France

Name: Lili & Dwayne Location: Paris, France Dwayne (my husband) and I live in a one bedroom apartment in the North East of Paris, by the park Les Buttes Chaumont. I met Dwayne in New York when I was an intern at the Metropolitan Opera. We lived in Los Angeles together and got married in Lyon, where I still had my student apartment. We are both creatives working in the film industry and last year we decided to live in Paris.

When Adrienne and Benjamin bought this old Parisian printing factory, the space was raw, dark, and badly in need of a renovation, but the volumes were beautiful and they knew there was potential. They took the challenge and after three months of renovations, an atypical, two-story open space was born. They changed the floor, brought in some light, built a stairway and did so much more.

Name: Adrienne and Benjamin and their children, Jeanne, Sacha and Rose Location: Belleville — Paris, France Size: 200 square meters (2,153 square feet) Years lived in: 12 years; Owned When they’re not playing electro-Balkan music with their band, Djam Orkestar, Adrienne, a passionate socio-anthropologist, and Benjamin, a fashion-loving lawyer, keep the magic and fanfare going in the old printing factory they revamped into a multifaceted duplex.

Siire and Jean Francois have lived and travelled all over the world, and they recently settled down to raise their young sonin a Haussman-style building in Paris.

Name: Libby Gravatt and Tim Caws Location: 4th arrondissement (Le Marais); Paris, France Size: 60 square m (645 square feet) plus 14 square m terrace (150 square feet) Years lived in: 6 months This mid-sized apartment merges Old World French and modern aesthetics perfectly. It’s hard not to fall in love with this space, with its big French windows, marble fireplaces, and hard woods.

Name: Shannon and Alexis Location: 13th arrondissement, Paris, France Size: 35 square meters (377 square feet) Shannon, an American expat who has made Paris her permanent home, writes a blog about what it’s like to live in the city. I met her during my sojurn in Paris last year, and she graciously agreed to give me a tour of her lovely home, a diminutive 35 m2 apartment on one of Paris’ most charming streets. From Shannon: I met Alexis in Italy back in 2006 during business school.

Name: Ariana Location: Paris, France We live in the 7ème arrondissement of Paris. It’s civilized to the point of distraction- if I walk home alone at night, the worst that could happen is an old lady might hit me with her Hermès bag. Our apartment is 70 square meters in an art deco building, with an additional 14 square meters spread out over two balconies. When we wake up every morning, we see the Eiffel Tower, Trocadero, and La Defense from one window.

Name: Juliana Location: Montpelier, France A few years ago, I quit my old job and back to school to become interior architect. I was 30, people thought I was crazy, but when I found this old apartment from sixties I started to imagine how many things we could do in there and how I would love to work in a design job! Dreams can come true! It’s a 82 square meter apartment near historic center, with 2 rooms and a 14 square meter balcony.

Name: Emilie Location: France We live in a small stone cottage from the 17th century in a little hamlet at the top of hill in Dordogne, France. It’s our escape in the countryside. We furnished it only with flea markets and brocante stuff. Our favorite furnitures are in the kitchen, we found an old icebox furniture from the 50’s on “Le bon coin” (like Craiglist in France). Thanks, Emilie! • Interested in sharing your home with Apartment Therapy?

Name: Kim Location: Montmartre – Paris, France I moved in to my Montmartre apartment in Paris five years ago and have steadily collected vintage finds (a mid century table, a Charlotte Perriand Lamp) and contemporary pieces (Verner Pantone chair, Habitat sofa, Ferm Living and Donna WIlson soft furnishings) to create a modern eclectic decor.

Name: Fabienne Séveillac & Kobe Van Cauwenberghe Location: La Chapelle, Paris, France Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 10 months (rented) Thanks to their seventh story walk-up, Fabienne and Kobe are in excellent aerobic shape — a benefit for most, but especially for two musicians who often find themselves holding a sung note for inordinate lengths of time, or boldly scurrying around the neck of a guitar.

Name: Julie Chamberlain and Jesper Kaalund Location: Haut Marais, Paris, France Size: 710 square feet (66 square meters) Years lived in: 2 years, rented At 37 weeks pregnant, Julie Chamberlain doesn’t do much dancing these days, but that doesn’t stop her from listening to her favorite tunes. One morning last month, independent Canadian music streamed from her laptop, providing a restful soundtrack just right for readying her beautiful one-bedroom apartment in Paris for a new baby.