Cherche Midi 1 in the 6th arrondissement

Fines arts and craftsmanship

This apartment was originally home to the owner while he studied French art and craftsmanship at the Paris Fine Arts Academy or Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts a few blocks away. His studies provided him with a rare opportunity to experiment a variety of decorative concepts, which he applied to restoring as much of the apartment's original 18th century detailing as possible. Built just after the French Revolution in the 1790's, the building's thick walls, high ceilings, and tall windows are distinctive of the Directory period.

In the living room, the finely crafted, hand painted Louis XVI style wood paneling and cabinetry were inspired by historical examples in Paris museums. The woodwork discretely conceals a Murphy bed that serves as a backup for visitors (there is also a daybed). The fireplace was entirely rebuilt by a top caliber, third generation craftsman. The more colorful bedroom cabinetry is also of the best craftsmanship.

A previous tenant once likened the apartment to his boat, "every space optimized..." if sometimes only for aesthetics. The entranceway moonlights as a bar which in turn hides a dryer. The rustic kitchen, small but designed for people who cook, has hand-made wall tiles and the original 18th century fireback behind the stove. The kitchen table can seat four, or more if extended in the living room. The bathtub, a solace to walk-weary bodies, looks onto a fluted wood column, the contemporary bathroom's focal point.

Midway between the place St. Germain-des-Près and the historic Bon Marché department store.

A tranquil haven in an exclusive part of the 6th arrondissement with a security entrance, this apartment is situated one flight up with no elevator. A first, cobblestone courtyard buffers the street sounds beyond, while the garden courtyard behind, planted with trees, provides a cool retreat and view in summer and a touch of greenery in winter.

The Rue du Cherche-Midi, or "looking for the noon-time sun" street, was named as early as 1595 after a shoppe sign picturing a Greek astronomer with compass and quadrant that hung here. During fashion week the otherwise peaceful street might more aptly be called "looking for the limelight", as fashionistas from around the globe converge to raid the shoes stores and the famous Poilâne bakery just a few doors down, whose traditional breads are made in wood burning ovens. Expect to wait in line for your bread at any time of year, but you'll be in good company – Catherine Deneuve buys hers here.

Taxis can be had within 30 yards of the building, and three major metro lines are a three minute walk away. One of these metro lines lies on a direct line to the Porte de Versailles exhibition hall, as does one of the many convenient buses nearby. Restaurants abound. Suffice to say it would be difficult not to find a good restaurant in the area. If you prefer to cook, a farmer's market provides fresh produce three times weekly one block down on the boulevard Raspail. Sundays draw the city's trendy crowd when the market turns "organic only".

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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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