Colette has lived on every floor of the narrow 16th or 17th century building (it’s so old they don’t have the original paperwork) that her father bought in St.-Germain-des-Prés in 1954...
AT Europe: Paris - Chez Colette & Pierre
During the last 50 years, she has closed staircases, opened roofs, put a glass ceiling on the top floor terrace that is now her kitchen, watched the neighbors come and go.
She sold off the middle floors a few years ago and kept the top two floors for herself and her husband Pierre to use as a pied-à-terre when they are in Paris (their main house is now in Normandy). Then she converted the first floor into a studio for her grandson Franz, who is studying physics at university in Paris (we'll visit that soon).
The upper floor of Colette and Pierre's 70m2 apartment has a living/dining room, the converted kitchen and a spacious laundry room that also has a toilet and a bidet. “That’s very French!” she says, “and very important!” Downstairs is the bedroom and den.
Colette is an inveterate antique hunter and her apartment is filled with art and antiques. She commissioned an artist friend to paint the lovely ceiling bird that appears to be holding up her dining room chandelier when she saw something similar on a trip to the Château d'O in Normandy. A carved bear chair from Bavaria is one of her favorite pieces, as is a disturbingly large stuffed water rat that is perched on her desk. “I adore this little rat,” she says, patting its long fur, and reminiscing about the rat-infested post-war days before St.-Germain-des-Prés became an upscale neighborhood.
She looks out the kitchen window -- with its view of the neighbors opposite -- and snaps the ends off a bunch of green beans she's preparing for dinner. “When I sit here, I have the impression of being in Hitchcock’s ‘Rear Window’,” Colette says. She says that Pierre misses the beautiful young Swedish girl who lived briefly across the way. “Now there’s a young man who is always ironing,” Colette says with a sigh. “Look -- there are his ironed shirts hanging in the window! It’s a lot less fun.”
- Kristin Hohenadel blogging from rue Vieille du Temple, Paris, France. If you have an idea for a European house tour, please write to kristinh @ apartmenttherapy . com
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Oh my, that water rat is disturbing. Thanks for not including a close-up. I would have nightmares!
And the bear is pretty startling too. I think I'd be inclined to start talking to it, if I set a drink down on that tray.
Lovely place, full of all kinds of interesting quirky bits.
view Alana in Canada's profile
wow.
view ung's profile
The rat (beaver?) is out there but that wall panel with all the eyes is really over the top. Otherwise, I love this place. The fabric panels to filter light in the kitchen is so lovely. What a wonderful effect that would be to wake up to. And the Moroccan tile stair landings...great detail.
view Lady J's profile
the bedroom and the dining area are charming
view LaDonnaNichole's profile
This is so close to my own personal taste....beautiful, homey, lived in and enjoyed.
Not an Eames in sight!
view hdtex's profile
Love the painted bird holding up the chandelier.
view gekko's profile
Wow - this is the kind of home where every objects has a story to tell. Love the draped kitchen with the plate of green beans.
view Sassy in SF's profile
Wow. That's amazing. Such interesting details in the everyday things are sooo different in other countries, aren't they? But when traveling to other countries, it's still rare to get to actually see how people live, so one usually must be satisfied with the exotic-ish things that are happening in the hotel rooms, and in the museums.
view Curtis's profile
The ceiling bird is SWEET!
Gigantic stuffed rat...not so sweet. :)
view nazrd's profile
I love the bird on the ceiling!
view crash's profile
In the second to last picture all I could think of was "Is that a beaver on your desk or are you just happy to see me?"
Sorry ;)
I too love the ceiling bird.
view Blandwagon's profile
Merci, Madame. Une perle!
view hrhprincessfiona's profile
lovely home with lots of character and kooky personal stuff. I also love the bird and beautiful bedroom.
view jess p's profile
Marvelous! And i LOVED the rat, i would like to see the close up!
view Bibikonn's profile
Last summer a muskrat brushed against my leg in a lake in Minnesota. My husband said I jumped straight up nearly three feet and was on the dock in maybe two seconds. My primitive brain just took over. He was kinda cute, but that skinny tail...
view catrobmar's profile
Nothing says "home" like a stuffed rat.
view LBhirise's profile
Thank you. What an interesting and charming home. I like the bear chair, love the bird on the ceiling (will have to figure out how to reproduce).
view Fontessa's profile