Paris : 24 hours at la Maison Nabis

The second I walked through the door, I was overwhelmed by the sumptuous interior of la Maison Nabis. A study in contrast, the blue-and-gold lounge sets the tone for the hotel’s decor. Kaleidoscopes of mirrors, golden trinkets, candles, voluptuous curtains, fringed armchairs—everything is at the same time refined, insolent, and intimate. The decorator, who’s taste runs to chiaroscuro, makes winks and suggestions to the gaudy glitter of old-school brothels.

A whirl of royal blue and gold, the spiral staircase reaches each of the 6 floors of the hotel, each dressed in the hue of a precious stone (mother-of-pearl, yellow opal, amethyst, emerald, ruby, black diamond). La Maison Nabis has only 30 rooms, which makes it all the more intimate, like home. That is, if home were a sumptuous Parisian mansion.

The first thing that jumped out at me when entering the room was the headboard! They're identical in all rooms, each echoes the dominant color of each floor. Here: the yellow opal, in which embroidered birds of paradise flit among leafy tendrils. The furniture has been custom-designed and the fabrics created by grand houses like Dedar or Rubelli. The carpet, the tapestries, and mirrors tie the room together perfectly.

At Maison Nabis, there are no large displays filled with tourist brochures. It is, again, tailor-made: the concierge informed me of his suggestions for visits, restaurants, and shows according to my tastes. He then invited me to research his proposals myself;a computer is available to customers, near the stairs, hidden behind a screen. You can print everything you need: maps, itineraries, show tickets, and then go seize Paris.

Paris. Each has a fantastic concept in mind: if you are a client of one of their hotels, you can stop at any other establishment in the hotel chain at any time. It's a handy policy when, in the middle of the day, you want to refresh, charge the battery of your phone, use the wifi, or drop your shopping bags before going out eat. And that's not all. Every hotel organizes every day its "HappyTime", a convivial moment for all the customers. Maison Nabis, for example, offers a glass of champagne and petit fours, from 6 to 8.

Before going to dinner, I decided to go back to the hotel and draw myself a good bath. Whether equipped with a shower or bathtub, all the bathrooms are in marble, with retro faucets, large mirrors, and pretty light fixtures. The perfect environment to relax.

Before falling asleep, I prepare my agenda for the next day, under the lights of the delicately pretty lampshades.

Maison Nabis offers the breakfast in your room, but it seemed a shame to pass up a chance to eat in the sumptuous bar on the ground floor. In the morning, a large sweet and savory buffet is prepared. Breakfast is taken in the room next door, on a patio illuminated by a skylight. Now that I've tucked in, I have the energy to conquer Paris again (after leaving my things with the concierge in the lobby).