THE INN CROWD: That’s Karl Lagerfeld for you: Staying in hotels one minute, reimagining key areas of one the next. The Hotel Métropole Monte-Carlo, a Belle Epoque jewel that was given a modern overhaul in 2004, is the designer’s latest extracurricular project. He was called upon to redesign its outside premises — including the pool, terrace and gardens — and to create an artistic setting for the hotel’s third Joël Robuchon restaurant. One of the key features of the project will be a fresco-style installation consisting of 15 etched and backlit glass panels depicting Ulysses’ journey, the hotel will reveal today.
Lagerfeld seems right at home with large-scale fare. He’s also been tapped as scenographer for the next Biennale des Antiquaires, scheduled for Sept. 14 to 23 in Paris at the Grand Palais. It’s a venue he knows by heart, having mounted countless runway spectacles there for Chanel. For the glamorous fair — showcasing antiques, art and high jewelry — the designer said he was inspired by early world fairs and covered commercial galleries in 19th-century Paris.