Tuesday 13 November 2012

paris: l'hôtel de la marine


Just to be clear, these are not photos from my recent Paris trip. These appeared in the October issue of Art & Décoration, their 115th anniversary issue, and are from their exclusive visit to the Hôtel de la Marine.

In French the word hotel doesn't have just one meaning, so this is not a place where you can spend your nights when visiting the City of Lights. As the name indicates, the Hôtel de la Marine houses the headquarters of the French Navy, which has been there since the year 1789. In 2014 they plan to relocate.

This magnificent building is by the Place de la Concorde, the square that separates the Tuileries garden from the Champs Élyssées. It was designed by architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel and built between 1757 and 1774. It served as the furniture storage house for the Crown. As you can see, its halls are filled with antiques and paintings (see the famous painting by Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun of Marie Antoinette and her children in the photo below).


photo credit:
Christophe Rouffio for Art & Décoration

9 comments:

  1. The photo with the Eiffel Tower in the background is magnificent!

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  2. The opulence has me swooning. I can imagine this has served as a backdrop for an editorial or two ;-)

    Rowena @ rolala loves

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  3. It’s the kind of place that makes your jaw drop! I am just picturing what it would be like to spend the night there…

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  4. Wow - so great!

    (Do you know why I can't see your comment on my blog???
    I read it on my gmail! Thanx)

    ♥ Franka

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  5. Wow! Now that is what I think of when I think of Paris! xo

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  6. Just amazing, glamour, history and grandeur like no other place!

    xo Mary Jo

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  7. So decadent, but very lovely! Reminds me very much of Versailles :) xx

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