The St. James Hotel in Paris

In yesterday's post I included a photo of the St. James Hotel in Paris and decided I wanted to dedicate a whole post to it because it is so beautiful and the designer, Bambi Sloan, is so interesting.  This chateau-hotel is located in the heart of Paris near the Arc de Triomphe and Avenue Victor Hugo.  The Neoclassical mansion was built in 1892 by the widow of President Adolphe Tiers.  Bambi Sloan (yes, her father named her after Disney's little dear) designed each room to be unique. There is leopard, there is velvet, there are fabulous wallpapers, deep reds and plenty of trompe l'oeil to keep things light and amusing (for example, some of the carpets look like herringbone wood floors).  The hotel is chic and glamorous, but most of all elegantly whimsical. Bambi is well known for "shaking up tradition" (you can see her home here). Here are a few more shots-

This is not even half of it. You can check out the hotel website for more photos. The hot air balloon wallpaper is a nod to the chateau's past as the land used to be an airfield to launch hot air balloons.  I love how Bambi celebrates the history of the building throughout with her various decor choices inviting the guests  to participate in the story.

The hotel has an amazing library bar filled with antique books which seems like the ideal place to go for a drink one afternoon. This one will be on my list for our next trip to Paris.

[photos via AD]