Postcards from Paris and Provence: Hunting for a Paris Apartment, II

Postcards from Paris… Hardly any regrets

It was probably a sign and we probably should have taken it. But one of the things that I’ve tried to learn during this apartment hunt business, is to have no regrets. So instead, let’s just say that this first apartment got away and probably did so for a good reason.

When unforeseen travel cancellations “forced” us to return to Paris for a night, we were able to schedule a last minute visit to the Bourdonnais apartment I had just heard about. At the time I thought, “This such a good story – one of luck and timing and stars lining up – maybe this will be the perfect apartment.” The irony is that a couple of years later with lots of lessons learned, I realized that this probably was close to the perfect apartment. But oh well. No regrets.

Here are the images of my first love, number one. It was a charming two bedroom apartment (O.K., in all fairness, bedroom number two was a pass-through, but if you craned your neck and looked up the airshaft, it did have a fabulous view of the tippy top of the Eiffel tower), just off of the Avenue de la Bourdonnais, in the swanky 7^th arrondissement of Paris.

The terrace – perfect for enjoying your morning croissant. Image via Paris Perfect.

Since it was love number one, I missed a couple of things that in retrospect, I’ve learned are highly desirable and hard to come by:

1. It was in great shape and really didn’t need to have anything done to it

2. It was on the fifth floor with a balcony. You’ll learn, as I did, that the fifth floor of a circa 1900’s building is a very desirable floor because it often has a “balcon filant” or wrought iron balcony that stretches across the front of the building. Sometimes there is just enough room for a small bistro table. (OK, small caveat – I’m afraid of heights and not sure that I’d ever dare set foot on the balcony – but it is a nice idea and a great feature for resale, as well as a wonderful prop for photographs.)

3. It faced south, and therefore was bathed in sun all day long, which is quite the valuable commodity in a Paris apartment. (OK, another small caveat – the view across the street was of an ugly school, but the view to the side was amazing.)

4. Something else I didn’t realize was that Love #1 had all of the coveted architectural elements that are Parisian favorites and the cornerstone of every chi chi real estate listing: “Parquet, moulures, cheminee” – meaning the original parquet floors (note that these are the highly desirable “pointes d’hongrie” floors) , moldings and fireplace.

Gorgeous floors & molding Living Room 2

Original fireplace

5. The inside was beautifully furnished, with a combination of nice antiques and attractive decorative elements. The palette was light and bright and complemented the architectural elements of this circa 1900’s building.

A small but updated kitchen

Bright, comfortable bedrooms

La toilette – clean & efficient

6. Last but certainly not least, location location location. Although some may argue that the swanky 7^th arrondissement is not the most exciting in Paris, because it is a little more residential and not as central to the hubbub of activity, it has long been one of my favorites. If you’re going to be in the 7^th, you either need to be close to the Rue Cler (a famous and fabulous market street), or with a view of the Eiffel Tower. This one had the view.

C’est magnifique!

This apartment got away from us, since we didn’t act fast enough and didn’t realize at the time what a great and rare product it was. New owners came in and made some changes , including painting the small bedroom blue, adding a swag over the master bed and giving the living room a decidedly blue palette. But the essentials of the apartment, and what I fell in love with – the floors, the location, the light and the view – haven’t changed a bit.

The second bedroom/reading room Master bedroom