In the 8th arrondissement of Paris, just up a little hill from the Champs-Élysées, an ambitious new hotel has opened. It’s called the Hotel Norman, after the American graphic designer, Norman Ives, and it’s the latest selection for Room Key, The Daily Beast’s series on exciting new hotels.
The hotel has just 37 rooms and suites, and so is a more personal type of property. Some have views of the Eiffel Tower, while roof-top suites look out across the city.
The hotel was designed by French architect Thomas Vidalenc, and when we say he was ambitious it’s because he filled the property with a dizzying array of modernist influences. Brazilian pieces sit alongside French and American pieces from the mid-20th century, and on the walls hang a variety of geometric prints and American paintings from the 1970s. For such a small space, the ground floor fits a lot. Tucked behind a heavy green portiere is the front desk, and around the corner from that is a small library with a fireplace.