Premier Hospitality

La Maison d’Estournel France

d’Estournel
Written by Roma Publications

La Maison d’Estournel

In the Bordeaux region of France lies the perfect place for a weekend or short stay. La Maison d’Estournel with its 14 elegant and warm rooms welcomes city dwellers looking to unplug.

English designer Alex Michaelis has created a décor entirely in tune with the surroundings, where simplicity is the keynote. Here, time suddenly seems to slow down, giving way to a forgotten rhythm within a deliciously calm, unspoilt place.

The huge open space on the ground floor is designed like a private residence, where guests can move smoothly between the lounge with its spectacular fireplace and the dining room with its large convivial tables, and between the library and the kitchen – the latter being freely accessible to those wishing to discover the secrets of the chef at work. Ignoring the conventional codes of the traditional hotel industry, this is a place dedicated to an art of living in complete simplicity, where guests can even try their hand in the kitchen if the fancy takes them.

Powerfully inspired by the pastoral environment, designer Alex Michaelis has chosen noble and natural materials, in tune with the country home atmosphere desired by Michel Reybier. Spread over two floors built around an elegant stone and iron staircase, the 14 rooms and suites are divided into four categories. The entire residence features vintage-style solid oak floors and natural materials such as raw linen or velvet, punctuated by discreet references to the world of the vine.

Junior Terrace Suites

The first floor is the perfect place to admire the vineyards and even the pagodas of Cos d’Estournel from the charming balcony. Guests choosing these rooms have the privilege of choosing between a freestanding bath tub or a spacious shower area, inspired by oak barrels, with its delicately rounded shape accentuated by a dainty mosaic motif. Other highlights include a planked timber floor, a sweeping headboard shape inspired by antique French beds, a hand-woven and peach-coloured wool rug, and curtains embroidered with a playful multi-coloured pattern

The softly matching colours are complemented by splendid garden views that can be enjoyed equally from the bed, the armchair or the bath. Doors onto the terrace provide direct access to the outdoors for a relaxed breakfast in the sunshine or a glass of wine before dinner.

Junior Suites

All fitted with two windows from which to admire the grounds and the vineyards stretching as far as the eye can see, these rooms exude elegance. The freestanding tub enables guests to make the most of the scenery while bathing. It backs on to the beautifully rounded shower unit, adorned with intense blue tiling. These curving shower areas were crafted onsite, using age-old artisanal techniques. In addition, and perfect for reading or enjoying a relaxing glass of wine, two deep green velvet armchairs strike a pleasing contrast with the multi-coloured embroidered curtains and the classic, calm white timber-panelled walls.

Cos Rooms

Facing the morning sun, some afford views of one of the two towers in the grounds, a rarity. In clear weather, guests can glimpse the emblematic pagodas of Cos d’Estournel. The ceiling cornices recall the style typical of the bourgeois homes of historical wine estate owners. Even the shape of the shower units is inspired by the oak barrels used in wine cellars. The headboards upholstered in deep cushioned velvet provide a comfortable place for reading a book and basking in the abundance of natural light bathing the space. The colour palette is inspired by vineyards and wine, and brings the fresh tones of the garden inside, notably picked up in the floral motif of the satin-smooth curtains.

Pagodes Rooms

Most of these rooms are located on the west side and overlook the imposing plane tree gracing the entrance courtyard. From some windows, you can see the flowered roofs of the outbuildings and even the wisteria creeping across the stones weathered by the centuries. The dark oak plank floor and white walls create a serene atmosphere, an understated elegance that contrasts with a subtle mix of colours and refined fabrics. The curtains adorned with a delicate embroidered floral motif match the cushions on the bed, where careful observers will note the silhouette of an elephant, a discreet reference to the emblematic symbol of the Cos d’Estournel estate. All rooms have a very large shower area, which sometimes benefits from natural light through picturesque openings onto the outside.

Michaelis Boyd Associates, who worked with Michel Reybier, talked about some of the challenges and feedback they’d received whilst working on this project:
The challenges presented to us were existing flues and walls that ensured that the division of the space into a 14-bedroom hotel was not a straightforward task. Working with an old building always has its challenges, but it is in those anomalies and unforeseen discoveries, that the opportunity to produce something unexpected comes about. In this way, a wine cellar was added, in which an intimate dining space has been incorporated; through digging, the space opened up and the scope of what was possible opened up with it.

“As for feedback, guests report they feel at home. Welcomed by the warm atmosphere and considerate staff of the hotel, they feel free to wander the grounds, cycle the lanes and to enjoy the food and wine in the library, the restaurant, the terrace or the garden. To this end we have fulfilled the Client’s intention – to have created an attentive but informal homely country escape.

“Lastly, it was incredibly important to us, as it is our first hotel project in France, and we were so lucky to be able to work with such a fantastic client to refurbish this incredible building. We’re very pleased.”

 

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Roma Publications