When I put four mismatched chairs at a table, it looks stupid. Here it looks cool. That's what panache does when you have it.

I can't exactly explain why, but I simply love this space. There isn't one particular element that stands out to me. I suppose it's the place as a whole.

On another note, I'm noticing an uptick in the number of apartments featured outside of the US, and I'm really enjoying it.

I know money matters are a personal subject but I'd love to start seeing some rents listed in these home tours.
That way maybe I wouldn't feel so bad about my own apartment because I'd know that I could (most likely) simply never afford these beautiful spaces....or maybe that I could!

I love their space! And I love the name Kobe.

Love,
Coby

Adorable. However having visited some garret apartments in Paris I must ask - where is the bathroom? and do you lug laundry down and up 7 flights?

I love this, would love to know the rent price though. Not to be nosey. I am thinking of moveing and would love to know the rent. Thanks

What a beautiful apartment. So peaceful, and it looks like you have everything you need with lots of space in between items. And the natural light is gorgeous. Thank you for sharing your home.

@Therese Z: You're not alone, my attempt at 4 odd chairs would also look stupid. Why does everything look better in Paris!

I would have to have a chair/reading area looking right out one of those massive windows.

Such a nice apartment! Lovely angles. So interesting.

And I must admit, I was totally wondering what the price is, too! So glad I'm not the only nosy one!
;-)

Well, La Chapelle is one of the cheapest quartier in Paris...
More "Gare du Nord" than Gare de l'Est", but, hey, it's still in Paris right. If you want to have an idea go check on website like seloger.com to have an idea of the rent.

The building is so beautiful I almost fell off my chair. I love the view of the train yards. And, I love the nothing-fancy-vibe. This is an old school AT tour, which I so dearly miss.

Unless you are French, it is not going to help you to know the rent since most apartments in Paris require you to have at least one, if ot 2, French citizen who will legally guarantee your rent and makes a sufficiently high income. Either that or if you have no family who can guarantee you (or who are French citizens living in France) you can put up a deposit of about 6 months to 1 year rent. Renting in Paris as a non- EU citizens is complicated, to say the least, which is why many expats rent under the table.

La Chappelle is a little rough as a neighborhood, but this spacious and airy apartment would make it worth it!

oh to be a french opera star and live in a garrett

@ensuenos, I think people want to know the cost because they want to have some context for how other people live. Homes in the US vary in cost from city to city, state to state, and so having context for how much rent or mortgage is helpful. What seems lavish to me may not actually be lavish at all.

@ensuenos, if I tell you I have more than enough money to put down 2 years deposit, would it then be ok to ask the rent? How silly.

Blue door love.

@ensuenos: Jeez. Do I need to put up a 6-month deposit just so I can *ask* what the rent is?

I love the dueling teapots and the photos moving around the bedroom moulding. And those beautiful doors... and a beautiful couple in a beautiful city!

Well, you all can ask the rent, but personally I think it is a bit gauche and I would never answer such a personal question on the Internet.

@ensuenos call me *gauche* but i'd love to know too

To answer everyone's questions about rent. I'm an American living in a neighborhood very close to La Chapelle with very similar rents. I only have one very small bedroom (rather than two like they have) and I pay 950 euros a month (which is probably cheap, even for my neighborhood). I'm guessing they pay between 1,200 and 1,500 euros a month if they are lucky. Hope this helps!

Sorry, it doesn't do anything for me. Not even one room. It all looks too depressing, especially the view.

Rentals in France are strictly controlled under French law, with a high degre of protection for the tenant, particularly in the case of unfurhished. At most one or in some cases two months maximum advance payment can be asked, but guarantees may be required (for example, in the case of students by their parents). An offer of a guarantee cannot be refused, on the ground that the tenant/guarantor is not French. Tenants cannot be summarily evicted even for non payment of rent without a court order (a lengthy process), and there is a general ban on evictions during the winter months. For unfurnished, the minimum lease that can be offered is three years, although the tenant can give notice and leave before this period expires. Leases are almost always automatically renewable.

Furnishd apartments - popular with short-stay visitors - can be let on 1 year leases but rents tend to be higher pro rata. Because of the strict rules, especially for unfurnished, many owners prefer to leave a property vacant or in anticipation of a sale.

These are the official rules but they are often open to liberal interpretation by both landlords and tenants. All those short-stay:holiday furnished studios and apartments are for the most part illegal, but the authorities do not press the point because they are popular with tourists visiting Paris and bringing in much needed revenue to prop up the French economy!

like the living room and the red in dining area, don't like the mismatched chairs though, don't think it works, looks bare and odd. also not super keen on the view. some plants would be nice!

ah, and love the hardwood floors!

I love that this flat feels 'undecorated'- in the best possible way. It's always inspiring to see how people bring a space together out of bits and pieces from here and there and create a really attractive, personal and livable space. I spent a long time looking at those mismatched chairs, trying to figure out why they work.

Too bad the conversation got derailed into a spat about rent prices. If that's what interests you about this flat, go watch HGTVs House Hunters International. This doesn't belong here.

I usually hate photos of couples, but these guys are so cute! The CD collection really makes this for me. I just want to give them a hug.

I'm realizing that maybe is not the chairs themselves I don't like but the table, its legs with the chairs...

Blue door love is why I hope to paint the front of my bedroom door blue. Love the bottle opener replete with bottle cap holder and its advertisement. With little sunlight in my place, I love the fact that yours is flooded with natural light. Nice comfortable home and the child's art on the fridge adds to the coziness factor.

Beautiful home and thanks for sharing.

Love the tilted wall in the kitchen. Looks like something out of Dr. Seuss!

Ca va sans dire..tres jolie.

Depressing, just like the neighbourhood they're in.. Looks like i'm the only one who feels this way.

I'd love to have a stove that had a tilt-down cover that turns the burner surface into a work surface!

I love the way the walls curve to reflect the curved Second Empire roof. That style roof, where it curves around and takes in the walls, is very popular in France and that was where it originated. It was very common in the "Second Empire" period (the reign of Napoleon III), but it actually goes back a couple of hundred years before that. In the U.S. it was used for a lot of public buildings in the 1870's and is sometimes called the "General Grant" style.

I'm not actually that fond of it, but curved walls, now that is cool. I grew up in the 1/2 story of a 1 1/2 story home and my walls were the insides of the roof, at a pretty steep slope. I've always been partial to that "in the roof" look and feel. Would love to have those curved walls in my house.

Anyone interested in Second Empire, I have a page on it, as it effects houses at my house blog http://www.house-design-coffee.com/second-empire-house.html .

Love this, looks so homey and creative!

A charming abode, and a seemingly realistic snapshot of what it might be like to live in Paris as a "real" person - (i.e.as opposed to an idealistic fantasy of a rootop garret with a view of the Eiffel Tower through your flung open bedroom windows). And as a North American who decorates with random mementos of time spent in France/Paris (including that wonderful book "Paris vs. New York"), I had always wondered if Europeans do the same thing (in reverse) - I believe I have my answer! :)

If a couple feels comfortable enough to put pictures of their home's interior and personal belongings (and themselves) on the internet, why is it particularly gauche to ask how much the rent costs?

I like how spacious it seems for such a small apartment. They didn't over-furnish, which is nice, and the use of some warm colors keeps the place from looking too gloomy. If you want grey and dismal, just look out the windows. ;)

I absolutely love this apartment. The blue stairs and door are such simply but beautiful touch. One of my favorite decorating ideas is using books as actual decor and they do a wonderful job of this. Perhaps it's time to move to Paris!
-Elizabeth @ Walls Need Love

It's not generally considered rude to ask how much a property rents for in the US. It's helpful because rents can vary so widely from area to area.

I agree with Franco -- the 7 floor climb would be most depressing to me, esp. on laundry day. Not fond of the view and it looks chilly.

Charmant.

I love this Apartment, it has a lived in vibe, not a showroom, I am not interested in the rent, but
being European this Apartment does it for me.

I'm always curious about rents on AT. I do think it's a weird question to ask a stranger, but as zazzu points out, they're putting pictures of themselves and their entire living arrangement online for people to view, probably for as long as the internet exists...

@Ducibella, why don't rental prices belong on AT? If the resident is okay with sharing then I don't see any reason not to include it...

On the space itself, I disagree with most people here. It looks cosy for them, but I find it depressing. Totally disagree with those saying that the 4 mismatched chairs look good. Poster tacked loosely to the wall, the lamp that looks like it's on the floor beside the bed with no headboard - It honestly doesn't look like they put any real thought into the design of this place. Nothing against them, they have some beautiful things and they seem happy there which is all that matters. But I'm not understanding why this is tickling everyone.

The blue door and staircase. And that wine wall. AND that photo gallery in the bedroom... beautiful!
Superb light!

I just admire how this couple made such a cozy home with tight budget. All seems to work perfectly. I enjoy very much european tours. It reflects very much the personality of them. It´s not only things that have a sense in decoration but also personal things, paintings, the color of the walls, the different chairs.
Thanks for sharing.

Absolutely lovely.

Stoves with a tilt down cover used to be a common feature on many stoves from the 1940's to 50's many companies such as Merrit and O'Keefe, Wedgewood, Roper Town and Country, Old Western Holly made such stoves. These stoves were extremely well made and many are still working well today. My neighbor has one from the 1950's she cooks on everyday. Their is a huge vintage market for these stoves today for both looks and because of their durability. Check out my pinterests boards for vintage stoves under the name tenantproof. You can see the cool styles and perhaps order one from the many companies that refurbish so you can very own vintage stove.

Love all the warm colors, so cozy.....