KHS Paris Real Estate Blog

“Appartement Trocadéro”  

extraordinarily handsome two- room apartment in the vicinity of the Trocadéro square
spacious living- room with terrace
modern and fully equipped open plan kitchen
pretty bedroom and exquisite marble bath
furnished - app.65m²  - 6th floor/ lift 

rent: € 2,300 per month plus fees
available: August 2007

During the 4 th quarter 2006 the average squaremeter real estate cost € 5,772 in the city of Paris. The prices increased by 1.5% and 9.9% in comparison with the third quarter respectively the same period of 2005. These are the official numbers released by the Paris Notary Chamber on its press conference on 3 rd April 2007.  

Once again, the 6th arrondissement ( € 8,586 per square meter) around “Saint Germain- des- Prés” has been the most expensive, followed by the 7th ( € 8,307 per square meter) and the 4th in the “Marais” ( € 7,951 per square meter).  

Find a full market report on my
English reception page : please scroll down to “A. News - Market Report”

Official prices of all districts are here: Property Market Paris  

Nice stroll around the park.
Enjoy the photos!

Handsome three/ four room apartment -two bedrooms - app. 130m² - 5th floor/ lift – ave Franklin Roosevelt/ Paris 8th  

supremely chic and stylish interior design,
sophisticated and amazing finishings,
completely renovated,
furnished,  

rent: € 6 000 per month plus fees
available now

Supremely handsome 6 room apt/ 3 bedrooms - app.170m² - 4 th floor/ lift - rue de Varenne, Paris 7è  

Classical interior design with amazing finishings,  
tastefully furnished,  
fireplace, parquet, high ceilings,  
great touch of style and prestige,  

available in June 2007
furnished  
rent: 8 000 €/ month + fee

David Downie who is originally from San Francisco has lived here in Paris for more than twenty years.
He recently wrote a book entitled “Paris, Paris : Journey into the City of Light” which Jan Morris described as “perhaps the most evocative American book about Paris since A Movable Feast”. It includes thirty chapters about “Paris places”, “people”, “phenomena” and features some extraordinarily beautiful black-and-white photographs taken by his wife Alison Harris.  
In the following KHS interview he explains what makes him so enthusiastic about the French capital and gives us some interesting ideas about finding and decorating apartments (excerpts):

KHS : Do you still remember your first apartment visits here in Paris and what was different here in comparison to America?  

DAVID DOWNIE: Paris apartments are often small and the plumbing is a challenge. For Americans used to big houses or apartments it can be a shock. Also, the lack of insulation between apartments and floors of a building. Sometimes you can hear everything from neighboring properties. Of course the grander and more modern apartments in Paris are often fabulous and there’s no trouble with them, as long as you can get used to having a separate toilet room. What apartments have here is atmosphere, and that compensates for other shortcomings.

KHS : There is a particularly interesting chapter in your book which you entitled ''Past Masters: Keepers of the Craft'' where you describe the city''s long history of craftsmanship, its traditions and some of its principal locations. If you were to decorate or to furnish a beautiful apartment, what are your favourite addresses and places?

DAVID DOWNIE: Well, believe it or not, I would start at the BHV—the Bazar de l''Hotel de Ville department store. The basement is a treasure trove with everything you need in terms of hardware. Upstairs you''ll find many useful and pretty high-quality furnishings and housewares.
When it comes to artisans—the highly specialized crafts workers who make Paris one of the great crafts cities in Europe—everything depends on what you''re looking for and how much you want to spend. And your time. If you need to have visiting cards printed before you do anything else, and you demand the best quality, go to an engraver named Gérard Desquand. His workshop is in the 11 th arrondissement.
To find a dozen furniture makers, restorers, sellers of custom floor tiles, chandelier makers and more, go to the Viaduc des Arts—a series of arcaded workshops on Avenue Daumesnil. It''s a municipally funded project and opened about 10 years ago. Michel Fey is one. He comes from a clan of tooled-leatherworkers whose great grandfather André created Maison Fey in 1900. But you''ll also find Yamamoto contemporary Japanese furniture, and Cherif, the trendy Algerian-French designer, and more—everything from blown glass to hand-painted armoirs. The best way to go about finding them is, put together a wish-list and consult with me. I can set up a tour of artisans'' workshops. You really have to see most of them by appointment. They rarely speak anything but French. And some can be prickly. But it''s worth the effort. Or get my wife Alison to take you around to the flea markets and antique dealers. She''s an expert.

KHS : Do you have architectural preferences?  

DAVID DOWNIE: I like old buildings, the older the better. I also love those big, overloaded turn-of-the-century piles, with bay windows and faux turrets and silly cupolas. Haussmann-era buildings from the mid-19 th century are wonderful, too. They’re spacious, with parquet floors, balconies, and wide doors, and sometimes big kitchens.

.read the full interview here: Paris, Paris - Journey into the City of Light 

Please find more information on David’s website: http://www.parisparisthebook.com/
email: dddownie@gmail.com