Don’t Name 1 Place Vendôme the Chopard Lodge

Make your self proper at house at 1 Place Vendôme.

Chopard is bringing the famed hospitality of the Scheufele household to Paris with the opening of its long-awaited five-star property on the nook of Rue Saint-Honoré and Place Vendôme. 

Totally revamped by Paris-based structure agency Pierre-Yves Rochon, this 18th-century listed constructing erected by Louis XIV’s secretary Pierre Perrin has been returned to its former glory as a six-story mansion.

With solely 15 suites and rooms unfold throughout 28,000 sq. ft, 1 Place Vendôme is extra city home than template for a lodge franchise — there isn’t even something that appears like a reception as soon as a customer steps inside.

As an alternative, there’s a monumental Murano glass necklace by artist Jean-Michel Othoniel taking satisfaction of place reverse an 18th-century hearth to welcome visitors, who will then head to the library one flight up.

So regardless of the curling Cs on its wrought iron gate — and the presence of the home’s Parisian flagship, reopened in early 2023, on the bottom flooring — don’t name this the “Chopard lodge.”

“As a household, we determined that since we now have an handle that’s so prestigious and storied, it might be a disgrace to stay a reputation on it,” stated Karl-Fritz Scheufele, the third era of the jeweler’s main household and son of copresident Karl-Friedrich Scheufele.

“And the thought wasn’t creating loads of Chopard accommodations and model it to the hilt,” he continued.

Reminders of the model are subsequently stored gentle all through. Take the mosaic that spans a complete wall within the winter backyard — as soon as the boutique’s watch restore atelier — echoing the Animal World excessive jewellery assortment launched in 2010 for the home’s a hundred and fiftieth anniversary.

Recreated below Caroline Scheufele’s supervision, it options the mouse holding a coronary heart, butterflies, salamanders and monkeys, motifs that may “converse instantly to somebody who is aware of the historical past of the home, however might be merely admired for its magnificence by somebody much less acquainted,” he stated.

Total, 1 Place Vendôme was virtually a decade within the making, after Chopard acquired in 2014 the Union Hôtelière de Paris, a longstanding firm that owned the constructing and operated the earlier institution.

Renovation alone took virtually 5 years, owing to pandemic-driven delays but in addition to the in depth work wanted to rehabilitate the constructing, bringing it as much as customary but in addition returning a few of its options, like the unique ranges, after the earlier occupants — one other lodge — created intermediate flooring.

“If you happen to look throughout the road to our neighbors [the Louis Vuitton store], you may see that the degrees [of the near-identical buildings] match as soon as extra,” he identified.

This introduced again the 17-foot ceiling peak on the second flooring, thought of the noblest one in basic French structure, but in addition revealed the wooden beams that are actually a function of the Rubis suite.

Variations in flooring stage necessitated the addition of small steps right here and there, however these perpetuate the charming picture of flats which have been lived in by successive generations.

So does the array of artwork that features Nineteen Sixties Marc Chagall lithography. The youthful Scheufele attributed the choice to his father, who introduced out items from their household house and “impulsively actually wished to place them within the lodge,” just like the Andy Warhol print now hanging within the Ruby suite. “It wasn’t about letting go — he actually wished this to be in that exact place,” the son stated.

Whereas there gained’t be a secret elevator main down into the boutique or a “ring for diamonds” button in suites, there are many breadcrumbs that lead again to the Chopard universe.

Rooms, for instance, are named after gem stones and treasured supplies, in addition to navigation devices and even astronomy, each fields that led to watchmaking.

That offered loads of inspiration to fulfill the household’s transient of maintaining the historic cachet of the handle whereas giving the impression of a house that lives with its occasions.

“Every [room] is exclusive, in order that’s what allowed us to lean right into a extra up to date facet for a few of them,” Scheufele stated. “That blend between the 2 is what is going to give the place its allure.”

Take the Jade room, which takes its cues from the mineral’s connection to East and South Asian ornamentation but in addition to the aesthetic that was imported to Europe by early exchanges with the area. Tones of black and purple nod to the codes of lacquerware, motifs of heron and flowers to the aesthetic glossary from throughout the Silk Street. Utilized to classically French rooms, the result’s evocative however not pastiche.

A number of artisans toiled on each element, starting from gold leaf patinated to look handsomely aged — and catch the sunshine simply so — and bespoke wallpapers or hand-painted frescoes by specialist De Gournay to the sculpted wooden panels of the Appartement Chopard, by Ateliers de la Chappelle, a famous millwork specialist situated in western France.

Additionally congruent with the thought of a house is the way in which 1 Place Vendôme approaches eating, positioned within the arms of chef Boris Algarra, an alum of the close by Mandarin Oriental below Thierry Marx.

Fairly than have a restaurant, an all-day snacking menu is out there, in addition to a extra elaborate French delicacies providing. Seasonal merchandise are most popular, however there’ll at all times be sure-fire hits reminiscent of membership sandwiches. All the pieces might be served wherever within the lodge. “It’s actually about being in a personal house and having the ability to eat no matter you’d like — even superb delicacies — at any time,” Scheufele stated.

Sadly for these hoping for a brand new spot to pop in for conferences or a drink within the pinnacle of excessive jewellery, the dwelling areas and bar — together with a hidden cigar speakeasy — will likely be open solely to lodge residents.

The privilege of being amongst them comes at a worth: from 1,400 euros for a 350-square-foot room, breakfast not included, whereas an evening the 1,400-square-foot Appartement Chopard begins at 14,000 euros — when it’s not taken over for the jeweler’s occasions throughout Paris Vogue Week and its couture counterpart.

These place 1 Place Vendôme squarely among the many cadre of elite accommodations which have opened lately, together with the Bulgari and Cheval Blanc properties, each owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.

For these hankering for a superb eating expertise, 1 Place Vendôme’s chef’s desk set within the underground wine cellar will seat as much as eight, open to bookings on a first-come, first-serve foundation, with bespoke menus by Algarra.

And why not create encounters between lodge visitors by providing to share a desk for a night? “I actually like the thought of neighborhood journey and having folks dine along with strangers,” Scheufele stated. “Luxurious can also be having the ability to create a dialogue with purchasers and pushing hospitality that little bit additional.”

For the Scheufele household, hospitality is par for the course in life as in enterprise.

There’s the confectionary that put copresident and inventive director Caroline Scheufele on the Cannes Movie Competition map as “the woman who makes the goodies,” an anecdote she is keen on sharing, but in addition providing catering of their Baselworld sales space that was so delicious retailers would discover an excuse to lunch there all through the honest.

There’s additionally Geneva-based restaurant Le Caveau de Bacchus, acquired in 1999 by wine lover Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, who already had a wine buying and selling firm. He later acquired the Château Monestier-la-Tour wine property within the Southern Bergerac area, which now has natural certification.

For Karl-Fritz Scheufele, hospitality got here from the concept that helming an organization like Chopard hinges as a lot on enterprise acumen because it does on having the ability to handle the wants of excessive jewellery and watchmaking’s exacting clientele.

Off he went for experiences at famed Zürich’s five-star Baur Au Lac and at Ritz-Carlton properties in Canada — “and I beloved it,” he recalled. He adopted with a level on the EHL Hospitality Enterprise Faculty in Lausanne and a grasp’s diploma on the ESCP Enterprise Faculty, between its Paris and London campuses.

Greater than a brand new enterprise enterprise, the youthful Scheufele described 1 Place Vendôme as a mirrored image of his household’s pursuits.

Working example, the array of books unfold all through the library. Titles trace at completely different relations: watches, micromechanics and basic automobiles for his father; gardens, artwork and jewellery for his aunt, and Japanese structure, gastronomy and tea for himself.

There’s additionally a tome on icons of hospitality, the youthful Scheufele provides after a beat. “Maybe someday 1 Place Vendôme will likely be considered one of them. However for now, we’d similar to to open,” he quipped.