Lalique Magazine 2026_ENG
Chapter
Villa René Lalique
A Decade Dedicated to the Art of Living
Once the family residence of the master glassmaker in Alsace, Villa René Lalique is a a two-Michelin-star refuge where crystal, refined cuisine and the French art of living come together. Ten years after its opening, the establishment continues the legacy of a creator who placed beauty above luxury.
nomy, design and crystal come together,” he explains. The restoration was entrusted to Lady Tina Green and Pietro Mingarelli, interior architects and creators of the Lalique Maison collection, with the mission of bringing the Villa into our time. For the contemporary extension housing the restaurant, Swiss architect Mario Botta conceived a sandstone building with vast picture windows opening onto nature like a living canvas, an architectural gesture that extends the spirit of Lalique without betraying it. In 2015, Villa René Lalique reopened its doors. Just three months after its inauguration, in February 2016 the res taurant was awarded two Michelin stars. Ten years on, with six intimate rooms adorned with Lalique crystal and a wine cellar of more than 60,000 bottles, the Vil la embodies excellence without ever sacrificing warmth. A member of Relais and Châteaux since 2016 and of Les Grandes Tables du Monde, the 45-seat restaurant has made a name for itself in French gastronomy. The Imprint of Crystal in Every Detail Crystal is the soul of Villa René Lalique. It adorns the mirrors, is set into bed frames, consoles and even bedside tables. Chandeliers suspended from the ceilings capture
Its walls still hold the pencil sketches of three generations of designers. If it could speak, the Villa would surely re count long conversations about fire and materials. Nest led in the forests of the Northern Vosges, this family home crystallises a memory that spans a century. When Silvio Denz acquired the property in 2008, he knew he had inherited a treasure. For seventy years, the Villa had remained in the hands of the Lalique family. In 1920, René Lalique completed its construction in Wingen-sur-Moder. The Art Deco master glassmaker had one idea in mind: to anchor his company in this region of glassmaking tra dition, where he would find skilled artisans while bene fiting from post-war government incentives for industry. Situated close to the manufacture he inaugurated in 1922, the Villa became a sanctuary where he found inspiration in the heart of nature. After René Lalique’s death in 1945, his son Marc and granddaughter Marie-Claude continued to stay there. A Family Home Rather than turning this history-laden house into a mu seum, Silvio Denz chose to enchant it anew: “Transfor ming it into a place of exception where art de vivre , gastro
48
49
Chef Paul Stradner in the garden of Villa René Lalique.
Made with FlippingBook Annual report maker