DESIGN - DAPHNÉ DESJEUX, HOTEL DESIGNER: “I BRING A TOUCH OF FANTASY TO LUXURY”
From her many travels, interior designer Daphné Desjeux has brought back a taste for boldness and non-conformism. |
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DESIGN - DAPHNÉ DESJEUX, HOTEL DESIGNER: “I BRING A TOUCH OF FANTASY TO LUXURY”
From her many travels, interior designer Daphné Desjeux has brought back a taste for boldness and non-conformism. |
Category: Worldwide - Interviews and portraits
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Interview made by Sonia Taourghi on 2024-10-28
 Daphné Desjeux, Hotel Designer and Founder of Atelier Daphné Desjeux
Photo credit © Atelier Daphné Desjeux
That said, make no mistake about it: this Parisian interior designer has a strong character and determination that reflect her particular aesthetic, and the success she is enjoying in the profession.
Born in Paris into a world where fashion and photography meet, Daphné Desjeux has been injecting a breath of fresh air into the sometimes too conventional world of luxury hotel design since 2013. This former journalist and presenter, who converted to a new career after training at the École Boulle, is shaking things up with her own unique approach, inspired by her travels through Asia, South America, Africa and Oceania.
Her path to hotel design is anything but conventional. Coming from a creative background - her mother was a model agent - she first explored the media before finding her vocation. “I used to join her on the catwalks, where I discovered an infinite creativity, in spaces that could be empty and austere one day, then transformed into places full of fantasy the next. Later, in television, I rediscovered this fascination with the scale of the studios and the way the sets came to life, often creating magical worlds. What really captivated me were the sets”.
Her first foray into interior design, a flat on Avenue Montaigne, quickly made her realise that her ambitions lay elsewhere. "I found that the ambition was a bit limited. Without it becoming boring, everything seemed fairly predictable. On the other hand, in a hotel, I felt a different approach, with a real desire to create unique spaces and create a special experience.
Fate smiled at her at a hotel opening, where a chance meeting turned into an opportunity. To stand out from the crowd in the tender that followed, she dared to be original. “I came up with a three-dimensional mood board, a sort of giant box, like a mini stage with lights. I said to myself: it's double or quits!” This audacity earned her her first project: the Snob Hotel on rue Saint-Denis in Paris. This was followed by the Suki restaurant and the Louvre Piemont Hotel.
His vision of luxury stands out in an often formatted world. “When we talk about luxury and palaces, people suddenly sit up straight and adopt an attitude that's a little too serious, which creates a real distance, whereas luxury should above all evoke warmth and conviviality”, she observes. For her, “Luxury is above all about having a choice and satisfying all our senses. It's harmony taken to the extreme: absolute comfort, pleasing aesthetics, enchanting fragrances, all without ever offending the person".
Daphné leads Atelier Daphné Desjeux, a hotel-focused agency of about 10 collaborators, and creates projects with her distinct signature. To accomplish this, she tells herself stories. "I research the history of the place and its owners, as well as its location, and make up a little fiction for myself. I enjoy imagining what each place would have to say. I am a storyteller. This storytelling method is meticulous in its attention to detail. “I draw everything visible, including a chair, a table, a light, a carpet, a door handle, and patterns…"
Her unique style and ability to reinvent codes have earned her the trust of some of the industry's biggest names. She has worked with Paris Society International and Ennismore, for whom she is currently developing a 5-star hotel project in Bombay, including 110 suites, two restaurants, a club and a 1500 m² private business club. The 14,000 m² project provides the designer with a canvas to match her ambitions. "The brief was that this hotel should breathe life and that you should feel the possibility of celebration, even in broad daylight. That was their vision of luxury: a vibrant lifestyle that evokes the legendary atmosphere of Studio 54 in New York".
Her unconventional approach to design distinguishes her creations, such as Sève for 1.75 Paris. "I enjoy eccentricity combined with rigour; I appreciate symmetry and everything that is properly aligned. I'm a huge fan of symmetry and everything that is perfectly aligned. I'm happy to step aside as long as you stick to one guiding idea".
Her vision for contemporary luxury is clear: it must be reinvented. "Wealthy people today have a different approach to hotels; white marble and gleaming brass are no longer enough; it's time to add a touch of fantasy to luxury". It's an approach that resonates especially well on the international stage, where she's working on a growing number of projects, most notably the Mondaine brand she created for Paris Society, for which she designed Mondaine Istanbul, a 1,500m2 restaurant within the large-scale Tersane project currently in development.
Despite her creative overflow, her technique is tailored to her clients' demands. Given a specified brief, she suggests "a rough draft and an initial mood board, which I then adjust. "When the brief is more open, I ask them what they don't like and urge them to share their opinions and expectations. However, she finds the third possibility - complete creative freedom - to be the most gratifying. “I'd like to continue doing projects all around the world, where I can learn more about the diversity of spaces and cultures. I genuinely enjoy meeting the diverse needs of my hotel clients while having fun building unique and unforgettable locations," she says, adding ideas of hotels in the Indonesian archipelagos and even a casino in the Emirates. "I'd like to create quirky hotels in Bora Bora or Brazil, where every detail is an opportunity for adventure, surprise, or a wink. The goal is to produce a light-hearted décor that is done seriously".
This unconventional approach is one she completely embraces. "I'm not interested in following trends or having good taste. What I actually want to achieve is to evoke an emotion, even if the decor does not appeal". She also gives some tips for young designers. "Do not allow others to make decisions for you. Stay true to your vision!"
With over fifteen years of experience, Daphné Desjeux continues to make each project an exceptional experience by blending luxury with a friendly welcome. Her inventions, from Babel to Mondaine, as well as current projects, particularly in the Maldives, demonstrate a vision in which luxury breaks free from its old codes to become more accessible, and more human, while never losing sight of the excellence that defines it.
 La Sève Hotel, Groupe 1.75 Paris Group
Photo credit © Benoît Linero
 Detail at the Restaurant Mondaine, Paris
Photo credit © Benoît Linero
 Shrem Mumbai – Project for Ennismore and Paris Society
Photo credit © Ennismore
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