With so much to see, what'll it be?
If you could choose an ideal view for your Paris apartment, what would that view be?
The glittering Eiffel Tower,? A famous monument? A church? A park? A square? A quiet, charming courtyard? A particular street or a lively scene of Parisian life? Paris rooftops? Or maybe any of these? Faced with such enticing options, perhaps you’d just prefer to have destiny decide?
One of my search clients this year had what I expected to be a seriously challenging request. He wanted an interesting view from every room, but at least one very quiet bedroom. In Paris, the quiet bedrooms are often facing courtyards with mediocre views. I cautioned him that those two criteria were particularly difficult to match. After discarding a good many options, the search ended on a 6th floor in the 6th arrondissement, in an apartment I would later baptize ‘le 6ème ciel.” So much for “interesting” views; these were extraordinary and from almost every window, as you can see from the shots below.
Coincidentally, another of my recent searches also ended up on the 6th floor in the 6th arrondissement, with a view on the one side towards the treetops of the Jardin de Luxembourg, but 90° to the right, a view including the top third of the Montparnasse tower– that defamed blight on the Paris skyline. Based on information available online, the tower is supposed to be renovated before the Olympic Games, but as I write it’s still looking like a huge black-ink exclamation mark.
Other clients wanted to purchase right next to the Eiffel Tower, but when I showed them the apartment below, it became clear enough that I had overshot their expectations. Their pipe dream had suddenly become a real and somewhat intimidating option. The problem with being "right next" to the tower is that you have swarms of tourists watching you eat your breakfast. In spite of its drawbacks, enjoy my peek inside this luxurious apartment so stunningly close to the base of the tower that it feels almost a part of the decor! (video courtesy of Junot).
Over the years, I’ve had numerous clients looking to purchase in the 7th, with a view of some sort of the Tower. I'll feature these views, among many others, in the photo gallery below. I like the idea of offering you a sense of the diversity of views imaginable. Not only the most stunning but also those with some charm or special interest.
I hope you’ll enjoy the peeks inside, and let me know when your time has come to find your own view.
