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St-Germain and Buci - Elegant, 2 Bedroom Triplex Loft with AC. This apartment is ideally located on Rue de Nesle, between the Bd St. Germain and the Pont Neuf (the oldest bridge in Paris) on the Seine river. The Rue de Nesle carries the label "historical monument" by the city of Paris, as is the 16th century stone building in which the apartment is located.
Built on the remains of the Paris fortification walls and the famous Tour de Nesle, or tower of Nesle, both constructed between 1190 and 1220, during the reign of Philippe Auguste, you can still see some of the walls' and tower's vestiges in the building's lobby. The Tour de Nesle was made infamous by Alexandre Dumas, in his story of the same name, which recounts how King Louis X’s wife Marguerite, and her sisters, used to meet secretly with lovers, before disposing of them in the Seine river before dawn.
The rue de Nesle is now buzzing with book wholesalers activities during the day. In the evening, however, it quiets down, unless you are looking for action : stroll down to the river or up onto the bustling bd St-Germain towards Odeon. In between, you’ll find one of Paris’ most charming market streets, the rue de Buci, and the rue de Seine, lined with wonderful antique shops and art galleries. Not to mention other Paris cultural monuments such as the Académie Française, the Café de Flore, Les Deux Magots, the Monnaie de Paris, the Pont des Arts, etc. all of which are withing short walking distance.
This tranquil apartment is perched on top of number 13, rue de Nesle. It is a three-and-a-half floor walk up a broad, wooden staircase as there is no elevator (most buildings in this ancient neighborhood don’t have elevators). Not a difficult climb if you are in decent shape but can be a problem for babies, the elderly or people with mobility problems. The apartment manager will greet you upon arrival and help you carry your bags up the stairs and, if necessary, back down again at departure.
When you enter the apartment, you are struck by its luminosity, there are windows and skylights everywhere, an open space kitchen and living room area, separated by a deck fashioned from exotic Wenge wood parquet. A pair of custom-built sleeping benches structures the living room, which sits under four-meter (12 feet) high ceiling space. The benches turn into two comfortable, full single beds.
Like many of our guests, we love to cook and entertain, so we made sure that the kitchen is fully equipped. After all, what’s the point in renting a furnished apartment in Paris if you cannot indulge in the pleasures of food shopping, cooking, and entertaining like a real Parisian, something that you could never do in a 4-5 star hotel. In fact, many of our guests come to Paris to attend cooking schools and some are actually famous chefs in the US, so this kitchen was dedicated to them: full oven; dishwasher; microwave oven; food processor; mixer; expresso machine; etc. Adjacent to the kitchen, you’ll find the laundry closet, with washing machine and separate dryer.
Four steps up lead you to a separate bedroom, with two single beds, a sleek corner desk and ensuite shower and sink. The shower cabin is decorated with translucent glass tiling and the bathroom floor is paved in smooth pebbles. A few more steps up lead you to the mezzanine bedroom. A queen size bed sits right under the skylight ceiling windows, giving onto other Paris rooftops. A compact, but private bathroom, with a bathtub and toilet, sits on the same floor (thare’s also a separate, guest toilet on the main floor, just as you enter the apartment).
All effort and expense -- one entire year of renovation work was necessary here -- were expended to ensure that this is the ideal Paris Pied-à-Terre that you have been searching for. It was designed as a private apartment first, as if we were to move in ourselves, and equipped with many of the features and facilities that you'd find in a five-star hotel room. And more.
Everything from the exquisite materials, to the equipment, to the subtle color scheme, was chosen with the sole purpose of pleasing our guests. We want you to enjoy a flawlessly agreeable stay in Paris: Best Bose music/home cinema system; central AC/heating; even an automatic foot massager for those sore feet after a long day of pounding Paris pavements.
This is an utterly modern apartment, with touches of the 1940s and 50s decorative arts added in some of the furnishings. When the furniture is not custom built, most of it came from antique shops from Paris and Brussels -- there's even a lamp we hand-carried back from Cape Town -- to add charm and warmth to this unique apartment. The mood lighting in the living room is generated by a set of three painted light boxes by Italian artist Walter Puppo that we found ina gallery in Brussels.
The primary lighting comes from a 1970’s chrome chandelier found in yet another Bruxellois antique shop. The star mirror, the coat stand (originally designed for a cinema decor), the office stool in the bedroom, the bedside tables… they are all select pieces of mid-century furniture found in various flea markets and antique stores around Europe.
American/French family-owned and operated. Friendly, we'll help you get settled in. We can arrange to buy basic groceries for you before your arrival.
70 sqm (750 sqf), 3.5th floor (4.5 US). Closest metro stations are Odeon and St. Michel.
Pets are not allowed, and no smoking, please.
To receive more detailed pictures and a floor plan of the apartment, please email us at the address below.
For a possibility to combine vacation time in a beautiful Provence farmhouse, see listing #7540.
Shares in this property are now being offered on a fractional ownership basis. |
