Projects
City-centre suites in Nice
Antonia Solari
Nelly Philippe
FLORIM
2019
Le Dortoir — Multi Storey Luxury Suites is a high-end B&B with a total of nine rooms and suites. The property is located in Rue Paradis in the historic centre of Nice, one of the city’s busiest and most famous streets renowned in particular for its luxury brand stores such as Chanel and Louis Vuitton.
The view from the windows of the rooms and suites takes in the most famous landmarks of the Côte d’Azur capital, from Mont-Boron to Magenta Place, from the Promenade des Anglais as far as the sea, all of which are within walking distance.
The interior design project for Le Dortoir was awarded to interior designer Nelly Philippe, who described the initial steps as follows: «This was a very interesting project: firstly from a conceptual point of view thanks to the freedom of composition afforded by the open space layouts of all the rooms, and secondly in terms of creativity because it gave me the opportunity to develop a bespoke project for a high-end hotel.»
In addition to the open plan layout of the spaces, another key aspect of the project was the choice of materials, which had to meet technical requirements such as long-term resistance to the wear and tear typical of public spaces while maintaining a high level of elegance and overall stylistic consistency. «The choice of materials was straightforward, almost obvious in terms of both aesthetics and functionality,» continues Philippe. «We opted for porcelain stoneware because it is a highly durable and long-lasting material that at the same time allowed us to create a sense of unity and consistency in a hotel consisting of suites of different types and in sizes ranging from 14 square metres to 42 square metres.»
The free floor plan of the suites meant that the space could be divided up according to a functional hierarchy, so the sleeping area is separated from the bathroom but without necessarily interrupting the distribution flows. After creating the floor plan of each of the nine suites, the next step was to choose the surface coverings.
It was the relationship between the materials — above all porcelain and wood — and the lighting design that allowed the project to take shape, one step at a time. «We reinforced the design concept by installing backlit floating ceilings that draw attention to the wall covering materials and increase the sense of space of the rooms. The light reflects the details of the materials effectively and adds a more glamorous finish to the project,» continues the designer.
An extensive palette of colours ranging from neutral to vivid was selected to create different effects and to differentiate the suites. Large Magnum Oversize slabs from Rex are used on both the floors and walls in many of the suites, along with the colours Illusion, Symphonie and Renoir from the Étoile de Rex collection, while a touch of variety is provided by the Prexious range (Thunder Night and Dream Arabesque versions).
I classici di Rex, Prexious of Rex, Etoile de Rex
porcelain stoneware
120x240, 30x120 cm
Water absorpion (ISO 10545-3): 0,08%
Chemical resistance (ISO 10545-13): GA
Stain resistance (ISO 10545-14): compliant
Frost resistance (ISO 10545-12): compliant
Modulus of rupture and breaking strength (ISO 10545-4): 50 N/mm2
Thermal shock resistance (ISO 10545-9): compliant
ECOLABEL
LEED
ISO 14001