The studio is always keen to give a sense of geographical context. For this boutique hotel, the marble flooring in the lobby and restaurant was based on the pattern of the paving stones in Odessa’s main square. The large paintings in the bathrooms were commissioned by students at the local fine arts school and based on the theme of Catherine the Great, who maintained strong intellectual and political links with France, a nod to the hotel’s name. The drapes of her pleated skirts also provided inspiration for wall motifs and a dose of quintessential French elegance was added to bring Parisian art de vivre to the banks of the Black Sea.