Text by Elsa Cau - Pictures by Matthieu Salvaing
Mas Candille, a vision of the South dreamed up by Hugo Toro
The latest hotel project by young architect-decorator Hugo Toro spotlights
his dream-like vision of the South, a cross between California and the French Riviera. From the interior to the poolside, nothing is left to chance.
A californian villa in Provence
Without a doubt, time freezes when you arrive here. The portal in wrought iron opens to reveal a path lined by olive trees. In the hillsides of Cannes, near the picturesque village Mougins, Mas Candille offers a spectacular view of the hills of Grasse shaded by large pines. For his first hotel project, the young French-Mexi-can architect Hugo Toro — the man behind the renovation of Villa Albertine in New York and the future Orient Express Hotel “La Minerva” in Rome — offers a synthesis of his architectural vision: a sunny and friendly blend of Provence and California influences, in his own terms. Red marble, leather and stained oak, soothed by green tones of water, are found throughout the 21 guest rooms and the common areas of this 5-star hotel.
First hotel project by Hugo Toro
The only part of the former hotel that remains is the “container”: the en-trepreneur Jean-Philippe Cartier, an associate of the Courtins-Clarins fa-mily, gave free rein to Hugo Toro for the renaissance of the premises, to ex-press himself through the interior design and also the decoration and
design in general: he designed a good proportion of the furniture and his touch is everywhere from the motif of the carpet to his sketches and pho-tographs. Several charming antiques are interspersed throughout the esta-blishment, even its recesses.
Hugo Toro successfully rose to the challenge of creating a setting that transcends seasons, open all-year around, suitable for long winter evenings around a stove and for idle days spent poolside.
Timeless classicism by the poolside with Tectona
The outdoor also received a high level of attention, with its centrepiece the bean-shaped swimming pool with the Hollywood feel. In fact, the hotel has two swimming pools: Glow House, the new one, an indoor/outdoor pool designed by the architect for the Clarins Spa; the other, the original with its typically 1960s shape forms the foreground to a spectacular view. As a finishing touch, half-way between jetsetting vintage-era California and the relaxed indolence of the French Riviera, Hugo Toro chose the 1800 collection by Tectona in black to adorn the poolside area, with sun loungers and gueridons in the Directory style. Amid such elegant and laidback classicism, it’s easy to imagine yourself — just for an instant — inside a Slim Aarons photograph.
