooms and you’ll find mismatched rugs, gilt furniture inspired by French Empire antiques, fringed chairs, sumptuous velvet and bold stripes along with 1970s-inspired light fixtures and Luke’s own artistic flourishes drawn out as wall art or on lampshades.
The bathrooms
Inspired by the 1920s, the hotel’s bathrooms are a fresh take on Art Deco style and likely to provide the perfect backdrop for the selfie generation.
The pastel-coloured bathroom fittings, vivid yellow tiles and pillar wall lights were all hand selected by Luke for each of the bathrooms.
The basement
If fitness is your thing, head downstairs to the basement to discover the chic gym and sauna, where Svenskt Tenn wallpaper and a red-and-white chequerboard floor form the backdrop for your workout.
The hotel’s branding, as seen from the street, was overseen by Luke and designed by Zan Inc. Studio.
If colour lifts the spirits, then a little time spent in this hotel’s exuberant surroundings will be good for the soul. Rooms from €120 per night. hoteldeuxgares.com.
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