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Les Haras de Strasbourg is a hotel and restaurant project unlike any other. Both four-star hotel and Michelin 3-starred chef Marc Haeberlin's first brasserie, Les Haras presents an original solution to the question many provincial cities are facing: how to redevelop and harness the potential of their architectural heritage.
Managed by the Institute for Research into Cancer of the Digestive System (IRCAD), presided over by Professor Jacques Marescaux, the project allies architectural creativity and technological innovation, two particular areas of French expertise, with philanthropy, an unprecedented mix for a historic redevelopment project in France.
As conceived by Agence Jouin Manku, the interior design for the hotel and brasserie is characterised by its authenticity and modernity, a particular idea of luxury and comfort inspired by the equestrian world, restrained and subtle.
A standout feature is the grand curving staircase in the centre of the restaurant. This sits between a circular bar and open kitchen on the first floor, where informal seating can be found. The timber elements in the staircase extend across to a wine rack on the back wall.
The dining area is on the second floor, where guests eat under the original wooden roof of the building. Private booths are created within pods, while long tables extend down the length of the space to accommodate larger parties. The wood structure is also highlighted in the simple bedrooms, which are painted white and decorated with leather details on the headboards and furniture.
Patrick Jouin and Sanjit Manku have expressed their vision of this former stud farm and historic site, in a design that is both elegant and simple. They have deliberately chosen to limit the range of materials used; solid wood, natural full hide leather and blackened or brushed metal to transpose the original life of this emblematic Strasbourg building into something resolutely contemporary and simple, whose architectural details attest to the studio's creativity.