The conspicuous garden-surrounded property tucked in the 16th arrondissement has been around for a near century before quirky-eyed interior designer Bambi Sloan came into the picture in 2008 to breathe new life into the establishment.

In her hands, Saint James Paris turned into an extravagant family townhouse as she milked the Napoleon III style and threw in some movie and literary references. Fragments from My Fair Lady jumps off the frame of the entrance hall whereas Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard makes a subtle appearance through the velvet drapes.

Sloan injected a sense of ludicrousness as the décor takes a trippy turn with series of mirrors multiply everything. Balancing the hilarity is an inundation of glamour and theatrics as luxurious chandeliers shower the space with glorious lights and the red-carpeted staircase cushions the sore soles after a long day.

Unlike most of the hotels of its calibre, every room in Saint James Paris is individually decorated with unique themes, so don’t let the red-lacquered door duplicates fool you. In a number of spaces, Sloan outsourced inspirations from John Steed of The Avengers and the last Queen of Scotland with a room that is all striped flannel and English fabric, and one that mixes tartan and panther patterns, respectively.

Saint James Paris’ ingenuity leaps over the visual presentation and across its all-in-one facilities. The Michelin-starred dining room, for instance, houses Chef Jean-Luc Rocha’s most opulent combination of flavours and textures while the Guerlain spa shows off a subtle oriental-western décor, yet another Sloan’s masterwork, with arabesque patterned tiles, a baroque velvet couch and boudoir cabins.

Words by Nikita Nawawi.

From: L’Officiel Malaysia, Jun/Jul17.