Hercule Poirot was one of its famous passengers, despite the fact that the one who really traveled in it was its creator Agatha Christie. In one of his luxurious carriages, the Belgian detective with the refined mustache deduced: "The impossible has to be possible." And this is precisely what the architect Maxime d'Angeac has achieved, resurrecting the Orient Express, whose whereabouts had been unknown for decades.
The chimera began 140 years ago, when Georges Nagelmackers placed the most elegant train in the world on the tracks, linking the West with the East. A whole adventure that ended almost a hundred years later, in 1977. But only momentarily. The Swiss businessman Albert Glatt wanted to continue the dream of the Belgian entrepreneur, also creator of the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits, and in 1980 he inaugurated the Nostalgie-Istambul-Orient-Express, which was reborn with recovered historic wagons.
The second life of the Orient Express, which linked Zurich with Istanbul, reached new milestones. For example, he made his longest trip, from Paris to Tokyo. She even put herself in the service of Michael Jackson in 1992 when he embarked on his Dangerous European tour. But the dream again vanished, like smoke from ancient locomotives. The famous train disappeared, and not just from circulation. It literally disappeared. Hercule Poirot could have taken the case, but the inquiries were carried out by Arthur Mettetal, a researcher specializing in industrial history.
Thanks to the aerial views of Google Maps and Google 3D, he found the location of the luxurious convoy in 2015. The glamorous train was dying on the border of Belarus and Poland, forgotten, aging, but keeping elements of great value inside, such as marquetry by Morrison and Nelson or the Art Deco panels by Lalique.
Accor Group did not hesitate to offer a third life to the most literary train and entrusted its reinvention to D'Angeac, a lover of the decorative arts of those crazy and exquisite 20s and of the adventures of Jules Verne, renowned for his prestigious restorations and decorations. of castles and villas such as Daum, Hermès or Guerlain. “It awakens the myth with the revelation of its luxury, modernity and French elegance”, reveals Sébastien Bazin, president and CEO of Accor, about the design he is developing to revive the Orient Express.
The architect advances the result of his work to Magazine Lifestyle. The final project will be presented in Paris next year to coincide with the Olympic Games, months before the carriages return to the tracks for a dream maiden voyage in 2025. For D'Angeac, "it is a unique project and iconic, a kind of concentrate of decorative and historical fantasy”.
The French creator seeks to be faithful to the identity of the Orient Express based on respect for existing elements, such as marquetry and historical panels, lamps, boiseries... without renouncing the needs or luxuries of the 21st century. "It was no longer possible to maintain ten cabins with a bathroom per carriage, so we have created carriages with three cabins, each with a bathroom, and a room for the steward," he details, while recalling how he was surprised by "the wealth and the quality of the details at the service of the comfort of the traveler” of the original design. "Everything was there for a purpose."
D'Angeac has counted on renowned craftsmen in wood, metal, fabrics or glass in order to "integrate new technical advances without being obvious". Heir to the Modulor notion established by Le Corbusier, he harmoniously arranges the elements on a human scale. And he warns: "nothing is superfluous, every detail has its meaning", starting with the theatrical decoration of the corridors, with large windows that, like cinematographic screens, project the landscape. The detail: elegant grab bars make it easy for travelers to see. A vaulted ceiling and lamps by Lalique recovered from the Nostalgie-Istambul-Orient-Express complete the impressive scenery.
The restaurant area has a Bar Car in green tones with large domes of light inspired by the Second Empire style and a glass bar in homage to René Lalique. Luxury is breathed in every corner and even more so on the marble tables, where there is no shortage of the button for the champagne service or a clock that reminds passengers of tea and dinner hours. The dining car exploits a taste for elegance, with a mirrored ceiling that reflects lined tables and nappa leather armchairs.
The cabins are conceived as true suites for rest. For this reason, D'Angeac has played with circular shapes and rounded angles to convey "softness and balance". Large and comfortable sofas are transformed into 2 x 1.40 meter beds under the watchful eye of the famous panels decorated with blackbirds and grapes that Suzanne Lalique designed for the historic train. The studied design of the rooms, covered with noble materials such as wood, mother-of-pearl or bronze, is completed with a discreet marble bathroom and a dressing room.
The final result is an Orient Express "timeless, slow travel, dreamlike, calm and luxurious, romantic and erotic, a parenthesis in a complicated world, without nostalgia, but with reminiscences of times past", defines its new creator. Quite a temptation that Hercule Poirot would enjoy with his eyes closed and his mustaches perfectly aligned.
