25 Apr 2016
Philippe Starck designs 'new piece of heaven' with waterfront hotel and cafe in France
BY Kim Megson
French designer Philippe Starck has created the interiors for a boutique hotel and cafe among the towering sand dunes of southern France.
Located within a neo-Basque structure in the Bay of Arcachon, Hotel Haïtza and the Ha(a)ïtza café will offer a place for tourists and residents to socialise and relax along the waterfront in the district of Pyla, which is home to the tallest sand dune in Europe.
The building was created in the 1930s by French engineer Louis Gaumes and has previously been used as a hotel. Starck has collaborated with hoteliers William and Sophie Techouyeres, who said “the objective is to revive the hotel’s former panache with a unique charm and friendly atmosphere with an extra touch of soul, which is our forte.”
The duo, who previously commissioned Starck to design their La Co(o)rniche Hotel in the bay, said: “A new collaboration with Philippe Starck emerged as obvious because he knows better than anyone how to transcend a place.”
In order to create a simple and relaxed atmosphere, Starck has used bright materials throughout the 80-capacity hotel and the cafe and terraces. A red brick mosaic pavement lines much of the floor, plus light wood and cedar furnishings are extensively used.
In the cafe, which also doubles as a brasserie, books and photographs line the shelves and small sculptures are suspended from the ceiling. To add colour, yellow tiles and multi-coloured window panes have been added.
The cafe is now open, and the hotel will be officially unveiled in June 2016.
“It will be a place that remains in the collective memory,” said Starck. “It’s a spacious, cheerful, lively and eternal place. While seemingly nothing extraordinary at first sight, it successfully marks a unique place and a new piece of heaven on this earth.”
Close Window