Luke Edward Hall: “My work doesn't feel like 'work', it feels like fun”

I do enjoy working very much, although I'm very lucky in the sense that my work doesn't feel like 'work', it feels like fun. I have to say, I work with various teams to make things happen, even if I'm coming up with the ideas, doing the drawings and the designs. Fabric technicians at Rubelli, for example, or the team I work with in Milan to bring Chateau Orlando to life. It's always a team effort, and I feel very lucky to work with lots of brilliant people.

When I began the process of designing the hotel I was imagining a collector's house, a kind of Bohemian Parisian who had decided to throw open his or her doors to guests. I wanted the design to feel like a kind of French-English mash-up. Yes, I wanted the hotel to reflect where it is, and as we’re in Paris I wanted to make sure that we included French antiques and motifs - we have toile de Jouy wallpaper and vintage French pieces, but the furnishings, colours and patterns were mixed with an English eye. When I think of English style I think about an eclectic approach. I also looked at the work of two of my favourite designers, David Hicks and Madeleine Castaing. Crucially, I wanted to create a colourful, fun place to stay in Paris. There are plenty of expensive, grand hotels and cool, contemporary places in Paris, but I needed to do something eccentric. I like old things mixed with new things, I like colour and pattern and layers of objects.

My next project will be a restaurant in Dubai.

I only really work on hotel and restaurant projects, and I enjoy coming up with stories for these projects. For example, I'm currently working on a project in Dubai - it's a brasserie inspired by the Parisian classics. I looked to 1920s Paris for inspiration, but I also threw in lots of theatrical elements inspired by Baroque architecture. It will, I hope, feel glamorous and decadent, but at the same time bright and playful. Lots of mirrored glass, plaster and patterned carpets. I decided to call the restaurant Josette after Josette Day, a French actress who starred in several Jean Cocteau films.

Potentially, but not confirmed.

Sometimes I might want an interior to reflect its surroundings, sometimes I’ll want to create a complete fantasy. I'll research periods in history, read books, visit galleries and museums... I like to blend styles and stories, this way I'm able to come up with my own narrative. I let myself dream.

I think, for me, fashion, design and interiors are all interwoven. The way I approach clothing and interiors - it feels similar. It's about making unexpected pairings, experimenting with colours and textures... Mixing the old with the new... 

Absolutely! I adore Italy, it's my favourite country to visit. The architecture, the food, the people, the history, the art... Italy is pure romance.