Fantasy and Reality

By Editorial Staff - 1 September 2025
Pellini has participated in the project

“One day, Manfred is in his park (near his home). It is springtime. He is daydreaming in his armchair. Suddenly, the earth begins to tremble. He does not understand what is happening. He looks around and realizes, to his aghast, that he is going up in the air, along with his park, his house and his armchair. He climbs and climbs and climbs, until the shaking stops. Then there is silence. Manfred is high above the city”. Manfred Heler – a fictional character, tireless inventor and explorer of worlds – is the hero of The Meticulous Life of Manfred Heler, a modern fairy tale from the creative mind of architect Philippe Starck. Heler is also the inspiration behind Starck’s latest, slightly surreal creation: Maison Heler (a boutique hotel in the Curio Collection by Hilton), a nine-story monolith in the heart of Metz, northeastern France, crowned by a quaint 19^th-century-style cottage that is plucked straight from Heler’s imaginary world.

But it is the architecture and interiors that truly take you on a journey through time, art and fantasy. Floors two through eight have 104 rooms and suites, while the ninth has event spaces. And floating just above it all is Maison de Manfred: a warm, whimsical dining room outfitted with wood and leather furniture, stained-glass windows and columns clad in green embossed leather.

A key contributor to the hotel’s refined, welcoming atmosphere is Pellini, a solar shading specialist that supplied nearly 400 ScreenLine SL27C Venetian blinds. Integrated into the façade and discreetly installed throughout the interiors, the blinds respect the overall design vision while improving energy performance. Their ultra-slim slats strike an ideal blend of privacy, sunlight control throughout the day and uninterrupted views – all while ensuring the long-term air-tightness of the insulating glass. Maison Heler is a place of magic, both real and imaginary at the same time.