Several years ago, Meg and I had the privilege of staying at Paris Perfect’s lovely “Beaujolais” apartment, just a stone’s throw from the Eiffel tower and around the corner from our favorite gourmet street, rue Cler. We loved the apartment due to its stellar location, spacious bedrooms, separate bathrooms, view of the Eiffel Tower, large kitchen and, last but not least, proximity to our favorite luxury resale store downstairs (where a few handbags and belts with fancy names may have been purchased!).
I remember sitting at the dining room table one evening, with our computers open and our spreadsheets on overdrive, trying not to be distracted by the Eiffel tower twinkling outside the window, and looking around the apartment saying, “Gosh, this is such a great location and nice space but wouldn’t it be nice if …”
The "ifs" included updating the kitchen, renovating the master bathroom which had a big tub with no shower (to the point where we were sharing the smaller ensuite bathroom next to the 2nd bedroom!), and simplifying the living room. Of course we never intended to tell the owners because overall we loved it and were grateful to be there. But we did think that with a little tweaking, especially in the bathrooms and kitchen, it could go from a great to a wow.
And then, fast forward several years and smack in the middle of the pandemic, when travel was impossible and our businesses were closed, we got the call: The owners wanted a renovation of the Beaujolais apartment and asked us to handle it. No problem, we said, as we tried to figure out how we could achieve this long distance. Luckily, we knew the apartment well and had a great team on the ground who were able to handle the logistics. But for the next three months, we were glued to this apartment through our computers, trying to manage a major renovation across the ocean and hoping that the powerpoint presentations and mood boards would translate correctly in real life.
We were lucky: This one didn’t involve moving any walls, changing the plumbing or modifying the electrical plan. We redesigned the master bath, replaced the existing kitchen, added molding to the walls, painted every surface and updated the décor to be less cluttered and more streamlined. We also replaced some of the lighting, changed out the art, and replaced most of the furniture. OK, we did a lot!
So even though we swear we didn't prompt them, we're grateful to our clients for deciding to renovate this apartment and giving us the assignment. And we're even more grateful that this nice, spacious 2 bedroom apartment is available for rent from our favorite Paris rental agency, Paris Perfect. Ask for the Beaujolais apartment and if you get to stay there, let us know what you think!
Ta ta,
HH
PS All the "after" shots of this apartment were done by the uber talented photographer and friend, Georgianna Lane. Follow her on instagram @georgiannalane and you'll be blown away by her images of Paris - and other cities. She also has published several books, including my current favorite, Paris in Bloom.