There is something so whimsical about the sets in Wes Anderson films. His unique visual storytelling uses colors and decor that instantly set the movies apart from all others. Fans gravitate to this design style as much as they do his deadpan characters likely because these settings seem possible only in the filmmaker's fictional world. Or is it? One new hotel in New Orleans, Maison de la Luz, looks just like a Wes Anderson movie, and you can stay there.
Set in a building that was once the City Hall Annex, the property features 67 guest rooms and multiple common areas that ooze the filmmaker's style. A secret 12-person lounge that leads hotel guests to Bar Marilou looks straight out of a scene from Moonrise Kingdom. The craft cocktail bar itself could easily stand in as a room in The Royal Tenenbaums. And you might find the private guest-only living room, adorned with Egyptian art and vintage masks, in Fantastic Mr. Fox or Hotel Chevalier.
But, the most striking resemblance of all has to be the Maison's bespoke concierge station. Guests collect their silk-tasseled keys just as they would in the Grand Budapest Hotel.
And it's not just us who noticed this similarity. The design firm who took on the project, Studio Shamshiri, admitted they drew inspiration from the filmmaker's silver screen style. "We looked at old French hotels," Pamela Shamshiri of Studio Shamshiri told Elle Decor. "We wanted to nod to classic hotels in a Wes Anderson kind of way, and the banisters set us in that direction."
The first taste of those banisters is seen in the hotel's grand entrance, which features the City Hall Annex's historic staircase. Two red velvet chairs with gold fringe sit below sets the scene for the Wes Anderson vibe that follows throughout.
Elsewhere you'll find nautical artworks with knotted snakes, custom wallpaper with a watercolor seaweed motif, decadent guest rooms featuring original artworks from locally based artists, and bathrooms with sculptural snake handles and luxurious soaking tubs. In fact, nearly all of the furniture, lighting, and rugs were custom made for the hotel.
"Maison de la Luz is a traditional, refined respite, imbued with elements of luxury, grace and a bit of rebellion," Kelly Sawdon, Chief Brand Officer of Atelier Ace, said in a statement. "In creating the hotel, we wanted to cultivate moments of surprise and unexpected design, but in a space that radiated comfort, warmth, and traditional Southern hospitality."
