Julien Sebban Constructs a Riot of Color and Delight at the Hôtel Plaza Athénée
The courtyard installation by the Uchronia founder is on view until November 11
Just when you think it’s business as usual on the fashionable Avenue Montaigne, the Hôtel Plaza Athénée is flipping the script with an unexpected and wonderfully whimsical activation within its gorgeous inner courtyard. Enter the unconventional and zany intervention of designer Julien Sebban, founder of the multidisciplinary creative collective Uchronia. Perhaps most well-known for monumental flowers and interiors defined by unapologetic pops of color, the studio’s work is nothing if not joyful and all-encompassing. No surface is unadorned throughout their architecture, design, scenography, art installations, and collectible furniture.
The Plaza Athénée was paying attention when Uchronia installed a monumental, inflatable floral bouquet at Coachella earlier this year—not to mention their other work in retail, hospitality, restaurants, and private residences, mainly in France. Conversations began about a year ago when they told Sebban they wanted “an activation in their garden.” Much to his surprise and relief, they gave him carte blanche.
For Sebban, working with the prestigious palace was a huge honor. He drew inspiration from a 16th-century bed frame and the iconic colors of the hotel: green and “Plaza red.” Since his practice always highlights French craftsmanship and stories around the makers, he delighted in working with the Treca Paris manufactory for the bed—which happens to supply beds throughout the hotel—and Le Jacquard Francais for linens. Its curtains were crafted by Misia and he collaborated with Palet ceramic tiles and Seigneurie paints. Tiles were selected to be reflective and highlight all the colors, complimented by the paint colors.
Sebban wanted this pop up to be fun and inviting, and to spark curiosity and conversation. The inner courtyard is typically not open to the public, so the installation also became a way for the hotel to welcome the general public inside. “It is a very simple idea, this big bed in iconic colors, and telling the story around the makers and French craft,” Sebban says. The Uchronia touch is always bold and full of joy—one of the most important things to Sebban. Put simply, he wants his work to resonate with people and make them smile.
The installation is on view at the Plaza Athénée until November 11