King Karl is gone but his legacy only grows stronger. His final interior hotel project was Hotel de Crillon, a Rosewood Hotel in Paris.
To sleep in this hotel is to sleep inside Karl Lagerfeld’s world.
The History of Hotel de Crillon
The regal building dates back to 1758, full of grand pilasters, arches and a lavish foyer of polished stone. Venetian architect Aline Asmar d’Amman led the hotel’s transformation into a Rosewood property opened in 2017.
When the German designer took on the project he already owned an antique model of the hotel, purchased from a Christie’s auction. In response to the architect’s proposal, Lagerfeld quoted the poet Malaparte, who said “Hotel de Crillon is the best of Paris today.”
Karl told me he loved the smell of construction sites. I was impressed by how precisely he had an idea of what he wanted to do, I think he was basically an architect too.
Karl Lagerfeld’s Les Grandes Apartments
Karl called the the two largest suites Les Grands Appartements, just like the royal apartments in Versailles Palace. Located on the fourth floor, they look over Place de la Concorde towards Grand Palais. Of course, it was at the Grand Palais where Karl Lagerfeld amazed everyone with his extravagant Chanel catwalk shows. Aline explains:
Grand Palais had a special meaning for him. It was clear he would create the suites as an enfilade so that you could really enjoy the view.
A Five-Year Design Process
Creation and construction took five years, with Karl at an age when most people would be long retired.
For boisseries on the walls Karl was inspired by the Chateau de Crecy, which was demolished in the French Revolution. He wanted the furniture covered in grey velvet because he liked the grey of the sky over Paris so much.
It’s now one of the final projects to come from the mind of King Karl.
Two of the World’s Most Unique Hotel Suites
These are not apartments with Karl’s touch. They are an insight into his life.
The two-ton bathtub is carved from a single block of Carrara marble. White marble sculptures within the apartments were taken from a quarry unused for 30 years. All the chandeliers come from the Kaiser’s personal collection. The large-format photographs are all Karl’s camera work.
Honouring his miniature, Karl repurposed cherub-adorned marble fountains from the hotel’s original courtyard, into sinks located in the apartments’ powder rooms.
There’s a curated library and within the bookshelf a hidden button, to open the dreamiest of walk-in closets.
Adjacent to the two apartments is a room decorated in black and white stripes, dedicated to Lagerfeld’s beloved cat, Choupette. Its carpet is designed to mimic cat scratches.
The Ultimate European Hotel Experience?
Combine the two apartments with Choupette’s space and your hotel stay in Paris measures 335 sqm. It’s perhaps the most spectacular example of luxury living left behind by one of history’s most prolific designers. Welcome to Karl Lagerfeld’s world.
