A vintage lesson from two interior designers to add soul to your decor

The Cyril Lignac pastry shop, the departure hall of Charles de Gaulle Airport Terminal 1, the restaurants La Scène de Stéphanie Le Quellec, Perruche… The Liautard and the Queen agency designs the most famous interior architecture. It is led by Maxime Lyotard and Soraya Gemny-Wagner, a couple who advocate an ethical approach both to managing their team and to the projects they manage. A philosophy that translates into the use of noble materials, “ecological” refinement, collaboration with artists and visual artists, the taste of blends and the passion for vintages… We find this tendency especially in Hotel Florida in Paris, one of them. recent works. Charming, luxurious, intimate and, above all, unique, the address, located a short distance from the Faubourg Saint-Honoré, was a meeting point for many artists and writers during the Roaring Twenties. Soraya and Maxim wanted to record this story in their own way. “We considered this hotel a family home. The very Art Deco base refers to its past. We also wanted to give a nod to Francis Scott Fitzgerald, who attended Florida and is said to have finished The Great Gatsby manuscript there.

In this family house, therefore, there is the “original” foundation, the layers of that time brought by different generations that could have succeeded each other. Therefore, we added elements from the 1970s, 80s, 90s… but also more modern elements. Real research work has been done to find furniture and accessories from these different periods, especially since each room is different, like a home and far from the codes of classic hotels. Vintage is very exciting because it is always a story of luck. You can search for specific items for days without finding them, and then a few weeks later you will come across many treasures. So you have to act fast, don’t hesitate to buy because the pieces are going fast. And then furniture or a living object is always more beautiful, more interesting, because behind it there is a journey, mysteries…” explains the enthusiastic duo. We feel that Soraya and Maxim have had a lot of fun designing these spaces that fully express their love for furniture and accessories that have had a first life. A private tour of Florida, this one-of-a-kind haven, in their company, with tips for matching styles, eras, and fun with links. As a bonus, the addresses of their favorite flea markets and antique dealers.

You have to act fast, don’t hesitate to buy because the pieces are going fast

Maxim Lyotard and Soraya Gemny-Wagner

Retro and fresh wallpaper

“To establish this family spirit, we wanted fairly legible codes that immediately referred to our grandmothers’ interiors. Sky blue, which we never use, stood out. So we chose this shade of carpet for the rooms on the top two floors of the building, which are very different from the others. We then looked for a wallpaper that would best match this floor and chose a model from Nobilis with a well-matched palette, a slightly retro but still fresh floral pattern. Then we made some unexpected vintage choices, like 1970s mirrored bedside tables. It was both strange and interesting, the tapestry reflected in it, the bedside tables seemed to have disappeared. We also fell in love with the 50s pagoda lamps with ceramic bases. When we received them, the lampshades were in poor condition. So we recycled them. The pagoda shape that we really liked was kept, but we chose a more peachy fabric to emphasize the vintage side. »

Different legs

“There are quite a few obligations when it comes to decorating hotel rooms. For example, you need a small table so you can have breakfast if you don’t want to go to a restaurant. So we created a nook for eating, reading, lazing around…with quite a cozy feel, a bit of a boudoir. We also had height restrictions in this loft room. Therefore, we created a customized bench in the spirit of a reading lounge to fit perfectly into the space. It has a vintage side to it, even though it’s modern. We paired it with two small stools that we also designed. A modern floor lamp is a bit like the starting point for this space layout. She has quite a remarkable foot, which echoed our desire for ball feet, which was especially pronounced in hotel receptions. And that’s where we looked for the rest of the vintage furniture. We fell in love with a seventies travertine table, a rather simple form that matches the more complex line of a 1940s pedestal table by Charles Duduy. »

Honey velvet

“We wanted to put a small desk in each room as a reminder that Francis Scott Fitzgerald stayed here. In one of the bedrooms, we chose it with rattan. Since we couldn’t find an old piece to suit us, this desk is modern. we just covered the top of it with a glass plate so we can work on it more easily. You can sit on a stool designed by us. The chair has a special history. We got a large supply of them. This is a Thonet chair from the 1980s which is no longer in production. We reached out to Thonet to try and learn more about him. The house had somewhat forgotten it since it had only been established for seven years. It has wooden legs and the seat is a plastic shell. Stackable, it was designed for communities. We like it very much. We have them in the office and sometimes we set them up, like here, on construction sites. Our bias is to reaffirm it. Here we’ve chosen a honey-colored textured suede that instantly evokes softness and comfort. A little unique touch. The legendary Panthella lamp designed in 1971 that adds a pop note. »

Reflection on the headboard

“In the largest suite of Hotel Florida, we decided to create a magnificent headboard. Inspired by the 1930s, very Art Deco, it has a crescent shape and is made of rosewood. Not to be too obvious, it’s backed by a fully 1970s-style mirrored wall, which also allows the room to expand. The small desk with its wooden top and metal legs dates from the 1960s. We wanted to add vintage lighting fixtures, but the restrictions of safety and electrical standards in hotels made it a bit difficult for us, so we looked for modern ones. models with slightly retro lines. »

Liautard and The Queen Agency: latq.fr

Hotel Florida, 12, boulevard Malesherbes, 75008 Paris. hotelfloridaparis.com: