Taipei Palais de Chine, Supreme French Aesthetics Revisited
Experiencing Ultimate French Aesthetics, Palais de Chine’s Extravagance Unveils Convergence of Aesthetics and Culture
European style décor and antique art collections, Palais de Chine is an elegant French-style hotel fully exemplifying French culture and aesthetics.
Like the French language, feminine and masculine shades of colors accentuate the guest rooms, afternoon tea culture parallels to that of French Le Marais, the azure-shade hall, the French aristocratic Safari luxury, and the Banquet Hall with 16 chandeliers in opera house style provide for a classical French ambience.
Currently operating, Palais de Chine was constructed by the CEO of LDC Hotels & Resorts, Nelson Chang. It features a deeply instilled French culture and inspired by Parisian romanticism, a hotel with rich culture and a potpourri of modern and traditional.
In Paris, one often sees a mix of cultures. The flows of historical remnants or buildings from different eras blended with fashion and the modern embody aesthetics of old and new and display a Parisian’s aestheticization of everyday life. Palais de Chine is thus a grand stage of French culture, showcasing an infusion of vibrant French designs and its opulent milieu.
Luxury Space Concept
Upon entering the reception area, one is awed by the French splendor of Palais de Chine. Towering the lobby stands a two-meter tall antique horse sculpture, surrounded with a row of leather chairs and luxurious drapes, windows decked with wooden shutters that resemble a European race course, and crystal chandeliers and mirrors enhance the spaciousness and nobility. Horses were one of men’s earliest forms of transportation that gave rise to journeys of great distances. Palais de Chine uses an antique horse sculpture to greet travelers and guests, and to demonstrate the nobility of travel and the inn. The blazing fire place, like in the European castle of old, warm the weary hearts of travelers.
Go to the 6th floor, and witness the magnificent cobblestone hall resembling a European castle. Chandeliers in the powder-blue long hall lend an aura of opulence and sophistication leading into the dining hall. La Rotisserie offers top-rated cuisine of grill and roasts, aromas of grilling and scented woods like acacia compete and permeate throughout the restaurant. Le Bar, which is opening in the summer, is decorated with North African safari decor, a scene of a French noble hunting and camping with his servants in North Africa. Camp fires dot the desolate wilderness like fireflies.
Inspired by the grandeur of the Paris Opera House, the Lumière Banquet Hall on the 5th floor is another ‘glittering jewel’ of Palais de Chine. Architecturally, the Paris Opera House exemplifies the aesthetics of the classical era, an edifice of every architect’s dream. The ceiling’s metallic drape design is manually patched together with slices of glossy and matte foil, and the 16 crystal chandeliers exhibit an imperial splendor, bestowing every banquet with magnificence and majesty.
Adopting the style of Art Nouveau, the guest rooms are designed with double entry ways. Upon entering, the oval-shaped bathtub and the elegant stone flooring embedded with Art Nouveau mirrors cleanse the guests with therapeutic air. The Executive floor uses glass material and drapes for partition and privacy at night, it is as if lanterns were lit.
The much talked-about presidential suite “Le Rouge” complements its name with a substantial use of red shades. Red is synonymous with Chinese tradition, but Le Rouge’s subtle infusion of this red with European extravagance surrounding the reading area and book shelf, resonates the suite’s art collection and its culture.
