Higalik Hôtel **** Interior design and furniture, Savoie (73)

Spaces to fit out and furnish

Agence Amevet’s mission and intervention covered the following areas:

• The reception, extended by two lounges, a large breakfast room for the hotel’s 400 guests, a central bar and an auxiliary kitchen.
• Three seminar rooms with different atmospheres and capacities. Seminar room n°1: 10 / 15 people. N°2: 25 / 30 people. N°3: 100 to 120 people. The latter can also accommodate weddings and family celebrations.
• Circulation on all 10 levels of the facility.
• Men’s and women’s washrooms.
• A room dedicated to children.
• A “well-being” area, where a relaxation zone with herbal tea room complements 3 treatment cabins, including a double cabin accessible to people with reduced mobility.
• A “wellness” area, comprising a swimming pool with its outdoor terrace, a hammam and a sauna overlooking the pool. The pool, designed to enhance the view of the mountain outside, combines water, stone and fire (it has its own fireplace).
• The 103 rooms, including 5 suites

Creating moods and choosing furniture

A top-of-the-range 4-star establishment, Hotel Higalik is magnificently integrated into its mountain setting, appearing as a succession of small chalets hugging the steep slope. Its common areas and 103 rooms – 24 double rooms, 24 triple rooms, 50 family rooms and 5 suites for 6 or 7 people – are spread over 10 floors.

It was against this backdrop of architectural complexity, specific to high-rise buildings (IGH), that Agence Amevet was entrusted by the developer COGECO and Marc Goutille, as well as by the operator Anthony Pallier (APARTNERS CAPITAL), with the fitting out of all the hotel’s interior spaces accessible to the public, as well as a review of all the establishment’s furnishings.

Reception desk, bar and lounges: a work full of contrasts

The reception desk is a stack of squared beams salvaged from sawmills. It is lit by Brokis Knot pendant lights. A rope running through the center of a smoked glass globe highlights the confrontation of two materials: the soft curves of smoked blown glass contrast with the austerity of a taut rope cable.

Near the reception area, the black-and-gold bar is a central circle designed to bring people together and develop a spirit of conviviality. A glass top with a mirror reflects the glasses and bottles, arranged as if at a show. Because interior design is also about optimizing space and costs, this bar serves 400 customers at the morning buffet breakfasts. Acoustic work on the ceilings prevented these large spaces from resonating too loudly.

Two lounges welcome customers, with a mix of seat shapes to ensure that everyone finds an armchair to suit them. The softness emanating from the shapes of the furniture; the skins, leathers, furs, thick, warm fabrics enhanced by contrasting hues invite relaxation and serenity.

Noble and raw materials for a mountain ambience

In 2022, when Élodie, Lucille and Cyril put all these ingredients into their creative shaker, blending them with the client’s specific request for mountain-style codes, the result was a subtle blend of noble materials (thick fabrics, gold inserts) and raw materials (stone, metal, wood). The inspiration of the mine can be seen in the cleats, beams and aged parquet floors, as well as the theatricality of dark spaces lit by fireplaces. The result is a feeling of comfort and envelopment that arises when light and warmth triumph over darkness and the icy cold outside.

The contrast of materials and hues is a hymn to the surrounding mountains, both beautiful and uncompromising,” explains Élodie. Metal and stone surround a precious fire on either side of the reception area. Black and wood tones are deliberately contrasted by shimmering fabrics for a cocooning, chic and elegant look. The softness exuded by the shapes of the furniture invites relaxation and serenity. The aged parquet floor recalls the wear and tear of time, while the curiosity cabinet-style bookcase recalls the history of the premises. The thick, warm fabrics are enhanced by contrasting hues.