Venue
Victor Hugo's Home
Number 6 of the Place des Vosges is the Hôtel de Rohan-Guémenée, and a school was housed there at various times. It is on the 2nd floor that Victor Hugo and his family lived from 1832 to 1848, before their exile to Guernesey.
The apartment was transformed into a "Home Museum" in 1902, becoming the House of Victor Hugo. Today it belongs to the City of Paris and is thus part of the treasures of Paris Museums, which inaugurated its renovation in May 2021. The building became a historical monument in 1954.
Place des Vosges
Place des Vosges is a Royal Square whose beautifully organized architecture was ordered by King Henri IV and consisted initially of 36 identical mansions except for the King’s and Queen’s pavilions. Work began in 1605 and the square was inaugurated in 1612 by King Louis XIII in honor of his betrothal to Ana of Austria only two years after the death of his father King Henri IV. It is the oldest Parisian square and was named after the first French département having paid its taxes fully following the French Revolution.
The quote of Victor Hugo engraved on one of the arches of the square is of particular inspiration to Fabien Rouillard: "To create is to remember". It must have inspired many artists, because the Marais district is a lovely promenade for Parisians as well as for visitors, and it is also a place rich in artistic and cultural creation, illustrated by the many art galleries present around the Place des Vosges, and by the musicians who enhance their music in the fabulous acoustics under the arches of the Place des Vosges.
The Café and its Courtyard
The former schoolyard has been transformed into a peaceful terrace which now welcomes Fabien Rouillard's "table", named "Café Mulot".
The space extends along the garden, a luminous, colorful, and vegetal transition between the museum exit, the courtyard, and the entrance. In the inner courtyard, the fountain bubbles day and night bringing its softness and energy. A romantic, chic, and serene setting pays tribute to Victor Hugo, who was to become the bard of the French romantic literary movement in the 19th century.
Privatizing the spaces is possible on reservation depending on availability.
THE ARCHITECTURE
The architecture and interior design were imagined by Thibault Marca (Agence NeM, Niney et Marca Architectes), based on a place full of history. The romantic garden, rich and inspired by Hauteville and the house of exile in Guernsey, opens onto the living room, cozy and intimate.
The decoration
Florentine and Alexandre Lamarche-Ovize have, on the initiative of Fabien Rouillard for the Café Mulot, reinterpreted in a contemporary way the literary work of Victor Hugo, as well as his universe that can be discovered in the Maison Victor Hugo. The man of letters also reveals himself as an artist-craftsman, decorator and antiques dealer.
The work of the couple of artists is part of the movement "Art & Craft" created in the nineteenth century.
Their fabrics on the walls, made to measure, "read" like a panoramic of Victor Hugo's "Workers of the Sea", with in particular the reefs where Gilliatt, the hero, confronts the landscape ... and the octopus, Hugolian neologism. Their objects created for the place are installed as a visual narration of the universe of Victor Hugo and his places of life: frames, lighting sculptures like pieces of pastry, ceramics, charcoal seascape enhanced with a vegetable garden, evoking the seasons, the patience of exile, but also the "craftsman cook" that was Hugo, his drawings with coffee grounds, and the vegetable garden of Hauteville.
For any question concerning the work and the artists, contact us : bienvenue@maison-mulot.com
If you are interested in acquiring a work, please contact Fabien Rouillard, Chief owner: fr@maison-mulot.com
THE TABLE ARTS
The tables were made in marble by the craftsmen of Déco marbre, who created inclusions of marble in marble with know-how, precision and meticulousness.
The choice of Porcelain de Non Sans Raison comes from Fabien Rouillard's love for their philosophy, so close to his own: working with materials in simplicity and authenticity, with an openness to art and creation, opening up the realm of possibilities.
The Master glassmakers of Cristal de Sèvres have contributed to Café Mulot by delivering a perfect crystal, which we appreciate for its transparency, its luminosity, its resonance and its sonority.