St. Andre des Arts 2

"We'll always have Paris"

When Humphrey Bogart said “We’ll always have Paris”, his words expressed the voices of many.

There are those personalities who develop a ‘je ne sais quoi’ for Paris... those who simply cannot resist the magical allure of the French capital, some of the most famous amongst them being Bogart himself of course, Greta Garbo, Cole Porter and more recently the English actress, Kristen Scott Thomas.

Over time, many of these seasoned regulars, be they entertainment personalities or not, by the necessity of their addiction, cannot resist the urge to purchase their own piece of Paris: a flat, an apartment, a pied-à-terre or ‘foot on the ground’ as the French like to refer to it. This decision not only legitimizes the owner spending even more time in the city he or she loves, it is also one which makes financial good sense for these happily addicted souls, who no longer have to pay for expensive hotels and eat every meal out.

The owners of the ST ANDRE DES ARTS 2 flat not only decided to turn their personal, fanciful dream into a reality, they were determined to buy a place in the best location; so purchasing a place in the historic centre was therefore a priority for them. When they discovered a third floor apartment on the Rue St Andre des Arts, on a beautiful medieval street at the heart of the St. Germain des Pres district, they knew that it was a real find. Of almost equal importance was the presence of an elevator, which would mean there would be no carrying of cumbersome suitcases up a narrow staircase after a long haul flight.

From an aesthetic viewpoint, however, the apartment itself was extraordinarily dull, to speak mildly. Dark and pokey with little character and a long narrow corridor traversing the length of the apartment, this place was going to take some real vision to transform a modern functional, sheetrock mess into a comfortable, airy, ‘Old World’ abode.

But with imagination to spare, these owners were up to the challenge. By stripping out all of the sheetrock and digging beneath the plaster, they discovered stone, brick, and beams...authentic ‘back to the bones’ features of the original 17th century construction. Opening up the salon and kitchen and doing away with unnecessary wall partitions and the narrow corridor, they succeeded in creating a space which has a feeling of transparency and fluidity. They also regained a meter or two of valuable floor space. The new configuration now has a bedroom facing courtyard with stone tiled bathroom and a second separate water closet for friends or family members who may wish to stay over on the top-of-the-line Steiner sofa-bed in the South facing salon.

A fully equipped kitchen stocked with high quality appliances makes the apartment truly liveable and it is the perfect practical balance to an apartment that has been tastefully decorated with its age old features newly revealed.

In successfully transforming a dull, nondescript, yet well located space into a distinctly Parisian jewel, these owners succeeded in creating the type of apartment they always dreamed of.

A man of few words, Bogart might just have been inclined to say, “The perfect location, the perfect apartment...for the perfect vacation”.

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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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