Tradition & Modernity

Le Fouquet’s Cannes, the famous brasserie on the Croisette, has taken full advantage of the winter closure of the Hôtel Barrière Le Majestic Cannes to give itself a beautiful new look. The restaurant, which will re-open on 11 March at the same time as the hotel itself, now boasts a brand-new decor. To oversee this renovation work, Dominique Desseigne, president of the Barrière group, chose the Parisian design agency EDO, which is run by Alexandre Danan. 

Danan is very familiar with the group’s ethos, having been involved in the renovation of the Normandy and Grand Hôtel Dinard, two of the group’s leading hotels, as well as the transformation of the lobby at the Majestic, one of the most admired and remarkable aspects of the major extension and renovation work carried out in 2016.

For this new project, Alexandre Danan took inspiration from the work of one of his famous predecessors, Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann, who was considered a genius of Art Deco design by his contemporaries and present-day disciples alike. The designer’s most successful work was the Hôtel du Collectionneur, one of the most striking pavilions at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts held in Paris in 1925, and considered a true masterpiece in its own right. So much so that eighty years later, both its name and style were adopted by a famous 5-star hotel in Paris decorated in part by no other than Alexandre Danan himself!

A subtle blend of styles

Ruhlmann’s soul permeates the new decor created by his modern-day admirer, evident in the flooring and furnishings inspired by the lines and motifs of the 1920s. But the transformation of Le Fouquet’s has nothing to do with nostalgia – it is far more complex than that. In order to give a resolutely contemporary look to the decor, the designer has also added modern, slightly arty touches such as the celebrity portraits by Studio Harcourt, the pared-down lighting by Beau et Bien, the strips of mirrors adorning sections of the walls, and a glass and metal wine cellar which proudly displays the wine it protects. The result is a fusion of the Majestic of bygone days – the hotel opened by François André, the founder of the Barrière group – with the Majestic of the future.
 

A new colour scheme

Another important change is the colour scheme used by the Parisian designer. Already present in the old livery, the colour gold continues to add its luxurious warmth to the new decor, colouring the back-lit façade of the bar, as well as the Egyptian motifs on the cornices and the delicate friezes of the stools and armchairs. But the blue has disappeared, replaced by elegant shades of cream, chocolate and brown in the restaurant’s leather, velvet, mahogany and walnut wood furnishings. As a result, the Hôtel Barrière Le Majestic Cannes has succeeded in a seemingly impossible task – making Le Fouquet’s Cannes and its bar even more elegant than ever, while relinquishing none of its warm and friendly atmosphere.