designboom · Creativity & design

Historic Paris Nightclub Reimagined as a Five-Star Hotel

Studio KO has transformed the former Bus Palladium nightclub in Paris's Pigalle district into a five-star hotel, preserving the venue's legacy of music and nightlife.

The new Hotel Bus Palladium, opened on April 10, 2026, features 35 rooms, a restaurant, bar, rooftop, and an underground club. Architects Karl Fournier and Olivier Marty translated the club's history through materials and atmosphere, rather than recreating its original layout. The building's original structure was demolished and rebuilt, with the new facade echoing the rhythm of the former entrances and horizontal lines.

The hotel's design contrasts raw concrete with plush carpets, reflective surfaces, and vivid colors, referencing the 1960s and 70s. Interior details include cork walls, powder-pink carpets, blue mirrors, corduroy curtains, and elements inspired by vintage audio equipment, such as switches resembling amplifiers and door handles from microphone grilles.

Rooms feature transparent bedside cubes containing artworks and memorabilia. The Dalí Suite specifically evokes the 1970s with a modular sofa and a mirrored alcove. Artistic director Caroline de Maigret influences the guest experience through music, scent, and staff uniforms.

The restaurant incorporates a glass cube filled with vegetation, diner-style alcoves, and a wall lined with over a thousand vinyl records from the original owner's collection. A console can be pulled out for DJ sets, blurring the lines between dining and nightlife.

Chef Valentin Raffali's menu emphasizes locally sourced ingredients and seasonal produce, reflecting a tension between refinement and informality. The project intentionally blurs boundaries between hotel and nightclub, concrete and carpet, and memory and new construction.

AI-samenvatting op basis van de bron.