Notre Dame Galande

It seems that Paris attracts creative people more so than other cities in the world; or perhaps its simply that Paris inspires people to be creative… to reveal or state their originality in their personal living environment, be they full fledged artists or not. The NOTRE DAME GALANDE flat is a true jewel of personal expression. The owner and his wife lovingly set about transforming a mundane space into a hand crafted haven of eclecticism.

Of course, the partial view out the living room window of the Notre Dame cathedral simply accentuates the feeling you have of being in a privileged space, in a unique city, where history and culture threaten to overwhelm your senses on any given day.

Staying in the rue Galande flat flatters your senses and leads you to realize that life should be replete with aesthetic stimuli on a daily basis in order to feel alive; otherwise, why not simply stay in a bland hotel room with a mini-bar and TV to keep you company? No, you come to Paris to feel the thrill of the world’s most sought after destination and many of the reasons for this feeling can be found here within your very living quarters, here in the nutshell of two people’s highly personal creation. The photos of this flat do not adequately reveal the close attention to detail that the owner’s applied when reconfiguring and decorating their flat.

The wife, who was trained in the Decorative Arts, personally composed and applied the tiles in both the bathroom and the separate toilet room. She could never have gotten anyone else to do the job with the same result because she used the broken tile technique, which makes each surface into a personal composition and transforms what is usually a mundane wall (or floor) of tiles into a work of art. Throughout the flat, the same decorative spirit reigns supreme.

Only in France is it possible to find antique items, old building materials, and artwork in sufficiently large quantities for them to often be accessible at reasonable prices. In the world of Antiques, France is known as the ‘Attic of the World’. With that idea in mind, we might say that the owners of the NOTRE DAME GALANDE flat had a good run through the attic and pieced together one of the most eclectic assortments of art objects, furniture, and decorative elements imaginable. To make their space come alive, they applied restraint and good judgement, which is the basis of good taste: not overdoing it, yet seeking to surprise and to please the viewer.

Anyone who is susceptible to the finer things in life should not be disappointed staying in this flat, as long as the three flights of stairs are not too much to deal with. Alas, there is no elevator in the building , so you may have to go up and down more than you would like; but when you consider just where you are situated in the city of Paris, you will economize a great deal of energy getting to where the historic action is because you are already there. No need to spend countless hours in transit.

This flat is actually very spacious; but it is best suited for a couple, since the layout is set up with an open bedroom of sorts. A third person could conceivably share the space, as long as assuring intimacy is not a problem. If you fit the profile, you should not hesitate to book this flat

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"... this time, I was going until 1 A.M., loading up my car with the following: 2 very large rectangular mirror frames, a lovely porcelain corner sink with its original faucet, an oak cabinet door, a small cheese cabinet door with its wooden grill, more carved marble mantle pieces, a large cast iron skillet, and bits and pieces of carved wood: from molding to cornices."

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