At Home, in Paris: Le Roch Hotel & Spa Paris
Embodying Parisian chic, five-star Le Roch Hotel & Spa is iconic yet discreet.
When one travels frequently, one realizes that there is a clear difference between designing and staging a hotel, between a designer’s and an interior decorator’s vision of hospitality. Designers put the emphasis on the objects, the design and the form; interior decorators on the feel, the atmosphere and the story. One is décor; the other, a stage.
Set in the heart of Paris, steps away from the Tuileries gardens, Opera, the Louvre and the most sought-after Pinault Collection, Le Roch Hotel & Spa Paris lies in the discreet, yet very Parisian, rue Saint Roch. Tailored by Sarah Lavoine with a neighbourhood feel, the hotel reconnects with the long-standing traditions of decorative arts in the capital: a rich palette of deep hues, countless objects or details crafted by artisans, handpicked materials and textiles. “I like places that feel like home, that are filled with a soul, books, a chimney. Le Roch happens to be in the neighbourhood I live in, with the kids’ school right across the street: it had to feel like a home!” the French designer explains.
Born Poniatowski from noble Polish descent, Sarah was raised in a family where fashion, elegance and interiors took centre stage: her father managed Vogue magazine for many years and her mother was an interior decorator. After studying psychology, theatre and communications in New York, she turned to interior architecture. In 2002, she started her own practice and later launched Maison Sarah Lavoine dedicated to furniture, linens and decorative objects. “Early on, I learnt that feeling anchored is the key to happiness: it is so important to feel well, and at home”, Lavoine adds.
Since, Sarah Lavoine has launched countless collections, opened several boutiques (including one on Rue St Roch, down the street) and designed restaurant interiors. Le Roch Hotel & Spa Paris is her first hotel and it feels like a private home. A large lobby, complete with sofas facing a chimney, natural light coming down from a glass roof, a small courtyard and upper terrace protected from the city - complete with lush vegetation, a bistro feel and red parasols - the Parisian Chic scenario is perfect. There, chef Rémy Bérerd (ex-Robuchon and La Tour d’Argent) imagines a seasonal cuisine with flair.
Upstairs, each of the 37 rooms and suites is a well-appointed pied-à-terre with clean lines and refined details: handmade velvet stools, elegant walnut flooring, thick carpets and zellige tiles in the bathroom, decorative prints and luxury linens. Nothing, really, seems designed but, on the contrary, crafted with care. The ideal scenario in the very heart of Paris.
28 rue St Roch, 75001 Paris
