Parisian Hideaways

Over the last ten or fifteen years, there has been a lot of clucking over the popularity of hotel-inspired residential design. I scratch my head every time I see a home that could be mistaken for a W hotel. What's fine for a hotel is rarely good for the home, where comfort and, more important, the homeowner's personality should be in abundance. Except, of course, if one's home was inspired by the hotels featured in the terrific book, Parisian Hideaways: Exquisite Rooms in Enchanting Hotels.

I have mentioned this book before, but upon reading it again over the weekend, I felt it was worth a revisit. The beauty of these hotels is not just that they are incredibly chic, but they look like residential interiors.  These are the kind of hotels that I pine for when I am stuck at one of those slick, too-cool-for-school hotels where everything seems so impersonal.  When I'm staying at a hotel, I want cubby-hole sized bars, canopied beds, jewel-box libraries, and boiserie panels.  And when I'm at home, well, I want the very same.


Photo at top: The Salon at Le Daniel, which boasts custom-painted wallpaper by de Gournay.

The Ming Suite at Dokhan's.

The Entry Hall at Grands Hommes.

The library at Relais Saint-Germain.

The bar alcove at François 1er that is papered in Brunschwig & Fils' Bibliotheque wallcovering.

The Raphael suite at Hôtel Raphael with its 18th-century Chinoiserie paneling.

Also at Hôtel Raphael is this charming bath.

Suite 10 at San Regis.


All photos from Parisian Hideaways: Exquisite Rooms in Enchanting Hotels by Casey O'Brien Blondes.