In the French city of Metz, a hotel that looks like something out of a dream, or rather out of a Wes Anderson movie, has opened. It is the Maison Heler, a nine-story building designed by renowned designer Philippe Starck, whose rooftop is crowned by a 19th century mansion, writes Dezeen.
This hotel tells the fictional story of Manfred Heler, a character invented by Starck, whose home was “lifted into the sky without warning”. The mansion, completely clad in metal, houses a restaurant, a bar and event spaces. According to the designer’s account, Heler was inside his house when it was raised to the top of the building, writes Dezeen.
The interior was conceived to recreate the atmosphere of a 19th century bourgeois house, but with a fantastic twist: it is not a reconstruction, but a new creation. The rooms are decorated with bizarre objects, such as glass hammers, double-edged axes and inverted swings, all designed by Starck himself.
Underneath the mansion, the hotel offers 104 rooms spread over nine floors. Unlike the upper spaces, the rooms were designed with a more sober and modern approach: large windows, white walls and a minimalist air. On the first floor is La Cuisine de Rose, a restaurant inspired by Heler’s imaginary beloved.