Legendary interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon shares his vision behind the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills
Like the bow of an elegant yacht, rising 12 stories above the iconic intersection of Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevards, the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills is one of the most elegant hotels in the world, thanks to its architect and interior designer, Pierre-Yves Rochon. Known for his timeless, jewel-like interiors in locations spanning the globe from Miami to Paris, New York and beyond, Rochon and his team at his eponymous firm, PYR, brought his discerning aesthetic to Southern California in the form of this stunning property. “The experience for me, is from the outside in,” says Rochon of his inspiration for the sweeping circular driveway and soaring lobby space.
“When you arrive, that is the beginning of the dream.” Rochon created a lobby that is at once grand and intimate – no easy feat – by designing the entrance in a variety of scales so that the lobby, and the entirety of the hotel, feels “like the guest is in a beautiful residential property”. A masterwork of Art Deco-influenced contemporary architecture, the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills is inspired by Los Angeles’ unique climate, sunlight, and history. Rochon and his team found unexpected design cues from the many 1930’s-era Streamline Moderne buildings that are an integral, if underappreciated, component of the Los Angeles cityscape. The building is comprised, on one side, of a series of demi-oval forms stacked one upon the other and surrounded by wraparound terraces giving the building a distinctly Streamline Moderne style. “Art Deco,” he says, “represents a transition between the past and the future: the shape is pure.”
Rochon is aware that LA, “is a unique and beautiful city with its own design language and history.” And though it may feel like a city that is constantly on holiday, Rochon says, “we are not in a resort; we are in an urban area”. The hotel reflects this unique combination of sophistication and relaxed elegance, immersing guests in beauty, down to the last details, including the Lalique panels set into the lobby bar and the subtle, sumptuous finishes in an Art Deco palette of rich creams, golds, subtle celadon and, of course, black. “This is part of the 1930s aesthetic,” says Rochon, “tone on tone.”
The hotel has 170 guest rooms, a Jean-Georges Vongerichten restaurant, a spa by La Prairie and a rooftop garden and pool area. Meanwhile, the restaurant and bar have become a sought-after meeting point for guests and locals in equal measure.“The vision for the roof area,” says Rochon, “was to create a garden inspired by the landscape with a pool and a beautiful view, so that guests feel immersed in the beauty and forget they’re on the 13th floor.”
Stepping off the elevator, on to the roof deck, the warm southern California breeze tickling your face, and surrounded by the lights of the city below, it’s hard to believe that you’re in a city at all. “You don’t design for yourself,” Rochon says, “you design for the guests.
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