Chem. de Paomia Montalbo, 20130 Cargèse, Corsica

Opening summer 2025

Designing a hotel in Corsica is a rare occurrence. Our second chance was that it was in Cargèse, a village I knew well, with its two churches, its Bon Accueil (bar), its port, its magnificent beaches, and its ice cream parlor on the road to Sagone.

Building a hotel facing the Mediterranean, with a panoramic view, is a rare, ambitious, and demanding endeavor. Our third stroke of luck was working with an architectural firm like Orma, which proposed a building made with soil extracted from the site, a building fragmented and enclosed within the maquis.

So it all began like this : Corsica, the endless sea, the maquis, and the soil. Of course, it was essential to reconnect with the history of the village, a greek village in Corsica, with its well-organized streets, orange-tiled roofs, varying levels, and breathtaking views. The rooms are mineral and textured. Nothing is smooth. The rock emerges in places; the Desert Modernism movement was therefore a starting point for this very contemporary project perched on a mountain facing the elements. We wanted to tell the story of the Mediterranean, with a few nods to Greek mythology: by recreating columns, alcoves, and friezes carved into the plaster. But above all, Corsica, the shepherds, the black, the holm oak, the rock, fishing, and also the churches.

The colors are matte, the wood is shaped into waves, pieces of tile are embedded in the plaster, the tables have amphora ears, the friezes on the bathroom walls depict waves, the marble is veined with green, the lime is ecru, beige, the wood is red, the concrete is black, and the rock is there, raw.

The headboards recall shepherds' hats, the fabrics fishing rope, the bathrooms ancient architecture. The sea is everywhere, in every window, every balcony, it borders the pool, the spa, and the restaurant terrace which, perched at the very top of the building, offers the most beautiful view of the site, stretching into infinity with the rooftops of Cargèse in the distance. The “maquis” breaks through in places, crossing the ground to create small interior gardens. A giant belombra inhabits the atrium, creating welcome shade.

Clients : Pierre Mattei & Dominique Leca

Interior Architecture + Design : Dorothee Meilichzon

Photos : Julie Ansiau