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MOINARD BÉTAILLE STUDIO
Bruno Moinard founded his architectural studio 4BI in 1996.
Twelve years later, Claire Bétaille joined him and was named
associate in 2012. Today, they run together Moinard Bétaille Studio,
an interior design agency based in Paris. Over the years, they have
designed over 400 Cartier boutiques around the world, fitted out
the Château Latour cellars for Kering, and renovated the Marc
Veuve Clicquot hotel for LVMH. Their partnership has resulted
in the creation of innumerous private residencies, luxury restau-
rants and boutiques, and many of the world’s most famous hotels,
including the renovation of Cala di Volpe: the legendary hotel by
French “sculptor of houses”, Jacques Couëlle. Far from a simple
makeover, Cala di Volpe’s renovation has succeeded in embracing
the original concept of its creator, staying true to his radical vision
whilst adapting it to fit contemporary society.
You recently renovated Hotel Cala di Volpe, a masterpiece
along Sardinia’s Costa Smeralda. Had you heard of this hotel
before?
Yes, it’s a legendary hotel for us as French architects. Jacques
Couëlle represents a certain interpretation of simplicity in life –
and I say interpretation because he wasn’t simple, even at the time.
Actually, he was quite sophisticated, even back then.
What was your approach to the renovation?
When Bruno and I went there for the first time, we were quite
shocked; the hotel was actually very damaged by time, and no
longer portrayed the ideas of comfort and luxury. Things hadn’t
been changed since the Sixties - it felt almost like an old lady
sleeping, living in the myth of the past. There was nothing which
expressed any sort of magic. Our approach was to change every-
thing without changing anything: a concept that reflects a quote
from a famous Italian novel, The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi
di Lampedusa. This is a concept we practice regularly: we pay
enormous respect to existing buildings, to their spirit and their soul,
and we treated Cala di Volpe the same way. Our work was almost
surgical: in some areas, we touched nearly nothing, whilst in others
we performed a sort of invisible revolution. We didn’t behave as if
we were in a museum: we believed that everything could benefit
from a second look and deserved to reborn. But we also created,
as if past and present were part of a whole story.
