More than a place to stay, Hôtel La Bourdonnais is designed by interior architect Oscar Lucien Ono, founder of Maison Numéro 20, as a journey without movement – a hushed, unhurried stopover aboard a legendary train of another era…
The spirit is fitting: the hotel takes its name from Bertrand-François Mahé de La Bourdonnais, a celebrated 18th-century explorer who left his mark on the French East India Company, and whose restless, curious spirit permeates every corner of the space.
Image credit: Philippe Garcia
The decorative language plays constantly on the meeting of two worlds – East and West, near and far. The refined elegance of the Parisian Left Bank enters into dialogue with influences drawn from Asia, Africa and the ancient maritime trade routes. Art Deco lines give structure to the architecture, while exotic wood essences and richly patterned fabrics introduce a more far-flung dimension, heightened throughout by copper and burnished gold tones.
Behind the lobby reception desk, a panoramic dreamscape sets the tone from the very first moment: trees rendered in stylised silk, hand-painted with gold leaf by the Parisian atelier Ulgador, unfurl like the opening pages of a travel journal. The imaginary journey continues into the cocktail bar, Minuit Express, where compartmentalised alcoves furnished with enveloping banquettes and armchairs evoke the slow, sociable rhythm of the great international trains – and of an age when the journey itself was part of the experience.
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- Image credit: Philippe Garcia
“The inspiration comes from the golden era of long-distance train travel,” discussed Oscar Lucien Ono, “a time when you crossed landscapes for days, encountered strangers, and wrote postcards. Minuit Express recaptures that lost sense of slowness.” The bar’s backlit alabaster surfaces and églomisé glass back bar catch the light with quiet drama, as though time itself has paused.
The hotel’s 53 rooms and junior suites – some with views over the Eiffel Tower – cultivate the same spirit of quiet softness. Each is assigned to one of three chromatic worlds, each evoking a distinct emotional destination: Floral Blue, recalling sky, ocean and cool fresh air; Beige and Straw, for the warmth of Asian landscapes; and Terracotta, a reference to desert roads and golden sunsets.
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- Image credit: Philippe Garcia
The custom headboards, designed in-house by Maison Numéro 20, take the form of fan-shaped screens combining woodwork and quilted fabric – a nod to one of the oldest furniture forms in the world, originating in ancient China and introduced to Europe from the 15th century onwards by the various East India companies. Once again, the idea of weaving escapism and memory into a single, seamless narrative. The bathrooms, clad in marble, continue the attention to detail with geometric-cut vanity units and mirrors, refined down to the last tassel of passementerie trim.
Image credit: Philippe Garcia
A stone’s throw from the Champ de Mars, Oscar Lucien Ono gives full expression to his insatiable curiosity and his sensibility as a true aesthetic traveller. Having completed the interior architecture of Villa Miraé at Cap d’Antibes and the Soleia in Nice in 2025, he continues his successful collaboration with the Inwood Hotels group. After the enchanting light of the Mediterranean, it is now the City of Light that takes centre stage.
Main image credit: Philippe Garcia
