Castelbrac Hotel, a 5 star hotel designed by Sandra Benhamou

Not many of us have ever found a place with an irrefutable imprint of serenity. BRABBU Contract recently succeeded and became bewildered by the quiet atmosphere of paradise in the North of France, the perfect place that not only offers remarkable historical site-seeing in its towns and villages but also an exceptional place to spend a lovely weekend nearby. With hospitality industry moving fast, we’ve have been witnessing a rise in 5-star hotels and today we show you Castelbrac Hotel: a project of Sandra Benhamou interior design portfolio, in which BRABBU Contract pieces were included.

Let us take you on a tour of this unique hotel inspired by the sea and the different eras which compose its extensive history.

The “Aquarium bar” was built within the former aquarium museum. The bar, lit by gold leaf suspension lamps, is glittery granite, dressed with wave patterns in metallic silver tones. The first peculiar object of its interior design is the KOI Center Table from BRABBU. Highly appreciated for its decorative purposes, the table possesses a recurring symbol of Japanese culture. These KOI scales on the sides of the tables shine and reflect, in the brass surface, the sun glistening across the clear water – a perfectly subtle marine reference for the bar’s aquarium inspiration.

In the heart of such a glorious history-rich location, Hotel Castelbrac, a 25-room hotel set in a 9th-century villa, in 1934 became a research station and a marine aquarium, due to the initiative of the Commandant Charcot.

Sandra Benhamou, in collaboration with the interior designer Leonie Alma Mason, wanted to give a feminine counterpoint to the architecture of William Faber and Colonel Hamilton. The inspiration was an art deco style mingled with the sea. Consequently, throughout the hotel, we see art deco projected in elements such as ironwork, the central staircase, and smaller details such as door handles, switches, faucets, headboards, and frames.

Léonie Alma Mason, the talented former student of Camondo, was able to provide a very open vision as a result of her
many voyages and interest in contemporary art, set design, and photography. With a passion for “atypical detail”, Castelbrac allowed Léonie to find historical decorative elements within, such as caisson ceilings above the reception desk and woodwork arches above the entrance stairs. The spirit of the hotel’s reception is marked by “kindness, expertise, and serenity”. There are plenty of reasons why Castelbrac doesn’t look like a hotel, but rather a villa of the era, revisited in history, that we may dive into with delight. The reception is set on the original entrance of Castelbrac Hotel, which was discovered by chance during construction.

At Castelbrac everyone can appreciate the “beauty of nature” as if opening a treasure chest. It‘s only natural that the signature of Castelbrac Hotel has become “soul heaven”.