Villa Junot sees trompe-l’œil frescos and mystic motifs collaged with Art Deco detailing, awakening the surrealist zeitgeist of 1920s Paris.
Intersecting high-end hotel service with the intimacy of home, Villa Junot is the latest edition to Iconic House’s Maison Hotelière concept. Constructed in the 1920s, the villa sits the artistic neighbourhood of Montmartre and was home to librettist André Mauprey. Claves Architecture founders, Laure Gravier and Soizic Fougeront, were engaged to restore its interiors, drawing on this history. The result reinvokes the intrigue of its surrealist bones and Art Deco rhythms, with contemporary design selections signalling a new chapter.
Hosting five bedrooms, and bathrooms, living spaces, a kitchen, office, bar, wellness space, private gardens and more, this villa is a labyrinth. Volumes ebb and flow between theatrically grand and intimate spaces, managed by allowing some rooms to hero design features, while others are alive with ornamentation. The main salon, with double-height ceilings, mezzanine balconies and arched windows ushers natural light across lavish furnishings, gazed down upon by a statuesque bas relief.
By contrast, the bar’s deep blue paint and gold leaf stars abut houndstooth-patterned tiling, enclosing the space around an elaborate Claves-designed pedestal. The cosier dining room has diverse forms, featuring bespoke geometric shelving, weighty drapery and oval pendant lighting. Claves’ treatment of each room instills a sense of shifting through portals into spaces that offer unique experiences. “When passing through, people often enjoy being in a space that feels richer or more immersive than their own home,” Gravier explains.
Detailing underpins storytelling throughout Villa Junot, even in the interstitial spaces. The original wrought-iron balustrade’s curlicue, bass clef emblems, echoing Mauprey’s musicality, are translated into the contemporary rooftop railings. Draping like a melting Dali clock, the main suite’s mantlepiece deceptively alludes to softness. Starry constellations and sunny skies are recurring astrological motifs, from the terrazzo entrance floor, to the citadel-like office’s bold lighting. Adding ceremony to quotidian rituals, dual Romanesque baths are housed amid original tiling, restored by mosaicist Delphine Messmer. Alcove entryway seating is backdropped with a fresco by Galatée Martin, welcoming guests to the home’s artistic personality from the outset.
Enlivening a space with a single bold feature is relatively simple. What requires mastery is the ability to curate, layer upon layer, pieces that hold a coherent narrative. “Art Deco, with all its ornamentation, can be challenging. As for Surrealism, it’s an artistic movement that can be unsettling,” Gravier reflects. Claves’ design balance harmonises Villa Junot’s dreamy wonderment in an entrancing treat for guests.
The ceremonial main salon features Red Editions furnishings and custom-made, merlot rug by Claves while in the adjacent space, vaulted ceilings uplift an inviting lounge, a favourite nook of the Claves, designed as a jewellery box to be hugged by the bow window.
The stairs feature a warping mural by Mauro Ferrieraare, punctuated by Atelier Toporkoff’s stained-glass windows.
Striking features, such as a bedhead inset with a library-themed mural by Garance Vallée, give each room unique character.
A draped mantlepiece by Southway Studio in the main suite offers a sense of illusion alongside rich features including a bubinga timber inlaid headboard that trails to trace skirting and doorframes.
Miniature suns, inset into Matilda Goad light fittings at bedsides, illustrating playful storytelling alongside a striped mahogany and beechwood desk from The Socialite Family.
The bathroom features custom travertine sinks, patinated brass, and bronze-finished tapware by Axor, gifting the original tiling the spotlight.
