Location
Rue-Guynemer, on Paris’ Left Bank, runs alongside the famous Luxembourg Gardens, whose 23 hectares act as a green lung for the French capital. Although the street is now bordered by luxury buildings, in the 18th century it was part of the far western side of the park, no longer in existence. It was here that Jean-Jacques-Rousseau used to stroll along what was then known as the “Philosophers’ Walk”, which neighboured the “Promenade of Sighs”, a haven for lovers. Nowadays, the street leads, on one side, to Rue-Vaugirard, Saint-Sulpice church and the Odeon theatre. Publishing houses, designer boutiques and antique shops have taken up residence here. They are right next to the cellar clubs in Saint-Germain-des-Prés where Juliette-Greco and Boris-Vian, Jean-Paul-Sartre and Miles-Davis were to be found in the years after the war. The other end of Rue-Guynemer leads to a more political and institutional Paris: the French Senate is but a stone’s throw away, the Panthéon a little further. French members of parliament and politicians mix daily with students from Science-Po and other renowned universities. As regards transport, in addition to various underground stations, Montparnasse train station is just 10 minutes’ walk away.
Description
A door, decorated with stained glass, at the end of this corridor, leads to the building courtyard. There, on the left-hand side, a videophone security system controls double glazed doors, flanked by two staff, Tuscan order columns on bases. These doors give access to a second hall, lined with two-tone marble friezes, inlaid with round decoration. The decor of the walls, comprising concave recesses, cap moulding, cornices and mouldings, perfects the resolutely classical tone of the communal areas. At the end, the main stairway and a lift go up to the various floors.
The flat’s wide entrance door opens into a spacious entrance hall. It leads, on one side, to a bedroom, enhanced with built-in cupboards, and, on the other side, to a shower room, with a more contemporary decoration featuring polished concrete. Further on, a reception area, spanning more than 50 m², includes a lounge, a dining room and an open-plan kitchen. Its astonishing decor is composed of decorative woodwork, bookshelf units, latticework partitions and ash-coloured, oak wood panelling. The room is illuminated via six tall windows. They are protected outside by wooden shutters and decorated inside with latticework and glass, tinted the ultramarine that Yves-Klein made so popular in the 1950’s. The spacious, fully fitted kitchen has a seventh window to avoid all loss of light. At the end, a hall area provides access to the second and third bedrooms.
Apart from the bedrooms which are carpeted, the floors throughout the flat are covered with the same original, oak wood parquet flooring, laid in a herringbone pattern. Some pieces of furniture are also available for sale with the flat. And lastly, this flat could be used for mixed purposes as self-employed residents are authorised to work from home.
Our opinion
Residing on Paris’ Left Bank, in one of the French capital’s most highly sought-after districts, and living in a character building on the edge of Luxembourg Gardens, is in itself a privilege. And yet, it is its unique, meticulous decoration that gives this flat all of its charm. It delightfully and elegantly blends the most admirable features produced by the 19th century’s neo-classical architecture with a modern, contemporary and discreet design. The colourful touches of ultramarine dotted here and there further highlight the fine moulding and old parquet flooring, creating a spacious, luminous property. And as painter Yves-Klein used to say: “All colours generate associations to concrete ideas, whilst blue evokes at most the sea and the sky, which are what is most abstract in tangible and visible nature.”
2 100 000 €
Fees at the Vendor’s expense
Reference 575950
Reception area | 51 m2 |
Living space | 106.27 m2 |
Number of rooms | 5 |
Number of bedrooms | 3 |
Possible number of bedrooms | 3 |
Cellar |
Number of lots | 23 |
Annual average amount of the proportionate share of expenses | 4050 € |
NB: The above information is not only the result of our visit to the property; it is also based on information provided by the current owner. It is by no means comprehensive or strictly accurate especially where surface areas and construction dates are concerned. We cannot, therefore, be held liable for any misrepresentation.