Eternal Spring
The debut of La Fantaisie last summer in Paris' 9th arrondissement has created more buzz than a beehive.
by Bridget Williams / Photos courtesy of La Fantaisie
I knew from social media clatter that travel influencers were agog about La Fantaisie (lafantaisie.com), which opened in Paris this past summer. Still, after walking from Gare Du Nord in a steady drizzle with luggage in tow, I was surprised to see a bevy of gendarmes stationed at the start of Rue Cadet, a few yards from the hotel's front door in the bustling Faubourg-Montmartre neighborhood. Following an awkward interaction that reminded me (once again) that I must acquire a basic level of conversational French, I learned that the crowd control wasn't for the hotel but rather security for French President Macron, who was attending an event next door.
La Fantaisie Salon / Photo ©Jerome Galland.
La Fantaisie Salon / Photo ©Jerome Galland.
No staff were stationed outside the hotel, but this slight was absolved as soon as I stepped inside this maximalist's dream. I imagined that this would be the result if Wes Anderson and Iris Apfel collaborated on a hotel. The lobby and its cozy lounge, covered floor-to-ceiling in color and pattern, was slightly retro, very funky, and totally unique. I was instantly smitten.
La Fantaisie Salon / Photo ©Jerome Galland.
And, as if I needed a reminder that this property was a complete departure from the rarefied air (some would say stuffiness) found in the upper echelons of Parisian hotels, the reception staff, whose ages appeared to bridge the era where Millennials end and Gen Z begins, boasted casual uniforms, a more 21st-century let-me-know-what-you-need attitude, and spoke perfect English. Adding to the "cool kids" vibe was a fantastic playlist and a sprinkling of artfully dressed modelesque locals tucked into the lounge's corner banquettes conversing over an aperitif.
La Fantaisie Bar Sur Le Toit interieus terrasse / Photo ©Jerome Galland1
La Fantaisie Suite Terrasse 609 terrasse / Photo ©Jérome Galland
Rue Cadet draws its name from 16th-century gardeners, brothers Jacques and Jean, who owned the Clos Cadet and supplied the royal court with fruit and vegetables. At La Fantaisie, Swedish-born and London-based designer Martin Brudnizki pays homage to this history, with interiors given over to a rainbow of botanical motifs, a charming and unexpected "secret" garden in its "backyard," and a rooftop bar with a lushly landscaped terrace.
I enjoyed the sweet sound of bird song piped into the elevator—clad in green grasscloth wallpaper and antiqued mirrors—as I rode up to my room. The door slid open to reveal more color-on-pattern-on-texture, with bright green trim surrounding Fornasetti's iconic Chiavi Segrete wallpaper, in which dense foliage conceals golden skeleton keys. The color of each guestroom door evoked a sunshiny day.
La Fantaisie Spa bains / Photo ©Jérome Galland
Couloir La Fantaisie / Photo (c) Jérôme Galland
Couloir La Fantaisie / Photo (c) Jérôme Galland
La Fantaisie Junior Suite Terrasse 107 terrasse / Photo ©Jérome Galland
La Fantaisie Suite Terrasse 609 salle de bain / Photo ©Jérome Galland
Brudnizki, whose dossier includes the new Vesper Bar at The Dorchester in London and The Britely at Pendry West Hollywood in LA, certainly has a flair for the theatric, providing an Alice-In-Wonderland-worthy psychedelic dreamscape inside and out of La Fantaisie's 63 rooms and 10 suites. While the design of guestrooms is slightly less exuberant than that of its public spaces, there is no shortage of whimsy.
Martin Brudnizki.
Mirroring the star power of its design, culinary luminary Dominique Crenn oversees Golden Poppy, La Fantaisie's flagship restaurant, which is a destination in its own right. French-born Crenn, who has worked in the US since the 1980s and holds the distinction of becoming the first – and only – female chef to be awarded three Michelin stars in the States, has seized on her homecoming with great aplomb, creating a fine dining experience with a zero plastic and zero waste philosophy. Golden Poppy's interiors—a glass-roofed main dining room reminiscent of an antique greenhouse that offers direct access to a large walled garden—are apropos for Crenn's vegetable- and fish-forward menu, which brings a touch of California's multi-cultural cuisine, and a subtle spiciness that's hard to find in many Parisian fine dining experiences. I could have eaten a dozen of her mushroom tarts, but I was glad I didn't, so I had room to enjoy spicy fried rice noodles with seaweed wakame butter and smoked trout roe.
La Fantaisie Golden Poppy interieus / Photo ©Jerome Galland4
La Fantaisie Golden Poppy interieus / Photo ©Jerome Galland4
La Fantaisie Jardin / Photo ©Jerome Galland
CRENN TEAM GOLDEN POPPY / Photo COPYRIGHT LAURENT DUPONT.
La Fantaisie F&B Café Juin / Photo 2023 ©Maki Manoukian.
La Fantaisie F&B Bar SUr Le Toit Cocktail / Photo ©Maki Manoukian.
La Fantaisie F&B Golden Poppy Juin 2023 Riz croustillant, Leche de tigre, anchois Photo / ©Maki Manoukian
FLa Fantaisie F&B_Golden Poppy Poisson de ligne ikejime, lait de panais et leche de Tigre Juin 2023 / Photo ©Maki Manoukian.
La Fantaisie F&B_Golden Poppy_Poisson de ligne ikejime, lait de panais et leche de Tigre_Juin 2023 / Photo ©Maki Manoukian.
La Fantaisie F&B_Golden Poppy Juin 2023_Pancake banane & caviar fumé / Photo ©Maki Manoukian.
For its subterranean spa, La Fantaisie partnered with French brand Holidermie, which employs a unique, naturally vegan approach in its quest to offer effective, simple, and radiant beauty products.
Normally a 7th arrondissement gal when I am lucky enough to be visiting Paris, I appreciated the cute pocket-sized guide to the neighborhood left on my nightstand, which allowed my wandering to be a bit more purpose-driven than usual. La Fantaisie is located in a charming part of the city, full of intriguing passageways, magnificent architecture, and À la Mère de Famille, the oldest chocolatier in Paris. C'est si bon!