The Marais’ newest hotel transforms a 700-year-old landmark into a five-star property full of art and antique touches.
Six years in the making, the Marais’ latest hideaway has undergone the ultimate luxury transformation. During the process, the company joined two adjacent buildings, crafted underground floors and discovered ancient pottery that resulted in a yearlong archaeological dig.
The 61-room hotel is an ode to maximalism filled with lavish fabrics, eclectic patterns and opulent textiles that are complimented by the intricate, hand-painted murals that can be located throughout the building.
Le Grand Mazarin is the most recent standout project in Patrick Pariente’s hospitality crown. The hotelier has a history in the fashion industry when he founded the French high street brand Naf Naf in 1973, before selling it to the now-defunct Vivarte fashion group in 2007.
Following a couple of independent developments and acquisitions, Pariente founded the luxury group Maisons Pariente in 2019 beside daughters Leslie Kouhana, the company’s chief executive officer, and Kimberly Cohen, who has become the artistic director.
The luxury group have created a narrative for the property, of a grand home belonging to a glamourous woman at the turn of the century. In the backstory, she held salons with renowned authors and artists, which led to several murals throughout the property.
The extensive list of collaborators who brought the group’s vision to life is a directory of France’s official living heritage companies, with Pierre Frey for fabrics, Lucien Gau on bronze works, Henryot & Cie for furniture, Art de Lys for tapestry canopies that top beds, and Pinton 1867 for rugs.
After the extensive architectural stabilisation of the original features, the Marais group created two underground floors that contain the ultra-stylish spa and pool. The ceiling of the pool room is a dreamy fresco of Narcissus, designed by local artist Jacques Merle. Further hand-painted art is infused throughout the hotel, with Sofia Pega decorating the walls of the interior garden with dream-like scenes and tarot card enthused designs. Additionally, Ateliers Gohard – the talent behind refurbishments of the Palace of Versailles and the Dome des Invalides – designed the restaurant’s ceilings.
Adding to the eccentric design, the uniforms have been designed with the idea that they would fit into the scenography of Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel”. They were produced by Manoush designer Frederique Trou-Roy, who is renowned for her bold patterns and lavish textiles. The result is bold purple suits with a few surrealist touches such as lobster pattern lining, topped with dramatic capes.
“We wanted to move away from the uniforms you can usually find in Paris… so it’s classical but a bit twisted,” explained Cohen.
The Boubale restaurant offers guests a luxurious dining experience where chef Assaf Granit produces modern twists on rustic Ashkenazi cuisine. The restaurant is comprised of an outdoor garden and indoor, smoke-free seating. The in-house bar also features walls that can be moved and will turn into a cabaret some nights.
The luxury hotel group set out to recreate the louche lounges that characterised Paris in the 1970s and 1980s and envision an informal, living room feeling – it will debut in November.
Overall, Le Grand Mazrin is an atmospheric boost of idiosyncratic cool in one of Paris’ most characterful arrondissements and one to visit on your next visit to the French capital.