Diamonds have long been a leitmotif at Chopard. Diamonds feature throughout the Swiss brand's high jewellery; they also criss-cross the watch dials of its Happy Diamonds collection. Most recently, the gem gave its name to a different type of Chopard creation: a hotel room, with views on Paris' Place Vendôme.
The Diamant Suite is one of 15 bedrooms – 10 suites, five rooms – that make up 1, Place Vendôme, the hotel by Chopard. Within walking distance of the Louvre museum, or the Jardin des Tuileries, 1, Place Vendôme is entered via a discreet blue door flanked by the windows of Chopard's Paris boutique.
The Boussole suite
The hotel's layout brings together two grand historic buildings: the Hôtel Vendôme, which was completed in 1723 by Pierre Perrin, the secretary to the Sun King, Louis XIV, and an adjacent residence built by architect Armand-Claude Mollet, who also designed the nearby Élysée Palace. The site's Classicist façades have been safeguarded as historical monuments since 1930.
The project of turning the buildings into a luxury boutique hotel took Chopard five years. Extensive renovations included restoring rooms to their original ceiling height, raising or lowering floors and removing partitions – and uncovering period architectural features. "Doing 15 suites, all individually and differently, takes a lot of time," says Karl-Fritz Scheufele, the grandson of Karl Scheufele, who purchased Chopard in 1963.
The Jade room
Trained at the renowned EHL Hospitality Business School in Lausanne, Karl-Fritz led the development of 1, Place Vendôme, working with his father, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, and aunt Caroline Scheufele. "It's funny – in the family, we each have our favourite rooms. Because, just like everything that we do in the family business, everyone is involved."
A room on the hotel's sixth floor ranks among his personal favourites. "Suite Astronomie is named after an important influence in watchmaking," he explains. "It's modern, very sleek. White, with a pop of colour." Throughout, colour also comes courtesy of original artworks, all chosen by the family. On display is a lithograph by Marc Chagall, a modern sculpture by Jean-Michel Othoniel in Murano glass, and a 1961 Yves Klein triptych.
Framed in green marble, a vibrant mosaic extends across a wall in the glass-roofed Winter Garden on the first floor. This is a design created by Caroline Scheufele, its naturalistic theme – replete with salamanders, toucans and leopards – a nod to the brand's Animal World collection of jewellery. "It's a big puzzle, basically," says Karl-Fritz, describing its piece-by-piece assembly on site.
The jewelled mosaic in the Winter Garden
Masterminded by decorator and interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon, rooms took shape in the hands of specialist artisans such as Pierre Frey and Les Ateliers Philippe Coudray, responsible for curtains and fabric wall coverings, and the Maison Baguès, known for its chandeliers. In the sprawling Chopard Apartment suite, wood panelling has been created by Les Ateliers de la Chapelle, a network of workshops that is also working on the restoration of Napoleon's apartment at the Château de Rambouillet.
"We have the luxury of not having to fill up the hotel," says Karl-Fritz, describing its limited number of keys. "I feel like we want to keep it kind of confidential." For that reason, access is restricted to residents and invited visitors only. The idea is for a stay at 1, Place Vendôme to feel like spending the night at a grand family home. "We really want people to view these spaces as an extension of their room," Karl-Fritz explains. "It creates a kind of cosy atmosphere."