The Major Fashion Influences Inside Paris’ New Hotel Hana
References from Wong Kar Wai, ' 90s Prada and Dries Van Noten imbued the interior of the hotel from designer Laura Gonzalez and creative director Oliver Leone.
PARIS — Nestled between Opera Garnier and the bustling ramen row of Rue Saint Anne, the new Hotel Hana is an Eastmeets-West oasis.
Opening Wednesday, the boutique property pairs traditional Japanese design with French craftsmanship, translated into airy suites as well as an apartment, and the sleek Hanabi bar and restaurant, from the creative collaboration of interior designer Laura Gonzalez and artistic director Oliver Leone.
In Leone's telling, it's Wong Kar Wai's
“In the Mood For Love,” filtered through Glen Luchford's spring 1997 Prada campaign, featuring a young Joaquin Phoenix. Or maybe it's a dreamy Dries
Van Noten if he were living in Japan in the 1940s. Then again, it could be a Dries store designed by Yohji Yamamoto in the 1980s. In the end, it's possibly all of the above.
“My generation, we are a generation of DJs, where we take one sample with a sample with a sample and filter. I don't think we are inventing a lot of stuff, but we are transforming,” he said.
Using these cues, Gonzalez and Leone transformed the building's Belle Epoque bones into a study in Japanese minimalism, filtered through a fashion lens.
Gonzalez, best known for her love of color and print, originally looked to the Little Tokyo neighborhood and homed in on texture and traditional techniques. They used Fusuma framing around tatami walls, and traditional shoji patterns were solidified in dark wood doors.
Rooms are appointed with lacquered wood cabinets and side tables and velvet headboards, while koi fish swim on seating. Sconces interpret traditional paper lanterns, pillows have dainty cherry blossom florals and, in another nod to nature, Gonzalez created a carpet pattern that recalls the texture of wood grain.
“It was an exercise to keep my style and my soul and bring it down to something more sharp but in a very gentle way. More sharp, more quiet than usual, but very sexy and feminine,” said Gonzalez.
Leone, cofounder of the cult shoe brand Nodaleto, came on board later in the project and brought a more masculine energy, Gonzalez said, and the fashionforward point of view.
The yin and yang worked well. “It was very interesting to have this mix, and I think it puts the cherry on the cake,” she said. The duo also worked with feng shui expert Hélène Weber to create energy flow around the sleeping spaces.
“French and Japanese craftsmanship share this idea of ‘bushido,'” said Leone, referring to the samurai code of honor and chivalry.
Tables in the restaurant were created using the traditional raku technique for glazed ceramics at volcanic temperatures by a local artisan, in a slightly smoky shade between pale almond green and a warm matcha tea.
Gonzalez developed the technique for the walls with longtime collaborator Les Ateliers Roma which involved mixing layers of paint that were then brushed,
polished and sealed with wax over a three-month period to create a muted metal finish.
The check-in desk is tucked away, an unassuming bridge between the restaurant and the bar, and guests are greeted personally and escorted individually to their rooms.
Everything was sourced from Paris or nearby, including the entryway pottery, which was found on Etsy, later handdelivered by the proud craftsman. The group worked on significant sound insulation to keep it a world away from the hustle-and-bustle of the busy neighborhood.
While “quiet luxury” might be overused, Gonzalez hopes the calm, quiet and luxurious atmosphere will bring respite to the busy professionals nearby as a secret spot in the neighborhood.
The hotel was three years in the making, and finally opened its doors during fashion week. The space hosted photo shoots and drew a creative crowd.
“Fashion is what I love the most, but the fashion world has become a bit less fun, so I decided to dig into other universes,” Leone said of embarking on his first interiors project. “Now I can't wait to see how it lives.”