The Swedish-born, London-based designer Beata Heuman is known for bringing character and charm to her interiors. And she does just that with her first hotel project: Hôtel de la Boétie, which opened in September, the sixth Parisian space from design-forward French hotel group Touriste. For this collaboration, Heuman and her studio worked with the 19th-century architecture of the building — located in rue de la Boétie in the eighth arrondissement, not too far from the Champs-Élysées — and incorporated existing elements such as the marble entrance, elevator, and staircase of the 40-room property. Keeping the design relatively simple, using a limited palette, natural woods, and stainless steel and brass, Heuman has created the kind of heightened atmosphere you can have in spaces that are meant to be traveled through and not necessarily lived in all the time. “We can treat it a bit like a stage set, which is not the approach I would take when it comes to someone’s home,” says Heuman. Residential projects center the wants and needs of an individual client, of course, but with an endeavor like this, the studio can really lean into its own vision.

On the ground floor, just past the lobby, the shimmering silver wallpaper of the lounge creates soft, blurred, slightly distorted reflections. The walls here, Heuman has noted, reference the work of legendary, early 20th century decorator Frances Elkins. Nods to the 1930s or 40s — Deco curves, gingham — abound in the hotel as whole, yet the look is still clean and contemporary. Which has a lot to do with Heuman’s refreshing eye for color. Green carpets are set against three color schemes that define the bedrooms: Lower floors feature a deep, glossy blue, mid-level floors are done in cozy browns, and the top two floors are awash in light blues. Silky pink bed linens and towels add an unexpected dose of rosiness. What really adds to the transporting effect in the bedrooms are the headboards designed by Heuman, inspired by the inlaid marble floor of the Medici chapel (part of the Basilica di San Lorenzo) in Florence. The scrolling shapes, evoking a medieval coat of arms, are hand-woven as wool kilim rugs and then upholstered, while the oversized dimensions give a bit of an Alice-in-Wonderland feel.

Signature Heuman pieces from her own Shoppa collection also appear throughout, like the Knot handles on bedroom wardrobes. Back in the silvery lounge you can find Heuman’s Cub and Lion chairs, the Dodo Egg and Crinkle lights, the soon to be released Paper Bag lights, and two sofas in Heuman’s mohair upholstery in the shade of Canyon, also coming soon.

PHOTOS BY SIMON BROWN