Philippe Starck pulls off an imaginary yacht club theme with aplomb at the newest addition to Michel Reybier’s La Réserve portfolio in Zurich, writes Elly Earls.
The two men behind the concept of La Réserve Eden au Lac Zurich – Michel Reybier and Philippe Starck – are sailors at heart and it’s a passion that shows; every moment at the property is a delight, with a witty nautical touch to discover.
The building, which has been a Zurich landmark since 1909, is located on the shore of the lake just beyond the opera house, with views directly onto the water. When Starck was approached to reimagine it as a modern hotel, without losing its historical essence, he felt there was no other option than a maritime theme.
“Personally, I have always dreamt of creating a yacht club; I love the special and festive atmosphere of the regatta, the people are happy, elegant, and time is suspended,” he says. “Then we found traces of that past; the bricks eaten away by the sea breeze, the mahogany panels, the pictures of sailboats, oars and boat hulls. There was no longer any doubt. This hotel is the very spirit of Zurich.”
Guests start their journey not at the grand entrance with its original Corinthian columns, but through a less dramatic side door. The cosy reception area is tucked into a nook on the left, the idea being that you immediately feel at home. Well, as close to home as it’s possible to feel in a Starck-designed imaginary yacht club.
Via ceiling-high wine display cases and exposed brick walls, the reception blends into what used to be the building’s main entrance hall but now connects the ground floor’s public spaces, Eden Kitchen & Bar. Light streams into the restaurant through large bay windows, bouncing off the dark green tiles of the open kitchen and the metallic tables. Old portraits of captains sit proudly above the serving area, while tartan throws and cushions are strewn artfully across natural leather sofas and chairs.
Guests can order food and drinks in either the restaurant or the bar across the entrance hall, which features the same design cues – red wood, black and white marble, light brown leather, exposed original brick. The atmosphere in both is warm and relaxed and the quality of the materials is palpable.
When asked about the process of unearthing the building’s original features, Starck says his intervention was minimal without being minimalist. “I wanted to rediscover the soul of the place, to unveil lights and structural volumes by stripping the old building of the frills in the interior that had been added over the years,” he explains. “In addition to the elements of the structure of the building itself that we have preserved, such as the brick walls, we have used materials that can be found on sailboats; timber, stainless steel and bronze. Raw, noble and durable materials that recall the history of this place inseparable of the water and the lake.”
The maritime theme continues as you head up the grand staircase, past the stained-glass windows designed by Starck’s daughter Ara, which dapple the carpet with red, purple, green, blue and yellow. One of the most delightful touches is the guestroom numbers printed on racing sails.
La Réserve Eden au Lac Zurich has just 40 guestrooms, ranging from the smallest city room to the grandest Eden suite. Most face the lake, some with charming ironwork balconies, others with stone terraces. The luckiest guests have their enormous beds in the centre of the room so they can wake up to the view. The palette mirrors the public areas with black and white marble, various shades of brown leather, shiny metal accents, original brick and mahogany-coloured wood, while thick wool carpets contrast with white net curtains. Most rooms feature a wonderful writing desk topped with an old map of Zurich dotted with polaroid pictures. You almost can’t stop yourself sitting down to write a letter to your sweetheart at home, who, it’s easy to imagine that you’ve been separated from since the beginning of your long voyage. Another nautical nod is the blue and white striped awning, which raises and lowers automatically depending on where the sun is in the sky.
Tempting though it is to stay in your room and appreciate every little detail – and Starck really has thought of everything – there’s another treat waiting on the sixth floor. Peruvian-Japanese restaurant La Muna was Starck’s favourite part of the hotel to reimagine. “As I climbed into the ruins of the yacht club, I discovered in the bell tower a small hidden bar, without windows,” he recalls.
Today, the dome feels like a treasure trove, with quaint flowery sofas, lanterns, a jumble of nautical images on the wooden walls and, if you look right up, an extraordinary collection of fixed skiffs and kayaks forming a sculpture just below more of Ara Starck’s colourful stained glass. Starck says: “It is a place filled with spirit; filled with the wind of the lake, the swelling sails, the youth of all those people who rowed, canoed and paddled.”
But the best part is that it now opens out onto two beautiful terraces, which offer a 360-degree view of Zurich’s historic centre, with the lake and Alps in the distance. The menu features fresh fusion dishes including a spicy langoustine cocktail, a delicate black cod and four flavours of Japanese mochi.
On the amenities front, there’s a small gym, while one of the city’s most popular swimming baths, the historic Seebad Utoquai, is less than a minute’s walk away; lounging on one of its wooden rafts, you can look back at the shore and take in the property in all its glory.
The beauty of Starck’s design is that you can immerse yourself in the imaginary world he’s created as much or as little as you like. You’ll only see the yacht club if you’re looking for it. What shines through regardless is Reybier and Starck’s passion for the project and commitment to preserving the building’s heritage while bringing it resoundingly up to date.
As Starck sums it up: “It’s like rock and roll dancing with the Queen of England; everything is classic, yet nothing is classic anymore. La Réserve Eden au Lac Zurich is a timeless blend of creativity, classicism and intelligence – like Switzerland itself.”
