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Philippe Starck to Bring a Surreal Touch to Hilton Hotels
Avant-garde French designer Philippe Starck is turning his creative minds to the world of hotels with a concept design for a property topped by an 18th-century Alsatian style house.
Called Maison Heler Metz, the dream-like hotel will form part of the world renowned Hilton hotel brand, operating under the group’s Curio Collection by Hilton, and will be built in the French city of Metz in northeast France.
The structure’s tower will be a monolithic and monochromatic building while the house on top will include a rooftop terrace and a garden complete with locally grown trees. It will also feature a cosy restaurant and lounge bar while the 119 rooms below it will come with the usual Hilton
“Metz is going through a revival,” said Dominique Gros, mayor of Metz. “The opening of the Centre Pompidou Metz and the wider Quartier de l’Amphithéâtre redevelopment is attracting investment and drawing household names such as Philippe Starck and Hilton’s Curio Collection.
“It’s great to see projects of this calibre come to Metz and there are exciting times ahead for the city.”
As for the designer himself, he views the project as a habitable, surreal and poetic work of art that will also serve as a strong symbol for the region.
“This project is an ‘out-of-scale’ phantasmagoric architecture,” he said. “It’s a game about uprooted roots, a symbolic construction of the Lorraine region.”
Philippe Starck is known for his wide range of designs, including everything from interior design to household objects such as toothbrushes and chairs, to watches and boasts. He has also worked on a large number of hotel interiors.