The first hotel to be awarded Palace status in France, Le Bristol Paris, is now the place to enjoy a drink in Paris following the opening of the beautiful Le Bar du Bristol. Designed by architect Pierre-Yves Rochon and Mrs Maja Oetker, Le Bar du Bristol, with its classical and modern décor, is already welcoming customers from Paris and around the world to its famous home in Rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré. Le Bar du Bristol exudes timeless elegance, with a glass roof at the entrance, a mural fresco by French artist Thierry Bruet representing a lush garden, and the authentic Aubusson tapestry by Charles Pinçon dating back to 1740 which decorates the bar walls and depicts a Chinese garden with slender pagodas in the distance and a peacock in the foreground.
The atmosphere in the bar itself, which is closed off with thick silk curtains for greater intimacy, evokes old English clubs, with a wooden floor made from Versailles oak and magnificent panelling that is over 100 years old and made of natural pine from Esher in Surrey. Two bookcases flank the 19th century fireplace, which is made of marble from Sienna in Italy.
Furnishings in the bar include beautifully-made ochre-coloured winged armchairs, duck-egg-blue wall seats made by the prestigious Venetian company Rubelli, the small English Petworth Chairs in red and blue Italian leather and leopard-effect fabric produced by the silk manufacture Le Manach for the Giacometti stools from the House of Porto Romana. There are also touches of red leather for the bar stools and an imposing double-sided couch in the centre of the room, continuing the modern yet timeless theme.
Every evening, behind the panelled bar with its long top made of golden-coloured granite from Montana, a huge mirror becomes a screen reflected in the 18th century French mirror hanging opposite over the fireplace. Bottles of alcohol, carefully chosen for their exceptional qualities by Head Barman Maxime Hoerth are displayed in their purpose-made bottle holder, with smaller bottles of prestigious alcohols being displayed in the showcases that make up the lower half of the bookcase.
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