Taking shape How – and why – a flamboyant new Paris hotel’s design calls on the Memphis movement’s rebellious spirit

Surrounded by skyscrapers in Paris’ business district, Nest, part of MGallery Hotel Collection, calls on the rebellious spirit of the Memphis movement

It’s fair to say that La Défense on the periphery of Paris isn’t the first place you’d expect to find a hotel inspired by rulebreaking creatives. Nest, the latest addition to the MGallery Hotel Collection, is firmly in the business of fun. Perhaps there’s a parallel to be drawn between its context and key inspiration. Memphis, the Italian design collective whose debut collection caused a sensation at Milan’s 1981 Salone del Mobile, was a riotous rejection of sensible modernism. ‘It was a desire to revolt against the overtly sober design of the time,’ says the hotel’s designer Oscar Lucien Ono, whose own studio, Maison Numéro 20, is based in arty Saint Germain des Prés. ‘It’s the movement’s sense of fun that we were keen to re-explore and revive.’

Anyone familiar with Ono’s portfolio of theatrical hotels, restaurants and private residences would know that fusty and corporate was never on the cards. Here, he makes his maximalist case from the outset – the oversized columns that greet guests the second they set foot through the door serve as homage to the totems synonymous with Memphis founder Ettore Sottsass. ‘I had no choice but to build my design around the existing columns,’ explains Ono, ‘so I came up with the idea of camouflaging them with trompe l’oeil marble and adding those iconic stripes.’ ➤

It’s both a testament to Ono’s resourcefulness and a taste of what lies beyond the lobby. With a rich palette and mix of marble, brass and velvet, this is Memphis with its sharpest edges softened. Quite literally, too – between the curved lines of plush armchairs and the semicircles that show up in cabinets, mirrors and even set into walls, there’s hardly a right angle in sight. Nods to the movement’s playful geometry pepper the hotel’s common spaces and corridors, where ceilings painted in burgundy and inky blue help foster a cosy, cocooning feel.

The restaurant, then, comes as something of a surprise. Housed in an airy glass atrium, its cascading greenery, cane work panels and soothing tones of mint and teal border on the biophilic. Abstract murals by François Mascarello dot the walls, while brass gleams from tables, lamps and mirrors. The same trompe l’oeil rugs seen in the lobby create the illusion of a black marble floor, and it soon becomes clear that Ono delights in doing clever things with carpets. ‘Bedrooms usually have two very mundane spaces void of all interest: the ceiling and the floor,’ says the designer of the

PANELLED IN SLEEK MAHOGANY, ROOMS AND SUITES SPEAK AS MUCH TO THE MILAN OF THE 1950S AS THE DESIGN SHOW THAT SPARKED IT ALL THREE DECADES LATER

graphic textiles underfoot. ‘But this carpet, with its myriad of motifs, circles, stripes and squiggles, is like an infusion of the Memphis DNA, bringing the rooms to life whilst remaining easy on the eye.’

Panelled in sleek mahogany, the 151 rooms and suites speak as much to the Milan of the 1950s as the design show that sparked it all three decades later. Bespoke banquette seating is set into square nooks, while larger suites feature 50s Louis Paolozzi chairs, sourced in Italy – the eagle eyed will spot the same design in the private dining room. Bathrooms are unashamedly retro, with their buttery yellow walls and sinks hewn from pink marble. It’s all a stark contrast to the world of gleaming glass glimpsed through the windows. ‘At night, when all the lights are on, it’s absolutely stunning,’ says Ono.

Creating this pocket of pure fantasy in the city’s corporate heartland feels like something of a coup. ‘If any project is to be successful, you need an element of madness. It’s only by breaking the mould that a venue becomes truly creative.’ It’s a sentiment that speaks to the Memphis philosophy like no other. From £145 per night (mgallery.accor.com).

‘THIS CARPET, WITH

ITS MYRIAD OF

MOTIFS, CIRCLES AND SQUIGGLES, IS LIKE AN INFUSION OF THE MEMPHIS DNA’

The lobby at Paris’s new Nest hotel welcomes guests with a nod to Italian designer Ettore Sottsass and the iconic Memphis style ➤

Designer Oscar Lucien Ono sits in the lobby beside oversized totems painted with a trompe l’oeil marble effect – used on the carpet, too – creating an immediate, grand impression on visitors Opposite The restaurant, dominated by a vast glass roof, is decked in greenery, painted murals on the walls and brass touches to add sophisticated glamour

Above In the heart of the restaurant, Ono has created a private dining area, set beneath a dome and contoured by bookshelves. 1950s Louis Paolozzi chairs contrast with the original reclaimed and restored floor, and an upcycled 1930s table Left The reception room walls feature semi-circles and graphic motifs, a theme throughout, in tones that echo the furniture Below Inky blue passages, with contrasting mustard floors, allow the drama to continue in every nook

In some rooms, beds are even contained within their own mahogany cocoon. Bespoke banquettes are set in walls and luxurious velvets add to the indulgent feel

From left The circles continue in the bedrooms, from the walls to the furniture, while carpet is made a star attraction; graphic pink tiles and contrasting burgundy and yellow cause a riot of pure decadence in the bathroom