5 stars

Brach Hotel Relaxed luxury

07 Nov 2018

In October 2018, the Evok Group launched a new 5-star concept in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The hotel was designed by Philippe Starck, who invented a relaxed form of luxury in a nomadic setting inspired by the 1930s.

Starck works another miracle. In the heart of the La Muette district, the virtuoso designer transformed the 7,000 sq. m. surface of an austere 70s mail sorting center into a temple of glass and foliage. Part of the Evok Group, the Brach commissioned the star designer to restyle the eight-floor building in the Parisian West. Philippe Starck successfully captured the spirit of the 30s, infusing the complex with the essence of Bauhaus, beginning with the 59 rooms (24 to 42 m²) lined with rosewood panels and enhanced by ornaments, sculptures, masks, engravings, lithographs and novels and books replaced at the end of each literary season. That varied artistic offering turns each room into a haven of peace and beauty, making overnight guests feel they are ‘at home’. The tones and materials are warm, bringing together wood and leather, but also concrete, glass, mirrors, metal and marble. The combinations are all the more expressive in the seven suites (60 to 200 sq. m.) on the fifth and sixth floors, which all have shady terraces equipped with Norwegian tubs. On the seventh floor, the Brach le Potager terrace overlooking the roofs of Paris is open in fine weather from 6.30 pm to midnight with reserved access. It presents a stunning 360° view of the capital dominated by the Eiffel Tower. If not for this urban panorama, you might think you were in a country garden between a lively henhouse and an old-style kitchen garden where aromatic herbs, vegetables and fruit ripen under the Paris skies.

Brach Hotel

1-7 Rue Jean Richepin, 75016, Paris Phone : 01 44 30 10 00 brachparis.com/

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Indeed, earthly food is a special priority at the Brach, where king of cuisine Adam Bentalha supervises the restaurant menu. The chef – who learned his trade in the greatest Paris establishments – presents healthy, delicious dishes touched by the Mediterranean sun, from South Europe to North Africa, taking in the Middle East. The travel décor all in wood and leather is decorated with Ara Starck frescoes and perfectly conceived to allow guests to enjoy the intimacy of a private conversation or the conviviality of a group meal. The restaurant is linked to Yann Brys’s pastry boutique, open to the general public. The pastry chef – who received the Meilleur Ouvrier de France award in 2011 – presents a cornucopia of cakes, desserts and Signature creations inspired by Mediterranean specialties, prolonging Adam Bentalha’s gourmet voyage. The same inspirations extend to the Bar and its cocktail menu. But the star attraction is undoubtedly the Brach’s sports facility, designed for a thousand members. Styled like a 30s boxing gym, it provides a huge range of activities and collective and individual services – from relaxing massages and body care to the most hyperactive sports. Fitness, bodybuilding, boxing, yoga, Pilates… as well as aqua gym, aqua yoga, water shiatsu and aqua maternity, all practiced in the 22-meter pool or the 6 by 6-meter hot spa. Then fans of pure relaxation will enjoy the sauna, steam bath and Himalayan salt cave, where they can breathe the spray and balance their chakras. Partnering Ren and Kos Paris, the Brach presents a range of natural care products that refresh the body’s energy and tone. Supervised and advised by a wide array of sports trainers, osteopaths, naturopaths, physiotherapists, sophrologists and dieticians, members also benefit from the services of a barbershop (Les Mauvais Garçons) and a house manicurist from Kure Bazaar, extending their well-being right to the fingertips.