La Pérouse calls at Nice

Clinging to the hillside of Nice's ancient castle, this hotel is, above all, the promise of a rendezvous with the sea. First, there's its name, a tribute to the Comte de La Pérouse - mythical French explorer and commander of the L'Astrolabe. Then there's its location, overlooking the mythical Baie des Anges, licked by the waters of the Mediterranean. Such a landscape could not fail to inspire the Friedmann & Versace studio, who designed the place as an ideal Nice family home. The Côte d'Azur ambience is apparent right from the lobby, with its terracotta floors from Italy, shell-shaped sconces and striped fabrics that seem to come straight from the beach. Coral motifs designed by the architects adorn the carpets in the (somewhat labyrinthine) corridors leading to the 53 rooms and suites, with their woven headboards depicting an underwater landscape and hermit crab-shaped door handles. And the best is yet to come with the balconies and terraces that extend from most rooms and reveal a 180° panorama of the mythical Promenade. Want an even more spectacular view? Head to the top floor to suite 404, which opens directly onto the azure.

On the fourth floor, the restaurant Le Patio continues this marine evocation with its shades of yellow, a Jean Cocteau-inspired fresco by visual artist Nicolas Blazicevic and a spectacular shell bar by artist Caroline Perrin. Enjoy delicate cuisine by Damien Andrews (ex-Port Palace, Monaco), who offers a Mediterranean-inspired menu with real nuggets - exquisite sea bream carpaccio enhanced with a ginger-flavored oil - and an exquisite sea bream carpaccio enhanced with a ginger-flavored oil.ginger-flavored oil, red mullet cooked in a red wine sauce and flanked by zucchini trumpet... All these delights can also be enjoyed on the patio that extends the dining room, filled with lemon trees and bougainvillea. A few steps down the terrace lead to another treasure: the swimming pool, carved into the cliff and listed as a local heritage site, where you can swim laps against the backdrop of the Mediterranean. Now it's time to decide what to do next. Discover the old town below, a stone's throw from the famous Cours Saleya; or join the panoramic terrace on the top floor, at exactly the same height as the Bellanda tower (the tallest in the castle), to sip a glass of wine from a glass of wine.teau), where you can sip a cocktail and once again admire the magical view over the Baie des Anges and its string of tiny lights, gradually illuminated at dusk.

Virginie Friedmann & Delphine Versace, interior designers

This hotel was built in 1936. In what condition was it before you restored it?

Virginie Friedmann: It was a very family-run, rather secretive hotel, frequented by a clientele of regulars. It had remained pretty much as it was since the 1930s, and had never benefited from any real decoration work. The view is so impressive that it has long been its main attraction! We've kept the general configuration of the site as dictated by its geography, totally embedded in the cliff that supports the château. You enter the lobby from the quay, but the hotel itself is built from the fourth floor up, resting on the rock. While we didn't transform the spaces, we did completely rethink the aesthetics.

What were your inspirations?

Delphine Versace: We were obviously inspired by the omnipresence of the sea, which was our common thread, but also by the history of the building, in particular the art deco elements of the façade, which we preserved. We also took into account the environment - the yellow and ochre colors of Nice and a more Provencal dimension, with the use of wicker, ceramics and terracotta. Finally, we paid tribute to the artists who have left their mark on the city and the region - Cocteau, Matisse, Dufy.

How did you express this spirit?

V. F.: The aesthetics of these artists inspired our own creations - the fresco on the first floor that we commissioned from ceramist Annie du Beaujolais, the designs for the carpets and the lava stone tables. Or the headboards, woven by the Thévenon workshops in the spirit of Jean Lurçat's tapestries. We also designed the bedside lamps in the shape of shells, and the brass handles on the marine-inspired cupboards. Finally, we wanted to reflect the town's Belle Époque spirit with the restaurant's stained-glass window, created from our sketches by Atelier Cocoroca.

Galerie Astéria

A favorite haunt of Virginie Friedmann and Delphine Versace, this online gallery, created by Rémi Chiappone, is brimming with nuggets illustrating the spirit of Nice and its region. "We've unearthed beautiful barbotine plates made in Vallauris, decorative pots, rattan baskets, wrought-iron candleholders and ceramic bowls with wickerwork decoration. A place not to be missed! "

• T. 06 23 62 57 63
• www.galerieasteria.com