A retro night’s stay at the Hotel Konti, Bordeaux

Walls have a history – and those of the Konti inspired decorator Oscar Lucien in his project to recreate the soul of a house with a bourgeois past. Using marble effects and the magic of mirrors, the correspondence room where people came to get their mail has become a cosy boudoir, ideal for private conversations.

The 51 rooms and suites play the vintage chic card with their antique furniture and objects, without forgetting the effects of textures and graphics that weave a link between the eras.

Of all the materials, we can’t even choose a favourite. Leather, caning, velvet, glass, wood and brass: the inexhaustible range makes up the hushed universe of an elegant, whimsical mansion.

And where are the original architectural elements shown off to best effect? Answer: in the breakfast room, formerly the ballroom. Period ornaments, old stained glass windows and an overhead canopy make up a clever staging that creates the atmosphere of a winter garden, with delicate tones of green, grey and celadon all playing their part.

The entrance patinas pay homage to the hotel’s origins, when it was still called the Coq d’Or and all of Bordeaux flocked there after the theatre. Today the decor is very gentle at reception, supporting its new vocation as a warm library lounge with a ‘curiosity cabinet’ feel.

Fancy sliding into a retro bath? You’ll find one in the bathroom. Black tiles, Art-Deco-style ball lamps and eggshell marble make up a sumptuous decor that has guests feeling like dandies and femmes fatales from the 1930s.

You couldn’t dream of a better location: the Konti’s neo-classical building graces the Golden Triangle, a stone’s throw from the Place des Grands Hommes. From the sixth floor where the Sky Suite sits, the views are huge and captivating, even taking in the bridges spanning the Garonne. Here’s a hotel that has truly mastered the links between the eras.