Plaza Belle Etoile Suite rooftop terrace Paris

Design

Terrace garden with 360˚ Paris view

August 08, 2019

A sky garden to mirror the Tuileries Garden. Just when you think the spectacular penthouse Belle Etoile Suite at Le Meurice can’t possibly get any better, it’s time to step out onto its glorious new terrace.

360˚ view of Paris

Having planned the ‘new look’ for our Belle Etoile Suite, designers Lally & Berger turned their attention to the suite’s terrace. As one of the largest private terraces in Paris, featuring the finest 360˚view across all the major landmarks, there was plenty of expectation. Back in 1907, this special place became the hotel’s al fresco restaurant and more than 100 years later it was the setting for a Beyoncé video, with plenty of other magical moments in between. Now it’s enjoying a whole new chapter.

View of the courtyard of The Belle Etoile Suite from the terrace at Le Meurice Paris

Plaza Belle Etoile Suite bedroom views Paris

Outside interests

Knowing that they had to come up with something pretty special, design duo Luc Berger and Margaux Lally conjured up the idea of mirroring the look and feel of the world-famous Tuileries Garden below. This was achieved by echoing the classical patterns and well-placed planting in their own ‘garden in the sky’. The other essential element was, of course, to showcase the spectacular view from all angles.

Introducing Pierre Alexandre Risser

To make their dream a reality, the couple turned their attention to Pierre Alexandre Risser who has been creating glorious gardens for over 25 years. His particular passion for urban terrace gardens caught their attention and he immediately embraced their inspiring vision for transforming the terrace.

The man for the mission

Pierre-Alexandre Risser is a true plant enthusiast and his gardens have a strong emphasis on wellbeing and the pleasure of outdoor living. By artfully playing with shapes, colours and textures, he creates delightful spaces with a real ‘feel good’ factor. He also has a special interest in the Tuileries Garden as he’s involved in prestigious annual Jardins, Jardin event, which is hosted there.

“This was a hugely rewarding project to work on,” enthuses Pierre-Alexandre. “Where else can you enjoy an exclusive ‘garden in the sky’ where all of Paris radiates around you?” Designer Margaux Lally agrees adding, “The terrace garden now has a sense of separate areas to enjoy and lots of relaxed seating, which is kept low to the ground so not to distract from that all-important view.”

Totally transformed

Key to the transformation was the choice of planting. The different grasses add movement by gently swaying in the breeze and reconnect the terrace with the rhythm of nature. You can still delight in the vast sense of space but there’s a new intimacy to it. It’s a place that makes your spirit soar and somewhere you’ll always remember. When night falls, the space is reborn again and it’s easy to see why Paris is affectionately known as the City of Light.