Kube
"The designer sister to the Murano Urban Resort near Gare du Nord is for those who like their fur faux and their vodka freezing.�
As its name suggests, the Kube is dominated by one particular geometric shape in its interior design. Designers
Raymond Morel and Christiane Derory have given the U-shaped building, located in a quiet street in Paris’s
bubbling 18th arrondissement, a truly mind-bending revamp.
In addition to, obviously, lots of cubes, the themes of coolness and transparency, which are emphasised
throughout the public spaces are offset by the warming sense of privacy and comfort that pervades the
guestrooms. The courtyard of the revamped 19th century building features a see-through cube, which contains the necessary reception facilities in a suitable way. Sashaying into the stylish bar, which serves as the heart of the
hotel, you’ll find yourself transported to a rather futuristic space, complete with generously high ceilings, lots of
stainless-steel gratings, floor-to-ceiling curtains and a long counter in tarnished silver to lean against and get your
wits back about you. Cubic seats and lounge chairs accented in fur set off the black glass of the walls, which are
animated in turn by a whole row of plasma-screen televisions.
Bars play a pivotal role in the hotel’s concept so you’ll find the “Ice Kube” bar on the mezzanine – held at a constant temperature of only minus 5°C, it is a whole
universe entirely made out of 25 tons of ice. Once you take off the polar coat provided for the ice bar, you may
well feel like heating things up again while swinging in Eero Aarnio’s 1968 ‘Bubble Chairs’ suspended in mid-air.
Oozing a sleek iciness in its public spaces, the 31 guestrooms and 10 suites of the hotel turn the heat up a little
with warm touches added to the arctic-geometric theme. Black and white faux-fur curtains give the space a
definite cuddly feel whilst readily living up to the chic provided by the pastel-coloured furniture by Raymond Morel
in tarnished glass.
Spinning the crystalline look further in the bathrooms, Philippe Starck’s aptly named ‘Jelly
Cubes’ collection for Duravit of rectangular elements sits squarely with specially made glass cube showers made
from matt high-tech Corian. Despite the feeling of having walked onto the set of an achingly smart 60s sci-fi
classic, the materials are distinctly modern and the design, overall, also aims to break with any sense of
traditional conformity: The beds are lit from beneath, creating the illusion of levitation, which definitely adds to the
overall sense of spaciousness, clarity and calm. Kube is future-retro made real.
Paris’ first ‘Ice Bar’ is in the groundbreaking Kube, designed around an ice cube motif. From the glass cube of the
reception desk to cube-shaped showers and bedside tables that resemble melting ice, a new unity of design form
reigns. High-tech dominates as well, with electronic doors in rooms as well as plasma screens in the ultra-chic
bar, set off by a future-retro décor that features Eero Aarnio’s 1968 ‘Bubble Chairs’ floating in space.
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Address:
1-5 Passage Ruelle, 75018 Paris, France
Hotel facilities:
- 41 rooms, including 12 suites. rooms available
Photogallery:
