Walking down the quiet, residential street rue de Lille, in the upscale, 7th arrondissement, you could easily miss the entrance to the new J.K. Place Hotel Paris.
The subtle entrance way is marked with a doormat signed with the letters J.K. and emerald curtains, which made me think of the The Wizard of Oz.
A small chain of luxury hotels in located in Capri, Florence, and Rome, J.K. Place has recently opened an outpost in Paris, their first venture outside of Italy.
The J.K. Place brand of hotels prides itself on understated luxury and privacy, conveying the experience of staying in an elegant home away from home rather than a splashy, grand hotel.
I went with my friend Diane Pernet of A Shaded View on Fashion blog, we were given a tour of the hotel and the rooms.
Walking through the public rooms on the first floor, I felt I was in a beautifully decorated home, with a series of stylishly designed rooms. Designer Michele Bonan has sourced the Paris flea market and used custom Italian furniture to attain the eclectic yet harmonious look. The handsome barroom has black lacquered tables with espresso velvet chairs and banquets, and the three-dimensional, white plaster walls with cutouts, are inspired by Picasso.
The hotel has only 29 rooms and one grand suite. One of the larger rooms has a fabulous four-poster bed with retractable curtains surrounding it for total privacy. I loved the color choices of the deep purple, velvet couch offset with white trim and the forest green carpet with white, geometric patterns.
After our tour, we had lunch at their restaurant Casa Tua. Although the restaurant is designed close to a solarium, you still feel as though you are in a formal dining room, rather than a casual, outdoor space. Again, the mix of flea market antiques- Chinese silk screens and porcelain statues and soup tureens-against the dark teal blue, velvet chairs and black and white patterned, marble floor worked well together.
Casa Tua is also another outpost, like the hotel, with restaurants in Miami and Aspen. My first course house-made ravioli with spinach and ricotta was as good as any I’ve had in the best restaurants in Italy. Surprisingly, I have rarely had a great piece of fresh tuna in Paris, but the tuna at Casa Tua was outstanding. Seared on the outside with a sesame seed crust, and deep red, almost raw on the inside, it was meaty and succulent. The garnish of carrot puree and fresh blueberries made the flavor of the dish soar. Dessert was a well-executed tiramisu, and a wreath of tart citrus bits with sweet cream.
The hotel has an indoor swimming pool and a Sisley Spa on the lower level.
J.K. Place Paris
82 Rue de Lille, 75007
If you are homebound during the virus crisis and looking for films to watch, please watch my partner Vincent's film After Louie with Alan Cumming
Here's link to view it on Amazon
Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more. In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.
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