Step Inside The Breathtaking Artful Hotel: Verneuil la Douce
Where Art Meets Hospitality:
Inside the Artful Hotel Verneuil la Douce
At the end of a winding drive in Normandy, the silhouette of an 1886 château emerges, its red brick façade and turreted roof hinting at stories long told. Once Le Clos, a storied regional landmark and among the first to earn the Relais & Châteaux distinction, this small Anglo-Norman castle has now been reborn as Verneuil la Douce, an artful hotel where history and creativity entwine. Imagine the silver bells ringing over elegant dinners, the distinguished guests from days gone by, and now, in its transformation, a new chapter where artists’ works, bespoke furniture, and ambient scents compose a living, breathing canvas.
“From the moment I first crossed the gates, I knew this was the place,” confides Camille Omerin, the passionate aesthete behind the hotel’s redesign. Every detail, from the murals and designer plates to the bespoke armchairs, has been meticulously curated to balance the serenity of the château’s heritage with a vibrant, contemporary spirit. Could a place ever feel both like a sanctuary and an invitation to wander, explore, and marvel? Here, it does.
A glimpse into the past only deepens the enchantment. Authentic photographs, dating back to 1906, reveal the château as it once was: a private residence, a gathering place for the local elite, a witness to a century of stories. Today, those echoes mingle with the brushstrokes of contemporary artists, weaving a place where history feels present and creativity pulses through every corner. At Verneuil la Douce, every hallway, every chair, every corner seems to tell a story, an artful hotel where the past and the present live side by side, inviting guests to linger, wonder, and simply be.
Camille Omerin’s journey into interior design reads like a story of intuition and quiet devotion. She discovered early that her true canvas was not an object but the atmosphere of a space, the way light touches a wall, the poetry hidden in textures, the emotion carried by handcrafted details. From creating bespoke furniture to designing intricate leather-woven doors and marble-inlaid floors, Camille learned that a room could become a living expression of soul and intention.
“Madness or inevitability?” she reflects. “I bought a historic place and embarked on two years of renovation… and I haven’t regretted it for a second.” That leap of faith became Verneuil la Douce: an artful hotel shaped by her vision, her values, and her unwavering imagination, a sanctuary where heritage meets artistry, and where every corner feels personally and passionately considered.
The Tea Room of the artful Hôtel Verneuil la Douce
The tea room of Hôtel Verneuil la Douce, in Normandy, is the quiet and enchanted heart of the property, defined by the delicate frescoes of artist Ségolène Derudder, whose graphic, poetic vision shapes much of the artful hotel’s atmosphere and enriches the common areas with murals inspired by antiquity and mythology, weaving a delicate, sophisticated, and timeless visual world.
The owner had previously collaborated with the studio Redfield & Dattner on the decoration of her own home. That deeply inspiring project later became the foundation for the hotel’s artistic philosophy: a universe built through multiple hands, where murals and visual interventions by different artists serve as the unifying thread across the hotel’s various buildings.
This artful hotel is, above all, a poetic interlude, a place where every detail exists to surprise, soothe, and inspire. This is why she has gathered a diverse group of artists, each contributing their own personality and vision.
“What I love is creativity. I love art, but beyond the art itself, I love the artists, their personalities, and their visions,” Camille Omerin
It is a devotion to forms that speak, surfaces that carry whispers of stories, and materials that hold emotion, a vision that finds a kindred spirit in Malabar. Just as Verneuil la Douce transforms walls, ceilings, and spaces into living expressions of imagination, Malabar translates that same artistic energy into furniture and design.Across our collection, inspiration drawn from art pulses through every creation, from textures that echo painterly gestures to forms that capture rhythm, balance, and emotion. Each piece becomes a vessel for creativity, a bridge between functional design and the poetry of artistic expression, inviting those who encounter it to experience art in every detail.
Other Spaces From An Immersive Artful Hotel Experience:
At Verneuil la Douce, the metaphor of art extends seamlessly into the guest rooms. Here, every suite becomes a lyrical canvas where poetry and visual arts converse, blending the verses of renowned and lesser-known poets with the expressive touch of contemporary frescoes. Burgundy bunk beds for children, a king-size bed, and delicate, seashell-shaped washbasins coexist with handcrafted terracotta tiles and freestanding bathtubs, merging comfort with artistry.
Each room is an intimate gallery, where imagination dances freely and details are deliberate gestures of beauty. In this artful hotel, walls, corners, and even the quiet spaces of the bathroom are infused with creativity, inviting guests to linger, reflect, and experience a personal dialogue with art at every turn.
A Room Under The Roof
On the top floor, a room nestles beneath the pitched roof, where exposed beams trace the architecture of time and lyrical frescoes dance across the walls and ceiling. Sunlight filters through skylights, illuminating the delicate interplay of color and form, while the quiet intimacy of the space invites contemplation and repose.
It is a sanctuary where the imagination can wander freely, and every corner whispers a story, from the subtle textures underfoot to the carefully chosen details that echo the artistic heartbeat of the hotel. Here, the harmony of heritage and contemporary creativity transforms a simple stay into an immersive, sensory experience, a jewel crowning this artful hotel.
Reception & Dining at an Artful Hotel
Continuing our journey through this artful hotel, we step into the reception hall, a space that feels like the quiet opening of a new chapter. Here, a poetic fresco by Ségolène Derudder settles gently across the walls, guiding guests with a soft, dreamlike cadence. It’s less an entrance and more an initiation, where the hotel’s artistic pulse becomes immediately tangible.
From there, the path leads seamlessly into the gourmet dining room, where Derudder’s hand reappears in sweeping mural compositions. Fine Arts references blend with subtle evocations of the four seasons, creating a room that shifts in mood as the day unfolds. Morning light awakens its springlike nuances; in the evening, richer tones echo the warmth of autumn. Breakfast is served in the presence of art, and dinner becomes an experience held within painted rhythms.
Nature as Muse: The Garden & Pool
Stepping outside, the narrative of this artful hotel expands into open air. The gardens unfold like a living fresco, shaped not only by landscape but by emotion, light, and artistic intention. In the wooded park, centuries-old plane trees stand in quiet dialogue with Japanese maples, olive trees, camellias, and hydrangeas, forming a natural tapestry that shifts gently with the seasons. It feels less like a hotel garden and more like a private Eden, suspended between serenity and wonder.
At its heart lies the heated pool, shimmering beneath the sky and drawing guests toward its luminous presence. French artist Ben Arpéa designed A Spring in Normandy specifically for this space, a radiant composition that captures the renewal of spring, the lightness of early sunshine, and the quiet joy of days spent by the water. His work turns the pool into an immersive canvas, inviting visitors to drift not only in water but within art itself.
As the journey through Verneuil la Douce comes to an end, one realizes that this artful hotel is not merely a place to stay but a place to feel. Every fresco, every crafted detail, every whisper of nature outside the windows forms a constellation of impressions, intimate, vibrant, and profoundly human.
Here, heritage is not preserved in silence; it is reawakened through imagination. Creativity is not displayed; it is lived. And the dialogue between past and present unfolds gently, room after room, until the entire property feels like a long, beautifully written sentence, equal parts poetry, memory, and revelation.
In Verneuil la Douce, you don’t simply walk through spaces. You walk through visions, stories and through the soul of those who dared to dream it. And long after you depart, the echo of that dream lingers in the artistry that shapes every corner of this extraordinary retreat.
Visual Moodboard: The Essence of Verneuil la Douce
Which space at Hôtel Verneuil la Douce lingered in your imagination? We’d love to hear your reflections.
Continue exploring our journal for more stories where art, design, and inspiration intersect, revealing hidden corners and creative worlds.
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