Morning at the Hôtel de la Marine: behind the scenes of the works!

Narrated by

Marie Favre

Published on

2021-04-01

Updated on

2026-07-02

min read

In 2021, Morning takes up residence in an exceptional setting: the Hôtel de la Marine, an emblematic jewel of the Place de la Concorde and of French architectural heritage. The building, enjoying a new lease of life after four years of works, is home in particular to the Morning, Concorde space.

The 6,000 m² complex can accommodate more than 50 companies, that is, 650 coworkers. For the more curious among you, here are a few words about this extraordinary project.

A view over the Place de la Concorde, from the Grand Salon.

The whole art of honouring a legacy

The Hôtel de la Marine was commissioned by Louis XV from Ange-Jacques Gabriel, the king's first architect. A master of classical aesthetics, Gabriel also designed the Château de Compiègne, the Petit Trianon at Versailles and the École Militaire in Paris. For this commission, he had to build an edifice capable of housing the royal Garde-Meuble of the Crown. The complex was completed in 1774. After the French Revolution, it became the seat of the Ministry of the Navy, and remained so until 2015.

Restoration works on the inner courtyards

The architectural and design choices for the Morning, Concorde space echo a twofold legacy: classical architecture and the maritime world. The decoration and the choice of materials thus nod to the history of the place: blue, green and ochre tones, herringbone parquet, heritage rooms with mouldings, enveloping forms and classically inspired furniture. Everywhere, the finesse of the classical style welcomes the contemporary minimalism brought to life by the Morning teams.

From the very beginning, the Hôtel de la Marine was conceived to house the many offices of a ministry's administration. Two centuries later, this vast workspace has had to adapt to new constraints with radically different ways of working.

From a 19th-century ministry to 21st-century coworking!

Transforming 6,000 m² of the Hôtel de la Marine into a 21st-century workspace was a real challenge. This place steeped in history is also laden with constraints. Its layout is complicated, the corridors labyrinthine, the staircases and levels very numerous. The alterations usually considered on other projects are unthinkable here.

How do you open up anything at all in such a setting? Devising a new circulation was no small matter: “We had to adapt to what was already there and, of course, work around the other occupants who share the building”, Sophia, works project manager at Morning, explains to us.

Glazed canopy of the intendant's courtyard, at the Hôtel de la Marine

After much thought and deliberation, the team managed to divide up the spaces according to the needs of the future occupants: private spaces, shared spaces, spaces for concentration or for co-construction. The new layout alternates “chatty” and quiet zones… Each space is perfectly soundproofed thanks to insulating partitions and state-of-the-art phone booths, specially designed by our designers.

On the services side, everything is in place to ensure the comfort of the future residents thanks to a concierge and catering service. Each company will have the chance to organise events and to hire these unique venues exclusively. Sport and well-being will also be on the programme. The sessions will take place in a room located right next to the former office of Maupassant, who worked for a time at the Ministry of the Navy.

An office with wallpaper entitled “The announcement of the abolition of slavery in the French colonies in 1794” (c. 1848)

An environmental challenge

Morning makes it a point of honour to limit the environmental impact of its projects and attaches growing importance to the eco-design of its furniture. A few months ago, our teams won a call for projects backed by ADEME and the Île-de-France region to create the first range of fully eco-designed office furniture, a first in France. So our fit-out team set itself the added challenge (because fitting out the Hôtel de la Marine was not enough) of launching this range in time for the opening of Morning Concorde.

The choice of materials and furniture for the space therefore meets a set of criteria: place of manufacture, guarantee and lifespan of the materials, percentage of recycled content, recycling rate after use.

Thus, the office chairs are made up of 49% recycled content and their recycling rate after use is 94%. The 650 desks, the dozens of meeting tables, the furniture for the shared areas and the lockers are designed by our own cabinetmakers using recycled, ecological or reused materials. Much of the furniture is second-hand finds, and some pieces even come from the dismantling of a boat from Le Havre. The new furniture comes solely from French makers. It is worth noting that the toilets are designed by the Trône team, a French designer.

For the design of this space, Morning drew on all its expertise to meet three challenges: honouring the classical legacy of this emblematic place, incorporating the equipment of a contemporary workspace, and delivering an eco-responsible project. The strengths of Morning Concorde, which opens its doors in June 2021, are therefore many. To come and discover the place in its entirety (and its reality), you can visit the space right now: do feel free to get in touch!