The Guinguette: User’s Guide to Parisian Bohemia
As we enter Chouchou Hotel Paris through a hall completely covered with mirrors and illuminated by dozens of light bulbs like a Music Hall. Are we in a boutique hotel or rather in the Olympia concert hall that’s just a few blocks away? Inaugurated in April 2020 by the Elegancia Group, ChouChou embodies a 100% French spirit and interior design across its 63 rooms. No pompous reception or staff waiting for the client; here we are greeted by a smiling and pretty twenty-something who speaks perfect Spanish.
Not even a minute has passed and we already feel comfortable. After a most discreet and efficient check-in, our gaze automatically turns toward La Guinguette. Under a large window, with tables made of raw wood and one of those Parisian zinc bars, the breakfast area comes to life and winks at us with its seductive vintage golden light bulbs.
Benches in Yves Klein blue give a cool and contemporary touch to what 200 years ago would have been a perfect place to dance, listen to live music, celebrate with good food and good wine, and even have interesting discussions late into the night. Just look at Picasso’s painting “Le Moulin de la Galette” (1900), the most famous guinguette in Montmartre—a neighborhood just minutes away on foot from Hotel Chouchou.
Chouchou Hotel Paris – A living space for a clientele once artistic and bohemian, now young professionals seeking escape
Restoring the vigor and relevance to this very French concept of the guinguette, with its popular exuberance and seductive bohemian spirit, was a challenge but also an obvious choice for French interior designer Michael Malapert, with whom we spoke:
“Guinguettes are traditional dance halls created in France at the beginning of the 20th century. A living space where everyone can find their place, meet new people, and have fun. My team and I found this idea very interesting for this area with so many offices in the center of Paris. We bring joy, life, and entertainment.”
Just like in those times. The backstage area is available for private events and can accommodate up to 40 seated people. In the basement, 3 private pools for guests and visitors are a good alternative to a spa. Bankers and lawyers, consider yourselves warned: at ChouChou Hotel Paris, stress stays in the cloakroom.
Chouchou Hotel Paris – Interior design where the creation of spaces goes hand in hand with the well-being and comfort of body and spirit
“My father is an architect and my mother works in alternative medicine. That’s why I learned to create spaces with my father without neglecting the physical and mental well-being instilled by my mother. This is a good definition of interior design. Many things inspire me: art, architecture, fashion, crafts, and nature. I really like Californian houses precisely because of their architecture that connects interiors with exteriors”. This holistic dimension of Michael Malapert allows us to feel at home as soon as we enter the suite. Something connects with us and that makes Chouchou Hotel a “living space.”
Suites inspired by Serge Gainsbourg, Boris Vian, and Edith Piaf
Chouchou is an affectionate abbreviation for “dear” in French, a very colloquial and cute expression. At ChouChou Hotel, the concept of good living and fun reaches its maximum expression in these 3 suites (39-56m²), each with the unmistakable trademark of these 3 titans of French popular culture and with a view of the Garnier Opera.
Suite 601 “The Heartsnatcher”
Inspired by the prolific and bohemian Boris Vian (author, singer, poet, trumpeter, inventor, critic, and engineer), this suite features a custom-made library that is both contemporary and cozy: it invites reading. A vintage German Grundig record player stops time in the room until the Elipson bluetooth speaker from Habitat appears in the shape of a head. “We wanted to recreate the richness of Boris Vian’s universe, who was a complete artist; we were inspired by his life and work,” Michael Malapert tells us. The fact that this suite is located on a sloped ceiling makes it even more authentic.
It makes you want to sing “I’m a Snob” like the irreplaceable Boris Vian. A trumpet on one of the tables in the room seems to confirm our irrepressible desire. And to rest from so much intellectualism, nothing like immersing yourself in the enormous bathtub under the ceilings, with exposed beams—bohemian style obliges.
Suite 602 “The Anamor”
Welcome to the dark and sexy universe of the eternal Serge Gainsbourg. The black color echoes the house where this icon of French chanson lived. “I Love You, Me Neither” resonates in the black walls and zellige tiles, as well as in the decadent round black bathtub. This suite has a living room with works by the provocative Parisian dandy. A portrait of Serge and Jane Birkin, an XXL mirror, a bamboo headboard for the bed, and even a piano with sheet music ready to seduce. A photo of Brigitte Bardot above the piano is seductive, Jane in her Paco Rabanne crochet dress is seductive, both portraits on the piano.
Suite 603 “La Vie en Rose”
A gramophone stands out among various shades of old pink, not the sweetened Barbie pink—here we are in the universe of Edith Piaf: The pink rather evokes rosé wine and that sensual insolence of the Parisian “kid” that was embodied in cinema with the roguish grace of Marion Cotillard.
A 1945-style bathtub, a meridienne, and some retro trunks highlight that “je ne sais quoi” so French. As night falls, there’s a DJ set in the guinguette and dancing at full throttle to the rhythm of Discobitch’s “This is for the petite bourgeoisie who drinks champagne.” Definitely, Malapert knows how to revisit the guinguette in its 21st-century version.
Photos: Nicolas Anetson ChouChou
Hotel www.chouchouhotel.com
11 rue du Helder 75009 Paris
Tel: +33 1 87 44 54 79
Rooms and Suites: From 170 (IVA incl.) – 700 EUR (IVA incl.) depending on the season
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