You mightn’t be able to beat the clock, but for one night you can sleep in it. Mathieu Lehanneur, the French designer responsible for the Paris Olympic torch and cauldron designs, has transformed the city’s Musée D’Orsay clock room into the best seat in the city for the Olympics opening ceremony. Overlooking Paris’ Seine river, the fifth-floor clock room provides the ideal vantage point from which to enjoy the opening ceremony, with proceedings visible from the terrace.
Located within the former Gare d’Orsay railway station, the Musée d’Orsay clock room has never previously been offered for overnight stays. For the exclusive experience, Lehanneur overhauled the room to suit his singular aesthetic, decking it in warm wooden panelling and furnishing it with his designs, including his bulbour, curvilinear Familyscape sofas, Trinity side tables, and Gernica pendant lights, and a unique ‘floating’ bed.
“I’ve crafted a unique space that is both romantic and contemporary, intimate yet sumptuous,” says Lehanneur of the design. “I wanted to combine opposites to create a place that was both intimate and monumental, historic yet firmly contemporary.”
Positioned directly below the glass and steel dial of the 125-year-old clock—made with materials preserved from the former railway station—the bed is the undeniable pièce de résistance of the room, with its floating effect lending it a somewhat whimsical tone.
The horologically inclined accommodation also features Lehanneur’s Olympic torch design, which holds court in an illuminated alcove alongside a selection of his sketches. There’s also a quilted leather punching bag and marble dumbbells which suffuse sporty classics with elevated design in a nod to the happenings soon to take place outside.
The Musée d’Orsay clock room stay is part of Airbnb’s ‘Icons’ program, which spotlights experiential stays hosted by key names in design, sports, music, film, and the arts. Previous stays have included the Barbie Malibu Dreamhouse, Seth Rogen’s creative retreat in Los Angeles, and a night at the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, Italy. Experiential stays are free or under $100USD per guest.
Available to one lucky couple for one night only, the Musée D’Orsay clock room experience takes place on the 26th of July, 2024, with the experience costing $0 and also including a private tour of the museum’s Impressionist collection, a visit to a not-for-public space, and a gourmet dinner. Desirous guests can request to book now via Airbnb.
Words by Henry Blake
