Hôtel du Petit Moulin

Fashion designer Christian Lacroix has turned his attention from dressing the haut monde to dressing bedrooms for them. This discreet little hotel with only 17 rooms is located in an up-and-coming part of the Marais in two buildings – formerly home to a boulangerie and a hotel/restaurant – which have been merged into one.

The designer, who lives in the neighborhood, chose the fabrics and furnishings for each room himself. His penchant for bright colors comes across brilliantly in the stunning contrast of a room decorated in lime green with a bright red bathroom, for examples.

Some rooms have “frescoes” of blown-up computer-generated images created by the master, while others feature toile de Jouy wallpaper and mélanges of patterns and furniture styles.

Not all is new, however: some original features of the buildings have been preserved, including the bakery’s painted-glass façade and ceiling, the hotel’s wooden staircase (all classified as historic monuments) and exposed wooden beams.

Heidi Ellison

Hôtel du Petit Moulin: 29-31, rue du Poitou, 75003 Paris. Tel.: 33 (0)1 42 74 10 10. Fax: 33 (0)1 42 74 10 97. www.hoteldupetitmoulin.com

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