For the first time in his career, French designer Philippe Starck has unveiled a hotel entirely built according to his designs. After a 10-year process, Maison Heler has opened its doors in the French city of Metz, perplexing tourists and locals alike with its dreamy 19th-century-style mansion perched above a concrete monolith.
The building looks like something out of a dream. When looking at the first eight storeys, the eye meets a simple yet elegant looking concrete tower complex, housing the Maison Heler hotel. However, when allowing your gaze to wander upwards, a somewhat surrealist 19th-century Lorraine-style residence will grab your attention, entirely clad in steel and glass.
“Maison Heler is a game on uprooted roots. A symbolic construction of Lorraine whose historical identities create an inspiring intermediate state, where the houses and their fortress-like allure served as the central soil for this project and the surreal story of its owner Manfred Heler,” Starck tells DesignBoom.
In order to quite literally dream up the design of the new building, Starck wrote the imaginary story of Manfred Heler. Living alone in a grand residence emblematic of 19th-century Lorraine architecture, he is a man with a contemplative and meticulous mood, devoted to new inventions, perpetually marvelling, and seeking to charm his fantasised beloved, Rose. The whole story can be read in the book ‘The Meticulous Life of Manfred Heler’ and throughout the building, Starck added designs that refer to the imaginary tale.
The building houses the Maison Heler hotel (part of Hilton’s Curio Collection), where 104 rooms are spread across the second to eighth floors of the tower. Starck describes the aesthetic of these rooms as almost Spartan, featuring raw materials such as concrete, bricks, and wood. Nonetheless, marble elements and finely crafted furniture ensure a comfortable and unforgettable guest experience.
Fine dining and cosy vibes
Aside from the hotel, the building also houses two restaurants. Brasserie La Cuisine de Rose on the ground floor invites guests and coincidental passers-by to stop for a cup of coffee, a lunch, or a spot of remote work.
The real gem of Maison Heler can be found on the ninth floor though, nestled inside the steel-and-glass mansion. La Maison de Manfred wishes to remind diners of a family dining room. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and after-dinner drinks can all be enjoyed inside the dreamy space while enjoying a breathtaking view of Metz’s skyline.
