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“Exhaust your pleasures, it is the only wisdom; Find each other, leave each other, go seeking in turns, Nothing is real, but dreams and love”
Anna de Noailles
Nestled in the heart of the Marais, Maison Proust will take you back to the lively spirit of Belle Epoque salons marvellously described in the writings of Marcel Proust.
Princess Mathilde, Sarah Bernhardt, Robert de Montesquiou, Jean Cocteau, Colette, Claude Monet, Charles Baudelaire… the personalities who inspired the characters in Remembrance of Things Past await in a fabulous decor filled with genuine paintings, period furniture and exclusive tapestries richly combined with great originality.
Les Salons de l’époque
At the end of the 19th century, the purpose of salons was to bring together society people, artists, and writers for evenings that shone mostly depending on the fame of their guests. As Marcel Proust noted with great relish, their prestige also stemmed from the names of those who were not invited, be they bourgeois, Dreyfusards, crashing bores, or provincial.
Each salon had its own regulars, rules, and fascinations. The ladies who ran them, such as Geneviève Straus, whose salon was particularly illustrious, Madeleine Lemaire, to whom painters flocked, Countess Greffulhe or Princess Mathilda, all fought over the attendance of political dignitaries or literary and artistic prestige. These housemistresses governed a world of their own making, giving their opinion on the latest play and retorting to quips with spirit… which, according to Marcel Proust, was neither intelligence nor talent, but a disposition entirely possessed by Parisian women.
In the first part of his life, Marcel Proust was a frenetic attendant of Parisian salons. He went from suppers to theatre premieres, from musical to poetry evenings, at Madeleine Lemaire’s on Tuesdays, Léontine de Caillavet’s on Wednesdays, Robert de Montesquiou’s on Thursdays, Fridays at the Comédie-Française, and Saturdays at the Opera… An intense nightlife and social life from which he drew his inspiration.
“On hour is not just an hour, it is a vase filled with perfumes, sounds, projects, and climates”
Marcel Proust
In the first lounge, the bar is displayed. In front of a monumental fireplace adorned with atlantes, between warm woodwork and rich draperies enveloping secret conversations, you will have the pleasure of drinking a cocktail or tasting fine small dishes and sweets, another way to prolong a moment in the company of the Duchess of Guermantes and Albertine, in their favorite frames. In the center of the bar, you can admire the watercolor Le Printemps by Edouard Manet, by the hostess and painter Madeleine Lemaire.
Anna de Noailles
Punctuated by columns, Maison Proust’s Winter Garden, its second salon, creates a subtly elegant environment. Here, you may indulge in a game of backgammon, chess, or dominoes, borrow a book from our library, or simply dream the day away gazing at marvellous paintings which illustrate Proust’s universe through the elegance of Belle Epoque ladies and dandies. Old-fashioned shadows project onto voluptuous Cordoba leather wall panelling and the gold-threaded ceiling canopy.Ornately tasselled lights also contribute to the warm atmosphere.
“Reading is a friendship.”
Marcel Proust
Forming the architectural gem of our salons, the rotunda-shaped bookcase is home to a hundred books which evoke the universe of Marcel Proust, centred around a rare manuscript letter and a first edition. A marvellous work of art, with its starry gold-leaf ceiling, echoes the sunshine rotunda of the Garnier Opera House, a favourite festive haunt for the Parisian aristocracy of those times. A marvellous work of art, with its starry gold-leaf ceiling, echoes the sunshine rotunda of the Garnier Opera House, a favourite festive haunt for the Parisian aristocracy of the Belle Epoque.
Maison Proust welcomes Colin Field behind its bar as a permanent guest every Friday, thus offering a unique and refined experience.
Acknowledged as the World Best Bartender by prestigious magazines Forbes and Travel + Leisure, Colin Field has shone for almost three decades as the iconic Head Bartender of the Bar Hemingway at the Ritz Hotel in Paris.
Just as Marcel Proust captivated the Parisian elite with his novels, Colin Field, renowned for his creative genius, enchants the contemporary world through his remarkable cocktails. Like a flavor conductor, he crafts gustatory masterpieces such as the Serendipity, the Picasso Martini, the Highland Cream, and the Clean Dirty Martini, delighting palates worldwide.
Immerse yourself in the refined atmosphere of the Belle Époque with the new cocktail selection devised by Colin Field. At the heart of this unique experience, discover “Le Temps Retrouvé”, a creation inspired by Proust’s famous Madeleine, designed to transport every guest to another time.
Echoing Marcel Proust delving into his childhood by tasting a Madeleine, “Le Temps Retrouvé” offers much more than a mere cocktail. The delicate fusion of the 1922 Armagnac Château Laubade, a pivotal year associated with the author’s passing, with the rich aromas of black truffles from Périgord and the sparkling freshness of a Barons de Rothschild Brut Nature Champagne creates a sensory experience of rare intensity.
Collection Maisons Particulières | Maison Souquet | Maison Athénée
Maison Proust, 26 rue de Picardie – 75003 Paris | +33 1 86 54 55 55 | contact@maison-proust.com
| Mentions Legales |
Collection Maisons Particulières | Maison Souquet | Maison Athénée | Maison Proust, 26 rue de Picardie – 75003 Paris | +33 1 86 54 55 55 | contact@maison-proust.com
Mentions Legales