All aboard the JR Suite on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express

French artist JR has a talent for moving between worlds; Whether he’s photographing inmates at California’s infamous Tehachapi Prison one day or designing a sleeper car for one of the world’s most luxurious trains the next, his creative potential never seems to flag. Most recently, he stood aboard Belmond’s Venice Simplon Orient Express at Paris’ Gare de l’Est to unveil his design for the train’s new “L’Observatoire” carriage, which will welcome passengers from March 2025.

JR designs the L’Observatoire Suite for Belmond’s Venice Simplon-Orient-Express

(Image credit: Courtesy of Belmond)

Trains have long been part of JR’s history. “I grew up in the suburbs,” he remembers. “I took the train to Paris and stuck my first photos over the subway cards.” Worth mentioning is his project “Women are Heroes,” in which the artist photographed women in Nairobi, Kenya, and an entire train with them eyes covered. For this reason in particular, VSOE General Director Pascal Deyrolle thought of him four years ago when he was designing a new wagon. “We made history,” says Deyrolle. “Not just an immersive artistic experience, a JR cabinet of curiosities, but something that will last long after we are gone.”

(Image credit: Courtesy of Belmond)

(Image credit: Courtesy of Belmond)

The car, once a dining car, had been abandoned for decades and its dilapidated condition meant JR had the freedom to completely redesign the interior as long as the design elements remained true to their pre-1945 origins. The result is a huge private suite with separate areas—leather sofas and a folding table for dining, a daybed next to a window for reading or listening to old records, and even a disco ball on the ceiling for an impromptu dance.

(Image credit: Courtesy of Belmond)

(Image credit: Courtesy of Belmond)

For the project, JR wanted to create a cocoon in which everything was perceived as round. Therefore, one cannot help but notice a stylish curve along the carriage, where a gentle curve smooths the separation between the ceiling and walls. This curvature was a challenge for the Italian artisans, who covered the surfaces with fish scale patterns made up of 9,800 individual pieces in a variety of materials – wood and zinc in the living area and green hand-painted leather in the bedroom.

(Image credit: Courtesy of Belmond)

(Image credit: Courtesy of Belmond)

JR describes the entire project as an “ode to the artisans”, to the magic of craftsmanship and to centuries-old European traditions. Wood inlay is another key element, from the mural of the Austrian mountains in the hallway to the decorative panels whose details reference JR’s history. The bedroom, located at one end of the carriage, features a brass bathtub and a stained glass depiction of a tree by Franz Mayer of Munich, whose works have adorned churches since the 19th century. Above the bed, a round skylight offers an ever-changing view of the stars. At the touch of a button it opens and closes like a camera lens.

(Image credit: Courtesy of Belmond)

At the other end, a bookshelf hides a door that leads to a secret room that JR refers to as the “tea room,” with a fireplace and another circular skylight. Behind glass wall cabinets, model trains hide tiny passengers eating, dancing or holding up a message – the start of a treasure hunt throughout the carriage that leads to a hidden Leica, the same model as JR’s first camera, packed with photos he took. “That’s an essential part of this project,” he says. “I was looking for secret places to hide things. You find it through curiosity, dreaming and discovery.”

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(Image credit: Courtesy of Belmond)

(Image credit: Courtesy of Belmond)