A Home in Paris


Book Description

This broad spectrum of interiors draws inspiration from both the classic French decorative tradition and the freshest Parisian home designs. Discover the rich diversity of Parisian style in thirty-four interiors that are rife with inspiration and grouped into five thematic chapters. Classic interiors feature crystal chandeliers and gilt-framed mirrors, a marble bust flanked by eighteenth-century Louis XV rattan chairs, or floral-embroidered Chinese tapestries paired with a mother-of-pearl-inlaid armoire. Modern interiors incorporate mod Tulip chairs, geometric Calder-esque mobiles, and vibrant-hued polycarbonate dining sets. A passion for collecting comes to the fore through taxidermy, tribal arts, Slavic textile motifs, 1950s domestic design pieces, or expertly grouped photographs. Designer and artist abodes exude an irrepressibly creative vibe, from kitsch playland to 1940s boudoir lounge. Romantic interiors include powdered palettes and Provençal fabrics or plush velvet couches and a whitewashed pine buffet.Guillaume de Laubier leads us into the private realm of the Parisian design elite, chez Jacques Garcia, Vanessa Bruno, Jacques Grange, Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, Pierre et Gilles, or the late fashion muse Loulou de la Falaise. His photographs capture sleek Scandinavian lines, traditionalist opulence, modernist curves, and exotic accents, documenting each unique interior with flair.




L'Appart


Book Description

Bestselling author and world-renowned chef David Lebovitz continues to mine the rich subject of his evolving ex-Pat life in Paris, using his perplexing experiences in apartment renovation as a launching point for stories about French culture, food, and what it means to revamp one's life. Includes dozens of new recipes. When David Lebovitz began the project of updating his apartment in his adopted home city, he never imagined he would encounter so much inexplicable red tape while contending with perplexing work ethic and hours. Lebovitz maintains his distinctive sense of humor with the help of his partner Romain, peppering this renovation story with recipes from his Paris kitchen. In the midst of it all, he reveals the adventure that accompanies carving out a place for yourself in a foreign country—under baffling conditions—while never losing sight of the magic that inspired him to move to the City of Light many years ago, and to truly make his home there.




The Paris Apartment


Book Description

The Paris Apartment is a popular shop in New York's East Village, where visitors can step back in time and immerse themselves in the beauty and romance of antique furnishings. Reflecting an unusual mix of design influences (Baroque, rococo, neoclassical and Art Deco) and personal taste, its style is luxurious, playful, and wholly original. In The Paris Apartment, Claudia Strasser, the founder and owner of the shop, offers readers the quintessential guide to achieving this romantic Parisian look without having to spend a fortune. With easy-to-follow instructions and helpful advice, she shows readers how they can transform their homes into a living environment that reflects both their personal style and timeless French elegance. Laid out in the form of an entertaining diary, the book helps Francophiles define their fantasy home, find inspiration, select a color palette and use light creatively. She also includes instructions for making canopies and valances; advice on dyeing fabrics and restyling furniture; tips on budgeting; guidance on shopping at flea markets and auctions; and a glossary of terms. Color photographs throughout illustrate the ideas and techniques shown in the book. As interest in the home experiences a resurgence, and as Americans become more careful about their spending, nesting has become the pastime of the '90s. People want luxury homes without spending a fortune. With its unbeatable combination of style and solid practicality, The Paris Apartment is a home-decorating guide to treasure and draw inspiration from for many years to come.




Bringing Paris Home


Book Description

Bringing Paris Home invites the reader to re-create the panache of French interior style in an American setting. Author Penny Drue Baird shares her love and knowledge of French history and decorative arts and describes the design elements essential to an elegant French interior—architectural details, furniture, paint and wall covering, fireplaces, lighting, and tabletop settings. A special chapter on shopping offers tips on finding treasures in the famed Marche aux Puces in Paris. Penny Drue Baird's highly engaging text, filled with reminiscences and anecdotes, brings the charm and pleasure of Paris to life. Lavishly illustrated with Parisian scenes and completed interiors by Baird, Bringing Paris Home is an essential resource for capturing the atmosphere of Paris.




Apartment Stories


Book Description

"Apartment Stories works from the brilliant premise that urban culture and domestic architecture are indeed related in a number of unpredictable and mutually enlightening ways. Marcus's readings of Balzac and Zola novels in the context of the new urban architecture are absolutely superb, and she remains subtle and unexpected at every step."--Bruce Robbins, author of Feeling Global




The Paris Residences of James Joyce


Book Description

This book presents a narrative and photographic journey of the hotels and apartments where James Joyce lived for twenty years in 1920s and 1930s Paris. In June 1920, at the age of 38, the Irish author sought a city where he could finish Ulysses—one of the finest literary works in history. He arrived in Paris on the recommendation of Ezra Pound on 8 July and stayed for 20 years. With Nora, fifteen-year-old Giorgio and thirteen-year-old Lucia, he moved in and out of 18 residences in five arrondissements in Paris. Which arrondissements did he prefer? Which residence was the first place with the luxury of a telephone? Who did he entertain, and where was he most productive and creative? This book is both a guide for the armchair wanderer and a roadmap for Joyce aficionados in Paris. It provides new insights into Joyce’s life in Paris, based around the changing locations, styles, and sizes of his residences, depending upon the fluctuations of his finances. This book is a rich collection of information about each residence with an historical account of the duration, cost, lifestyle, and cultural atmosphere amid the significance of the social times.




Paris Chic


Book Description

Paris is the city of chic—and as such, its innate style shines throughout the city, even in the simplest spaces. Quaint bistros, picturesque alleyways, artists’ studios and unique characters are elevated to a modern-day genre painting when set in Paris. From skateboarders to antiquarians, this volume is a glimpse into Parisian life, as if peering over the edge of the balcony at your own pied-a-terre.




Selling Paris


Book Description

Besieged during the Franco-Prussian War, its buildings damaged, its finances mired in debt, Paris was a city in crisis. Alexia Yates chronicles the private actors and networks, practices and politics, that spurred the largest building boom of the nineteenth century, turning city-making into big business in the French capital.




My (Part-Time) Paris Life


Book Description

Poignant, touching, and lively, this memoir of a woman who loses her mother and creates a new life for herself in Paris will speak to anyone who has lost a parent or reinvented themselves. Lisa Anselmo wrapped her entire life around her mother, a strong woman who was a defining force in her daughter’s life—maybe too defining. When her mother dies from breast cancer, Lisa realizes she hadn’t built a life of her own, and struggles to find her purpose. Who is she without her mother—and her mother’s expectations? Desperate for answers, she reaches for a lifeline in the form of an apartment in Paris, refusing to play it safe for the first time. What starts out as a lurching act of survival sets Lisa on a course that reshapes her life in ways she never could have imagined. But how can you imagine a life bigger than anything you’ve ever known? In the vein of Eat, Pray, Love and Wild, My (Part-time) Paris Life a story is for anyone who’s ever felt lost or hopeless, but still holds out hope of something more. This candid memoir explores one woman’s search for peace and meaning, and how the ups and downs of expat life in Paris taught her to let go of fear, find self-worth, and create real, lasting happiness.




Affluence, Mobility and Second Home Ownership


Book Description

Despite the current recession, the frequency of second home ownership is still surprisingly high throughout the western world. While the UK and Ireland previously had lower occurrences of multiple dwellings compared to the rest of Europe, they are quickly catching up with a current surge in the ownership of second homes. The recent MP expenses scandal in the UK has also drawn attention to the prevalence of second homes (or more) within the middle classes, and the fact that the concept is becoming increasingly popular. Chris Paris uses this text to address the reasons behind why second homes are becoming more popular, both within the usual domicile of the individuals, and in international locations. The socioeconomic factors and historical contexts of homes in cultures across the world are fundamental to explaining the choices in transnational home ownership, and Paris’ case studies and comparisons between additional homes in Europe, Australia, America and Asia expand upon the motivation for people to own a second home. Affluence, Mobility and Second Home Ownership draws together debates on gentrification, globalisation, consumerism, environmental factors and investment to provide a balanced look at the pros, and cons, of second home ownership, and what implications it has for the future. An ideal text for students studying geography, urbanism and planning, this book is also of interest to individuals interested in the changing ways in which we make choices on our places of residence.