Festen Architecture: Charlotte de Tonnac and Hugo Sauzay the rising duo

The Rochechouart Hotel by

Festen architecture

Hotels & restaurants

15 January 2021

« Festen » means feast, feast in Danish, with a certain simplicity in the pronunciation, a feeling of conviviality: it perfectly represents Charlotte de Tonnac and Hugo Sauzay. The architect-decorator duo work as a couple in the city as well as on building sites. Together, they invent a refined style at the crossroads of genres and eras, but always with genuine respect for the place of origin. Their encounter, in Paris, on the benches of the Camondo school, led them far: in Saint-Raphaël for the Hotel les Roches Rouges, in London for the Fritozovia offices or even in Cap Ferret for the villa of a delighted private individual.

But lately it is a Parisian project that has caught their attention: the Rochechouart hotel, at the steps of Montmartre. Since 1929, its majestic Art Deco facade has set the tone for a Paris that can be discovered and relished at any time of the day or night. The tandem managed to wake up the beautiful dormant hotel thanks to woody notes, elaborate decorations and a subdued atmosphere…

FESTEN ARCHITECTURE

The origin of this project in a few words ?

« Bringing a mythical place back to life… »

Rochechouart Hotel © Julien Drach

Hotel Rochechouart © Julien Drach

When was your first visit to the hotel?

« Two years ago! Its atypical layout and its view of Montmartre and the Sacré Coeur immediately caught our attention. But everything had to be rethought: the rooms had been rebuilt over the years without any coherence, some historical decorative elements were hidden behind plasterboard, only the brasserie had kept most of its assets (mouldings, volumes, mosaics). We arrived in a place fixed in time where we wanted to put the table, dust off the whole thing and invite friends to come over for dinner. »

Festen inspiration

Rochechouart Hotel

Inspiration Festen

Rochechouart Hotel © Julien Drach

How did you work on this project?

« We researched the various stories on the hotel, what made it come to life, who had dinner there or partied there, what atmosphere there was at the time… We wanted to make this place live again without making a satire of it. We stepped aside to let the story speak for itself, not to impose a style. »

3 words to describe the hotel?

Featured

Intemporal

Festive

Rochechouart Hotel

The chosen colour palette?

« Dull, almost faded colours – ochre yellow, bronze green, off-white, terracota – underlined by black, very present in Art Deco. And then straw! »

Rochechouart Hotel

WHICH ELEMENTS DID YOU DESIGN TO FURNISH THE ROOMS?

Rochechouart Hotel

« We had fun imagining all the furniture: from headboards to desks, bedside lamps to mirrors… Except for some armchairs in the suites. »

Rochechouart Hotel

Rochechouart Hotel © Julien Drach

Special techniques and materials used?

« We played with elements in stained and varnished oak, very graphic burr wood, decorations painted by Pauline Leyravaud (faux marble and faux alabaster) and plaster mouldings to take over existing elements and create new ones. A beautiful palette! »

Your favourite room?

« The dark green rooms, bronze, very intimate, like a small nest in the city. »

Artists or artistic movements that inspired you on this project?

« Art Deco, very rich and more complex than we thought, with a certain orientalism. »

Which celebrities could potentially stay at the hotel?

« We don’t have a specific person in mind! Curious, open-minded travelers with a desire to experience a specific Paris. »

Your favourite addresses in the neighbourhood ?

Debeaulieu Boutique Paris

Pantruche Restaurant

Debeaulieu Paris

« The ideal programme? Buy flowers at Debeaulieu, have lunch at Pantruche and simply get lost in the streets of Montmartre. »

What are your future plans?

« We are juggling different projects: three hotels in Portofino, Mallorca and Paris, two shops in London and New York and a private townhouse project in London too… ».