The Iconoclast: Villa Junot
(Photo: Mr Tripper)

At number 18 along the affluent, tree-lined Avenue Junot – arguably the most desirable street in the 18th arrondissement – a 100-year-old villa has quietly reinvented itself. Built in the interwar period by operetta composer André Mauprey (the first to translate Brecht and Weill’s The Threepenny Opera into French), it is now the first Parisian outpost of Iconic House, a private collection of seven maisons hôtelières.

“We visit about 40 properties a year, and this one ticked all the boxes: an iconic avenue, a nice neighbourhood with a village-y feel, and Art Deco influences, a movement my brother and I love,” recounts Robin Michel, alongside his brother, Thibaud Elzière, cofounder of the brand. “The villa had been chopped up into Airbnbs; it was carnage. Deconstructing to rebuild something better is what we love to do.” Under the aegis of studio Claves Architecture, it took just a year of work to restore the property’s soul. “This place had something special about it. The original Art Deco motifs, the mosaics, the niches in the entryway, the ironwork on the staircase … everything seemed to point to music and surrealism,” highlights the interior architect, Soizic Fougeront.
(Photo: Mr Tripper)

The three-storey serviced villa’s delicate façade belies the uncommon theatricality of its interiors. Opera-esque indoor balconies, an immense custom rug depicting a musical score by the property’s first owner, stained-glass windows from Atelier Toporkoff, a library painted by Garance Vallée, and a collage by Lia Rochas-Pàris – not to mention the cosmic frescoes of artist Maldo Nollimerg’s metaphysical universe, or the evocative paintings of Mauro Ferreira, who is responsible for the crowning glory of the house’s decoration: the drape-effect trompe l’œil lining the staircase.

This fantastical blend of surrealism, celestial poetry and mental architecture holds a few mysteries. “When we embark on a new project, we follow a tried-and-true mechanism: we find out about the history of the neighbourhood or the region, we go into the archives, we research, we go digging around,” explains Elzière. “We didn’t find much for Villa Junot.” The monumental sculpture in the living room, whose creator and meaning remain unknown, is surely the most telling example. And so, the resourceful team turned to an unexpected ally for help writing the place’s history: ChatGPT. After providing the artificial intelligence with all the information they had, they asked the chatbot to imagine the story of an era-appropriate owner. Thus, Éloi de La Plume was born.
(Photo: Mr Tripper)

The spirit of this semi-fictional persona permeates the mansion’s five en-suite bedrooms (including a reinforced room), screening room, fitness studio, and an intimate wellness area complete with sauna and vitality pool. Outside, Sacré-Cœur feels close enough to touch from the 120sq m rooftop terrace, which offers a panoramic view of Paris. The house manager – an alum of Paris’s luxury hotels – promises to orchestrate a bespoke stay that takes in the atmosphere of the French capital’s most picturesque neighbourhood (the programme is still being worked on). It’s the same story in the kitchen, where a private chef can adapt recipes to guests’ whims. “For this kind of high-end hotel service, Montmartre was a gamble,” the brothers agree. This time, Iconic House’s bet certainly paid off.

The Bachelor Pad: Les Suites Cinabre
(Photo: Les Suites Cinabre)

In Cité Bergère, a charming side road steps away from the Grands Boulevards, a small tie shop (which happens to count the French president as a customer) attracts a steady stream of aesthetes. Above the studio, entirely undetectable from the ground floor, nestle two high-end refuges. After picking up the key at the store counter, we are led to the main event by an unassuming stairwell.
“I don’t believe in the traditional model of physical stores: a window display, a busy street, and nothing else. That’s not enough to sustain a brand,” founder Alexandre Chapellier points out. “Cinabre is a French gentlemen’s club, a Napoleonic campaign tent, a showroom for hand-selected artisans, as well as two exceptional suites to rent.”

Crafted by the Necchi Architecture studio under the guidance of the collection’s Franco-Swedish founder, the apartments were designed to be studied and savoured. Each measuring about 100 square metres, their decoration has been selected down to the tiniest detail to celebrate craftsmanship, from Hästens bedding, Bergan Delorme linens and Pierre Frey upholstery to Céline Escand skincare and Plaq chocolate for breakfast (served in the bedroom). It’s an off-the-wall bourgeois affair that merges the chic of a tuxedo with pop-culture freshness, with design references derived from Napoleon and Stanley Kubrick, but also Loulou de la Falaise or Le Palace’s now-shuttered nightclub. Feel like playing the dandy? Reserve Suite N°1 and luxuriate in the winter garden, listening to old records – 1970s vibes guaranteed.


The Gallery: Ambroise
(Photo: Ambroise Collection)

When it comes to breaking the mould, it isn’t Amélie du Chalard’s first rodeo. In 2015, she launched Amélie, Maison d’Art, to promote established and emerging contemporary artists and help clients build a collection with works displayed in a space resembling a private living room. In parallel, the gallerist takes care of installing artworks and curates for hotels, including Cour des Vosges in Paris and Nolinski in Venice. Constantly asked by her foreign clients to find them somewhere to stay that’s more intimate than a hotel, nicely decorated and with some art, Chalard decided to take matters into her own capable hands by creating Ambroise, a network of “collectors’ houses” for rent named after legendary art dealer Ambroise Vollard, a figure who profoundly influenced the history of modern art by discovering greats like Gauguin, Cézanne and Picasso. In Paris, Ambroise has two elegant apartments available: one in Saint-Germain (three bedrooms) and the other in the Marais (two bedrooms). The unique spaces give pride of place to designer pieces, made-to-measure contemporary creations, vintage items and art displays that evolve over time. For the duration of their stay, visitors also have access to a cultural concierge service that will introduce them to new ateliers, arrange meetings with artists and organise exhibition visits, turning the entire experience into a celebration of excellence and young talent.
(Photo: Ambroise Collection)