“When you wander along Rue Washington, you suddenly come across the glorious, gorgeous, sensational, extraordinary Monsieur George. Top hat and tails, feathers from beyond, a twinkling fantasy of a bohemian rhapsody in deepest, darkest green. Coco Chanel resided within this setting. Mata Hari had her heyday here. Gregory Peck left his Brasserie, Les Deux Magots, to sit on Audrey Hepburn’s lap, and Lady Gaga has just moved in – and within this scenario enters Monsieur George....” Anouska Hempel
This new boutique hotel brings Anouska Hempel’s signature to Paris. Monsieur George, which opened in March 2020, is the latest in a new line of hotels and indisputably an interior design masterpiece. Monsieur George is as secret as it is charming and will open under the glowing lights of the Champs-Élysées.
Launching in March 2020, the hotel offers a calm, refreshing shelter from the hustle and bustle of the busy Champs-Élysées. Shining like a precious jewel within the crown of modern hospitality, it features 46 rooms and 3 suites set in Haussmann-style architecture, providing travellers with all the style and elegance befitting its historic location.
Monsieur George, on Rue Washington, is a natural choice. The intrinsic history of the surrounding districts forms an integral part of the adventure associated with the hotel.
In acknowledgement of the illustrious first president of the United States – George Washington – Monsieur George is located on the street that was named in his honour, and reflects a degree of the character, charm and personality of this great man who so greatly impacted history.
Knowing that it would take an extraordinary personality to breathe life into this special project, the hotel’s owners chose one of the most mysterious, inspired and talented designers in the world – Anouska Hempel. She was given the task of creating Monsieur George as a timeless yet modern hotel, bar and restaurant, offering a “family home” atmosphere within the busy milieu of Paris’s 8th arrondissement.
Anouska Hempel’s style reflects the modernity she has absorbed throughout her travels around the world. As a lady, a couturier, a businesswoman, designer and world adventurer, she plunges heart and soul into her passion for architecture and interior design, now second nature in her work.
Anouska designed Blakes Hotel in London, where she pioneered the boutique hotel concept and to this day, Blakes is still the singular benchmark for this style of hotel. She went on to create the Hempel Hotel, which features the hallmarks of her minimalist design – again, a first of its kind in London. Both of these hotels remain celebrated for their unique styles.
Anouska Hempel went on to design the flagship Louis Vuitton store in Paris, the breath-taking Duxton Six Senses in Singapore, Blakes Amsterdam, Grosvenor House Suites on London’s Park Lane and more recently, The Franklin Hotel in Knightsbridge. Her magic touch can be found in homes, hotels, restaurants, retail spaces, yachts and garden landscapes across the world, attracting an international following of pop stars, actors, heads of state and royalty. A new chapter thus begins with her signature design in Monsieur George, a brand new address in which she has been able to express her vivid imagination, revealing fresh, sparkling dimensions of her impressive design talent.
Her imagination draws on inspiration from far beyond the shores of England. She designed Monsieur George as a reflection of her recent work in Turkey where she renovated a palace on the Bosphorus, and also from her work on her hotel in Rabat. Combining a variety of genres, Anouska has employed all of her experience, talents, and skills in the design of this amazing hotel, creating a new Blakes in Paris…
“Monsieur George is of very elegant origins. He comes to lunch every day, rather like Clement Freud used to at The Wolseley London. Monsieur George is particularly fond of a taste of Brie de Meaux with a shot of brandy and a cigar. He sits with a swordstick wearing a dark green velvet jacket, surrounding himself with his favorite things. The staff dance in attendance, the morning papers are scattered on a side table, the aroma of espresso comes from the bar, and a Madeleine sits waiting on a silver plate. He sets his fedora down upon his well-travelled, beaten up crocodile notebook, and so his day has begun…” – an extract from Anouska Hempel’s inspiration for Monsieur George.
Welcome to 5-star luxury.... Beyond the majestic, stony façade of Paris and through the discreet gates, a warm welcome is extended to each and every guest of Monsieur George.
An intimate, comfortable ambiance is immediately established, through use of abundant greenery, natural lighting, and gloriously sumptuous materials: marbles, thick piled velvets, and large mirrors.
Upon arrival, art deco steel doors invite you in, where you will be greeted by the sight of spectacular Indian lanterns hanging from the ceiling of the expansive lobby, from the new Anouska Hempel Design collection. Satisfy your wanderlust by curling up with one of the hotel’s many travel books, while smartly suited waiters serve you coffee and plates laden high with sweets.
At Monsieur George, every space is designed to ensure that your stay in Paris is wonderfully unique. Everything has been well thought out to make you feel at home, to experience a very personal, Parisian welcome with detail-orientated and seamless service.
With classic dormer windows, the rooms are all carefully designed as beautiful retreats set across 6 floors. Each floor has its own style, and each room its own unique ambiance and charm. Well-designed, simple and warm, each is an elegant space designed to please the many tastes and needs of the cosmopolitan traveller.
Rooms range from 16m2 for a Classic room, to up to 22 m2 for an Executive room, to 24 m2 for a Deluxe room.
The Chequers rooms are named after Chequers, the 16th century country manor house residence for UK Prime Ministers, and where Dame Margaret Thatcher spent the happiest summers of her 11-year reign. The Chequers rooms feature a delightful flooring pattern, with rough-hewn stamps making it look like a chequer board. The bathrooms are marked by their crittall windows and sliding lighting, enhancing the style of the room. Avant-garde black lacquer and biscuit-colours infuse these rooms, invigorated by the strength of Anouska Hempel’s design.
The Windsor suite and room, named after the Duke of Windsor and Mrs. Simpson, feature grey taffeta curtains, billowing velvets and gold églomisé mirrored furniture, made bespoke. These small, beautiful details catch the romantic past of a bygone era. From top to bottom, the suite and room ooze romance and glamour, much like the world-famous couple. The Windsor suite and room can also be transformed into one large single suite, for guests looking for a little extra space.
The top floor rooms – sized up to 35 m2 and including terraces – were inspired by lofty visions of floating white clouds. The Benjamin Franklin rooms and suite are named after Benjamin Franklin, the American polymath and one of the founding fathers of the United States; Franklin was also a leading writer, printer, philosopher, scientist, inventor, humourist, statesman and diplomat. These intimate Parisian attic rooms are all designed in gleaming white-on-white with pale grey motifs, and muslin under-curtains from Kerala that fly out through the small gabled windows at the top of the house. The lighting is soft, romantic and very evocative of Paris.
The Marly rooms and suite – a 45 m2 duplex with its own private garden – are fit for a king, and are a haven of luscious greens, inspired by the iconic French gardens of Marly, created for Louis XIV at the Palace of Versailles. The green colour theme and textiles carry through from the bedroom into the bathroom, where dark green jasmine-scented candles hide discreetly behind a myriad of partitions and screens. Emerald greens, jade greens and deep forest greens reflect off the surfaces, suggesting unknown depths.
Extraordinary polished jades mix into the bedroom walls and onto the floors, to contain and sustain this lovely calm, yet eerily exotic ambience, bordered by shimmering silver glass and dark green chevron details. Large lanterns twinkle Grand Theatre-style inside the four-poster beds and a myriad of patterns float across the room when this beautiful lantern is turned on at night.
Leading through from the private garden of the Marly suite is a serene courtyard, where guests can enjoy the Parisian afternoon sun, or perhaps retreat to for an evening aperitif, seated at one of the outside tables and surrounded by lush greenery. The focal point of the courtyard is a decorative green enamel stove, an intriguing Art Deco artifact that adds a quirky touch to this enchanting outside space.
The 24-hour Galanga Restaurant & Bar, named after a rare ginger plant, offers a comfortable environment for all-day dining, inviting Parisians and hotel visitors to enjoy special moments in Paris with refreshing breakfasts, lunches, snacks, aperitifs, afternoon teas, dinners and nightcaps, mixed for clients at any time. The restaurant can be found down a leafy walkway, lit by lanterns, where impeccable staff wait to serve you.
Menus are constantly updated by a young, enthusiastic duo: Head Chef Thomas Danigo and Premier Second Chef Simon Pinault, both under 30 years of age, but already very experienced. Together, they combine freshness, creativity, and tradition. They offer a full range of dishes from simple meals to world-renowned cuisine and are committed to delivering an interesting culinary experience.
The bar, meanwhile, sits within the restaurant area and offers an impressive cocktail menu with traditional drinks and numerous house creations, which will surprise amateurs as well as more experienced clientele seeking new concoctions.
Located near the kitchen is the Monsieur George Wine Cellar – housing a very special selection of the most amazing clarets of Bordeaux and other world-renowned wines, carefully preserved and made available for the “Table d’Amis.” This is a private dining area within the cellar itself, where guests can enjoy special moments in private, setting the world to rights while enjoying a glass of fine wine and a delicious platter of speciality cheeses.
In the basement, a spa, created by yoga club Le Tigre (the ultimate benchmark for health and well-being), offers custom programmes including special yoga courses, fitness sessions, therapeutic massages, and a wide variety of aesthetic services. There is also a gym, a sauna and a hammam.
Enjoy a stay at the newly opened Monsieur George and experience Paris at its best!
MONSIEUR GEORGE
17 Rue Washington
75008 Paris
www.monsieurgeorge.com
6 Floors|43 Rooms|3 Suites|5-Star Luxury Boutique Hotel
Rates: from 300 Euros pp/pn
Press Relations for Anouska Hempel Design:
Rosalind Milani Gallieni at RMG PR & Events Ltd.
W: www.anouskahempeldesign.com
IG: @anouskahempeldesign
E: rosalind@rmgandco.com
Tel: +44 7778 625710
Images: www.bit.ly/MonsieurGeorge_PressImages
