Pennod 5 04 Wal

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-This week, we visit

-Du Petit Moulin in Paris...

-..an amazing hotel

-designed by Christian Lacroix.

-We'll also discover a boutique hotel

-in Laugharne called Hurst House.

-First, the amazing

-La Residence in South Africa.

-Welcome to 04Wal.

-La Residence stands among

-the mountains and vineyards...

-..just outside the village

-of Franschhoek, near Cape Town.

-Liz and Phil Biden are the owners...

-..and the hotel was built

-by Michael Dall Architects.

-This sight greets you

-when you reach La Residence.

-You also hear water babbling

-in the water feature.

-There's no sound like it

-to oblige you to relax!

-The building is relatively modern

-and it has a red, terracotta finish.

-It goes wonderfully well with

-the greenery which surrounds it.

-This is known as Cape Dutch style.

-It complements

-the buildings in this valley...

-..built by the

-early Dutch and French settlers.

-Oh, heavens above!

-I often use the word contrast

-but this redefines it!

-Nothing on the exterior prepares you

-for the splendour of the interior.

-The mirrors are gilded,

-and there are statues everywhere.

-They have the confidence...

-..to combine exposed beams

-with chandeliers...

-..and acres

-of black and white marble.

-This round table

-echoes the shape of the chandelier.

-It breaks up the space

-between the door...

-..and the door leading to the pool

-and the panorama over the vineyards.

-What are

-your first impressions, Leah?

-There's a dreamy, romantic feeling

-to this hotel.

-The interior design

-forms a very romantic composition.

-The hall has been divided in two.

-One side is feminine and romantic,

-with Persian rugs.

-The other side has

-a black and white marble floor...

-..and bulkier, red furniture.

-It's quite regal.

-Are there any features in the hall

-which capture your imagination?

-The huge chandeliers

-command your attention.

-There are four, five or six of them

-and they're wonderful.

-They are handmade,

-and the detail is incredible.

-Is the large chandelier in the hall

-too big for the space?

-A good design works...

-..when you play around

-with objects of different sizes.

-The fact it is so huge

-makes the place feel so magnificent.

-We step out of the main body of the

-hotel through one of several doors.

-It's sometimes hard to tell whether

-you're in or out of the building.

-We're outside at the moment,

-as we come down the marble steps.

-The ceiling here is smooth,

-unlike the ceiling in the hall.

-This creates a tunnel

-which attracts the breeze.

-Moving from one area to another

-can be very taxing...

-..so you can lie on one of the beds

-dotted around here to have 40 winks!

-No matter where you sit or lie down,

-the view is breathtaking.

-There's a more contemporary feel

-to this room.

-Yes, it's a complete change.

-There's energy and life

-in this room.

-The colours they've used

-inject fun into the room.

-The lime and the hot pink

-compete with each other.

-The chaise longue

-is also very eye-catching.

-There's a lot of life here.

-You wouldn't do that, as a designer.

-You wouldn't do that, as a designer.

-

-I'd attempt it, but it rarely works.

-It can become overbearing.

-They've used different shades

-of lime against the plaster walls.

-It works because it's really light.

-When I see some things,

-I want to slap someone!

-There are two different shades of

-pink next to the green over there!

-Yes, there's real confidence here.

-It's both camp and glam.

-There are no half measures here!

-Has the design brief

-been stretched here?

-I feel there's a theme

-running through the whole hotel.

-There's real quality here.

-Everything is chosen for a reason.

-The outstanding thing in this room

-is the combination of textures.

-The feather edge on the blanket

-and the colourful silk...

-..reminds me of confectionary.

-It looks good enough to eat!

-The colours are softer

-in the rest of the hotel.

-This is the Maharani suite.

-That name refers to India, and

-most of the furniture is Indian.

-But it feels as though someone from

-India spent some time in China...

-..before settling in France!

-There are pieces of furniture

-from all over the world here.

-These are the French pieces,

-of course.

-But they scream out at you.

-The yellow and the red

-are very rich.

-Step over here, and we'll see those

-colours reflected in the furniture.

-You see them on both the sofa

-and the bed.

-The bed is like a throne and

-it's raised on a marble staircase.

-It's a very regal touch.

-The headboard is created from an

-18th-century piece of embroidery.

-It's a lovely combination.

-What struck me when we arrived

-was the absence of a reception area.

-It made me feel as though I was

-being invited into someone's home.

-Yes, and the collection of personal

-objects in the hotel adds to that.

-The owner could have travelled the

-world and amassed this collection.

-The furniture looks as though

-it's always been there.

-Yes, as though it wasn't designed

-but happened naturally, over time.

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-This building was erected

-in the early 17th century.

-This part was a bakery...

-..and next door was a cafe

-with bedrooms above it.

-Six years ago, the bakery closed

-and the businesses were united...

-..to create Hotel Du Petit Moulin.

-We're here for a very good reason.

-We enter Petit Moulin

-through the old boulangerie...

-..or bakery to you and me.

-The interior hasn't been changed

-since it closed six years ago.

-The ceiling has been painted...

-..and rustic scenes

-are painted on the panels.

-The counter

-is in the same place as it was...

-..when Victor Hugo, author

-of The Hunchback of Notre Dame...

-..bought his croissants here,

-years ago.

-The history is only half the story.

-What makes this hotel different...

-..is that it was designed

-by a famous French clothes designer.

-His name is Christian Lacroix.

-Each one of the 17 bedrooms includes

-individual and unique creations.

-Down here, in the bar, there is

-a collection of furniture...

-..you wouldn't expect to see.

-These tables and chairs

-came from an old French cafe.

-There's a colourful collection

-of 1960s and 1970s chairs here.

-The wooden bar has a metal top...

-..and the back wall is reminiscent

-of a 1930s Mondrian painting.

-You wouldn't expect to see

-these elements in one room.

-This Christian Lacroix collage

-is the palette.

-This gives permission to include

-such disparate elements in one room.

-The public areas downstairs

-give a hint of the Lacroix style...

-..but only here

-do we see his work on the wall.

-Yes, you'd imagine

-these came from his sketchbook.

-As you walk through the hotel, you

-get the feeling his confidence grew.

-There's freedom in his work.

-He's famous for mixing convention

-and your understanding of fabric.

-He's very witty.

-You'd expect to see curtains

-on the window but you have a poster!

-You'd expect to see flowers

-in a vase...

-..but here

-you get a print on the wall.

-The bathroom

-is more seductive than the bedroom.

-He plays on what you expect to see.

-Does the fact that

-Lacroix is a fashion designer...

-..make his interior design

-more relevant?

-People want to stay

-in boutique hotels.

-As Lacroix is a couture designer...

-..this truly has the feel

-of a boutique hotel.

-There's great attention to detail,

-and he dresses the rooms.

-He applied his designer's eye to it.

-As a designer,

-what inspired you today?

-I love the insight it gives us

-into Lacroix's work.

-We see what inspires this man

-who lives locally.

-The owner tells me that

-Lacroix was passing on his bike...

-..and when he realized they were

-turning the bakery into a hotel...

-..he instantly decided he wanted

-to be a part of the process.

-He persuaded the owners

-to let him design it.

-I doubt they needed much persuading!

-I hear Lacroix

-is a frustrated set designer!

-Yes, and this hotel

-is a dramatic experience.

-Lacroix combined fashion and theatre

-to create this wonderful hotel.

-Yes, and he did so

-in a most enthusiastic way.

-Finally, we visit Hurst House

-in Laugharne, west Wales.

-The old farmhouse was converted into

-a hotel by Juliet de Valero Wills...

-..and the owner, Matthew Roberts.

-When you walk up the path

-to the front of the hotel...

-..you see the old farmhouse

-has a Georgian symmetry.

-It makes you think you know

-what to expect to find inside it.

-That disappears as soon as you step

-inside and see this big, open space!

-Nothing prepares you for the style

-you see behind the front door.

-There are elements

-of the traditional farmhouse here...

-..such as the fireplace

-and the exposed stonework.

-An eclectic collection of items has

-been put together very tastefully.

-There would have been plaster on

-the walls when this house was built.

-The exposed stonework adds interest.

-Yes, and modern pieces like the

-pouffe echo the colours in the wall.

-It ties the design together

-and it's very unusual.

-One thing which struck me

-when I opened the front door...

-..was the fact

-I was facing two closed doors.

-I'm not convinced that's the welcome

-you need when you step inside!

-They've used the playful technique

-of setting doors within walls.

-These are witty decorative touches.

-We step out of the main building

-past and through several doorways.

-This iron clock

-looks as though it's melting.

-It's like a Salvador Dali painting.

-Past the small dining area here

-and we enter the new extension...

-..which includes this wonderful bar.

-These green and brown panels

-are lit from the inside.

-Those colours are replicated

-in the 1950s-style chairs.

-Behind these colourful bottles...

-..are glass panels telling the story

-of a local boy called Dylan Thomas.

-Over there is an area where

-you can relax by the fire.

-There's an outdoor relaxation area

-through those doors.

-You get the feeling that

-this place was made for relaxation!

-This is Room 104, in the roof.

-There are stunning views of land

-and sea to be seen from the windows.

-This room is exceptionally red!

-They've certainly

-opted for colour here!

-It's really dark,

-compared to the rest of the hotel.

-You're at the top of the building

-and you can see the roof structure.

-Plastic chandeliers

-hang from the beams...

-..giving it a more contemporary feel

-than some of the other rooms here.

-Do you think it works?

-It's certainly seductive

-and very sexy.

-You climb up a dedicated staircase

-to reach this room.

-It has a huge impact on you,

-that's for certain.

-It certainly works for me.

-I'd be happy to stay in a room

-like this with a comfy sofa...

-..in front of

-a fantastic television!

-Yes, not to mention the bed!

-You can have the bed, as long as

-I get the television and the zapper!

-These huge, Moroccan doors

-open onto this magnificent space.

-It's a glorious dining room.

-Yes,

-there's a different ambience here.

-It's a classic layout.

-This walkway splits the space

-in this long room.

-Looking at the rather rough finish

-of some of the timber in here...

-..it could almost be a shed!

-It's very honest and open.

-The bolts and the structure

-are there for all to see.

-It also has bare light bulbs.

-It's very raw

-and that works with the stone...

-..but the furniture

-gives it a classic touch.

-That frame looks as though

-it's framing absolutely nothing!

-I can appreciate its beauty,

-of course.

-It's not like you to be negative!

-It's not like you to be negative!

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-I'm trying not to be.

-It looks like someone ripped out

-a doorway from someone's home...

-..but it ties in with

-the Moroccan doors we saw earlier.

-Seeing it hanging up there

-brings a smile to your face.

-It's captivating.

-What's your favourite thing

-about this place?

-The equilibrium

-between the elements.

-A great collection of furniture

-is teamed with arts and crafts.

-It feels like you're

-in a gentleman's drawing room...

-..with some shabby chic,

-feminine elements.

-I adore its playfulness.

-I like the fact

-you can see it from a distance.

-It's a sanctuary

-on the coastal marshes.

-You enter the hotel

-prepared to see a formal house.

-That's not the case

-and it's a pleasant shock.

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones