bonapartconsultingparis

Outfitting a Parisian apartment

From Curbed/Gridskipper.... Readers are always asking me where to go to outfit their Paris apartments, apart from the ubiquitous IKEA and everyone's one-stop shopping emporium, the venerable BHV (Editor's note - even the staff inform us it's a rip off but it's handy right in the centre of town I suppose). The number of Parisian home decor stores can be overwhelming in scope, style, and price. But there are a number of specialty shops around Paris where you can find your desired object, be it a light fixture or a couch or the perfect shade of paint, in multiple if stylishly edited propositions.

Luxury Residential Area Properties A Market Study

Bonapart presents its market study on current developments in luxury residential area real estate. The study covered sales of apartments and homes in the exclusive residential areas of Paris (1e, 2e, 3e, 4e, 5e, 6e, 7e, 8e, 16e and 17e south) and its western suburbs (Neuilly, Boulogne, St Cloud).

To receive details of this report, contact Director Susie Hollands.

98.5 % of the 2 to 4 M€ transactions, and the almost all of > 4 M€ transactions in Paris and in Hauts-de-Seine were carried out in these residential areas.

There has been no drop in the number of transactions – or in prices – in the afore-mentioned luxury residential areas, contrary to the trend observed in the provinces and the greater Paris metropolitan region.

Hipsters and Hamburgers - Café Charlot

Just as I was writing about the Marais yesterday, I didn't mention the "Haut" Marais. it's the area that falls officially outside Ye Olde Marais but that in recent years has sneaked into the classification (much to the delight of those who have owned homes there since way back then). The last few years have seen an explosion in galleries, independent boutiques and the likelihood of being run down by skinny young graphic designers on scooters. For a slice of life, Melissa Unger has written a great piece for I V Y paris......

Last weekend, rushing from République, in an effort to get to the Marché des Enfants Rouges before the 15 euro orchid plants were sold out, I cut across the Carreau du Temple.

Because I am cheaper than day old bread, this type of bargain incites me to take perilous risks, like running in high heels and venturing down unknown streets. Despite nearly falling twice and being more focused on horticulture than culture 'tout court’, I still managed to notice that there were a whole slew of new art galleries and trendy shops on the criss-cross of streets just north of the rue de Bretagne (rue Charlot, rue de Saintonge, rue de Poitou and all around the Carreau itself.)

Read on.....

Through Bonapart’s sister site, I V Y Paris our clients interested in the Arts and entertainment stay informed of culturally enriching events taking place around the city.

Is the Marais losing it's appeal?

The Guardian wrote today about the increasing Mall-isation of the Marais. "Paris's historic Jewish quarter, has fallen victim to the tourist onslaught and rocketing property prices." I was writing about this in September 2006 when the phenomenon was already well underway...........

"Plus the place is turning into a shopping mall. The worst I've seen is the new Lee store which has used the beautiful old facade of the building in a most heart rending manner to flog it's tawdry trousers."

Don't even think of going there on a Sunday for a quiet stroll, you'll be mown off the pavement.

That said, there are of course still charming pockets which you'll have all to yourself and it can't be beaten for being smack bang in the centre of town from where you can walk everywhere. Plus there are the hotel particuliers, the fun bars and Les Bain des Marais Hammam andit's good for spotting sexy young people of either sex. It's not all that bad.

Montmartre is moving!

A common problem with buildings in Montmartre is due to a curious phenomenon relating to carrieres (this means quarries).

The beautiful fin de siecle architecture scattered over the Butte and especially around Lamarck Caulincourt are on the hill where they originally got the stone for building Paris. The hill of Montmartre is just a thin veneer of rock over an underground quarry, a Swiss cheese of caverns and tunnels, and fortunes are spent pumping the caverns full of a mixture of concrete and clay. Initially the miners quarrymen left columns of stone to hold the whole thing up, but water has seeped in over the years, eroding away the columns, and surface subsidence has occurred.

Luxury and prestige - what Paris is best at!

People are always asking me if the prices are dropping or going to drop at the moment. Especially those sitting on their hands waiting for their chosen currency to improve or the usual French lament that there is going to be a big crash in the property market. Don't bet on it and if you are after something special (of course all of our clients are) you should know that we have not seen any drop in prices for exceptional products in good areas. They are always quick to sell and the prices are still going up. This also applies to smaller products with charm so hold out for something with the wow factor.

The international buyer is always active in Paris; Russians, Americans and those from the Middle East - and prices in the heart of Paris continue to rise between 5 and 10%. Prices for run-of-the-mill (or just plain ugly of which there are legion in Paris contrary to popular belief) properties have stagnated slightly in the second half of 2007 but good products in les beaux quartiers (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 16, South 17, Neuilly, Boulogne and Saint-Cloud) have continued to perform well.

Pink PQ

One trend that I can see will take a while to catch on in Paris, even trendy Paris. Portuguese paper products company Renova sells Renova Black, lauded as the first fashionable toilet paper. Price per roll is EUR 2.17. Renova Black is also available as Renova Red, Renova Orange, and Renova Green.

But not in Renova Grainy Pink. The preferred colour for toilet paper all over France.

n.b. - PQ, or papier cul - toilet paper in France.

Renovation of the Magasins généraux & La Villette

As you walk along the la Villette canal basin it is difficult to miss the two buildings that define its extremities.
The Magasins géneraux were built between 1845 and 1853 and stored grain and flour until a fire broke out.

In 2001 the Paris City Council set about their reconversion. The project should be finished in early 2008. The building on quai de Loire already houses a student residence with 165 rooms, 37 artists’ workshops, a restaurant and an exhibition space. Opposite, the exterior appearance of the building has been retained so as not to break the symmetry, and the reconstruction project is part of a High Quality Environmental (HQE) plan: use of renewable raw materials, highly-effective thermal insulation and sun protection standards, as well as a system to produce energy that associates solar captors and the recuperation of rainwater. This building will house an Express by Holiday Inn hotel, an accommodation centre for young people Christopher’s Inn, a car park and a restaurant.

The rehabilitation of the buildings is part of a wider project to develop and enhance the la Villette basin, and
includes notably the opening of MK2 cinemas, the restaurant 25°Est, the renovation of place de la Bataille-de-
Stalingrad, the reconversion of the rotonde de Ledoux, and the project for a marina. So, this once prosperous and subsequently run-down area is in the process of becoming an attractive and trendy place, for both residents and visitors.

A solution to the exchange rate penalty for Americans buying in Paris!

Bonapart's long-term mortgage partner, France Home Finance have informed us of a new bank product that solves the exchange rate penalty for Americans or Brits buying in Paris.

The buyer borrows 100% of the purchase price and the bank requires 25% of the loan amount to be placed in a portfolio as a bond (the client can’t withdraw the funds while the mortgage is outstanding but keeps any gains on investment generated). If the buyer wishes to finance the notaire fees as well, the deposit needs to be 33% of the loan amount.

Paris' new architecture museum

Beside the Louvre Pyramid and the Centre Pompidou (to name a few of the few), this labyrinth of narrow streets doesn't leave much room for new architectural projects. You may find your fix however, at the Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine, also known as the Cité Chaillot, a newly opened museum in Paris displaying a variety of exhibitions on contemporary architecture -- both French and foreign -- including different approaches to town planning. You can also go for a virtual tour to discover the museum's different galleries. Also, in efforts to encourage thought on the matter, the museum regularly organizes conferences and debates.
Upcoming: a debate in context of the Prix de l’Union Européenne pour l’architecture contemporaine Mies van der Rohe - Prix 2007