Many consider it the most beautiful and most romantic city in the world. Its emblematic monuments, the banks of the Seine, its luxury boutiques everywhere so filled with history make Paris an exceptional place. Today, we invite you to discover the City of Lights. We’ll leave our luggage at Hotel Vernet steps away from the Champs-Elysées before heading to boulevard Saint-Germain where the Scandinavian furniture brand Bolia has opened the doors of its first Parisian boutique. Premium furniture for luxurious apartments. In Paris the real estate market for prestigious properties is doing well and that is what we’ll discover in the company of our experts. We’ll also invite you to enter the universe of Parisian art. Marie Laborde director of the Laurent Strouk Gallery, unveils her most beautiful works it’s an excellent way to discover big names or unknown new talent and maybe even start a new collection. Note that in Paris museums and galleries don’t have the monopoly on art. Indeed, facing Place Vendôme, at 8 rue de la Paix the windows of Swiss watch manufacturer Jaquet Droz reveal exceptional timepieces blending fine watchmaking, art craftsmanship and machines. Finally we head back to the hotel and we’ll get dressed up in our evening wear for a magical dinner and show at the Moulin Rouge. But before that, we return to rue Vernet. Ideally located between the Champs-Elysées and Avenue Marceau the Hotel Vernet is a 5 star establishment sought out by foreign clients that very much appreciate the noble materials like oak or Carrara marble found in the bathrooms. The establishment which offers 50 rooms and suites , the majority of them connected, welcomes individual and family clients wanting to spend an exceptional moment in a refined, elegant, and contemporary setting created by celebrity designer Francois Champsaur. A former mansion bought in 2014 by the B Signature Hotels and Resorts group the space kept its typically Haussmannien style. The mouldings were preserved, same for the period chimneys notably in the signature salon a space perfect for business dinners and other family meals. Made from a block of pink marble the Vernet bar dressed in copper touches is a must see. Looking around it’s easy to recognise the signature of French artist, painter and filmmaker Jean-Michel Alberola. Another majestic work is this Gustave Eiffel dome renovated in 2016, offering the “Le V” restaurant clarity and undeniable chicness. In the kitchen British chef Richard Robe offers an inventive menu that evolves as the seasons go by. As our host of the day would say luxury is an emotion. And it’s true as we stroll through Paris and feel the emotion. The Champs-Elysées and Avenue Montaigne will quench your thirst for shopping the Eiffel Tower will dazzle you with its 325 metres like the Trocadéro Gardens and their 93,930 m2 of green space. The centre of the garden is marked by the famous Warsaw fountain and its 20 water canons that offer a remarkable aquatic spectacle. Not forgetting the Champ-de Mars park a prestigious space for national gatherings. We pass by Saint-Germain-des-Prés a maze of old streets dedicated to fashion books and art to land end up a little further down at number 90 Boulevard Saint-Germain. It’s here that the brand Bolia decided to call home for their first Parisian boutique. Rather fun, filled with colours and possessing an imprint of a certain minimalism the premium Scandinavian furniture brand welcomes us in a warm perfumed atmosphere with as a bonus free organic coffee available. Founded in 2000 in Danemark Bolia today has 53 boutiques throughout the four corners of the globe. A brand whose notoriety continues to grow. At Bolia, what you find here is New Scandanavian Design meaning it’s Scandanavian design but interpreted by international designers. It’s a warm and attractive design with materials like velvet or corduroy and colours like yellow orange and green. Bolia collaborates with 30 designers from around the world to propose a furniture collection that is entirely made to measure according to your needs. Plus Bolia proposes home decor accessories like vases mirrors and blankets and to finish Bolia has created a spa collection that includes soaps hand creams and scents for the home. A 240 m2 boutique that spreads over 3 floors. The novelties are of course highlighted like this pivoting Lady chair model in light blue velvet designed by Busetti Garuti Redaelli or this Cara couch designed by Joa Herrenknecht. Modular pieces that can be found in store or directly on the brand’s website. Bolia is not a style everyone can create their own style because the mantra of Boila is that ‘no one lives like us’ and that is why Bolia proposes thousands of possible combinations all handmade in Europe custom-made according to your needs and desires that are then delivered directly to you. A home can quickly become very expensive in Paris. Before thinking of furnishing one’s apartment you still have to be able to purchase it In the capital, the average price per square metre is over 9,000 euros. A price that in the best neighbourhoods can reach up to 20 to 22,000 per m2 in Saint-Germain-des-Prés and even up to 40 to 50,000 euros per m2 for exceptional properties on Avenue Montaigne. Despite these prices sales are doing well In 2017 the resale market flirted with the one million transactions mark an increase of 16% over 2016 according to the Federation of Real Estate. The attractiveness of the French capital seems to be undeniable notably with wealthy foreign clients as confirmed by Laurent and Vanda Demeure specialists in prestigious properties for the Caldwell Banker Agency. Today, the Parisian real estate market is doing very well. and today we’ve refound an influx of international buyers for Paris Paris is both a prestigious market and an extremely fluid market because there are always buyers and further currently more and more there’s a strong wave of people who are relocating due to Brexit. So we are in a very good market at the moment. A flair and a touch of luck are necessary if we want to find the rare pearl in the beautiful neighbourhoods . Because even if the Parisian market is dynamic the very beautiful products are rare. The main criteria demanded are Haussmannien, interior space, and above all, a great location. There are neighbourhoods that are sought after by foreign clients. For example Ile Saint-Louis or Saint-Germain-des-Prés they are well liked by the English and American clients for example… Here the Avenue Foch neighbourhood is more sought after by the Russian or Middle-Eastern clients there is everything they love here large and beautiful buildings with stunning views and close to their favourite areas like Avenue Champs-Elysées or Avenue Montaigne for their shopping. This apartment could please a foreign client because it’s on the top floor. So you have a very large terrace that offers a view over the whole of Paris, which is rare. Plus the apartment was entirely renovated but it has kept its old charm like here for example. You have the original wood and you have the old casement bolts on the windows. In short a 195 m2 renovated apartment complete with 4 bedrooms each benefitting from its own bathroom The cherry on the cake? This 195m2 terrace offering a breathtaking view over Paris. It’s rare it’s magnificent and this apartment is for sale. Take note apartment hunters! And if redecorating your interior is what you desire whether its sculptures or tableaus know that Paris is full of renowned art galleries. For our part we chose to head to Avenue Matignon. Of course we have to stop off at the Champs-Elysées. Listed as one of the most visited sites of Paris the famous avenue every day welcomes close to 300,000 visitors. Close to 2 km long this historical road connects the monumental Arc de Triomphe with Place de la Concorde But before becoming one of the most beautiful avenues in the world the Champ-Elysées was a swamp It was in the 17th century that Le Nôtre the gardener of Louis 14th laid down the first stones. Perpendicular to the “Champs” or “Fields” in English and steps away from the Palais de l’Elysée is Avenue Matignon It’s here at number 2 that the Lauren Strouk Gallery established its headquarters. At first glance connaisseurs would have noted the work of Philippe Hiquily or the Spin Skull of Damien Hirst a magnificent work among many others. Marie Laborde the director of the gallery presents the space to us. We’re an American pop art gallery and also, let’s say European pop to be simple So that means we’re in a free figurative narrative a new realism from historical artists And then we have new artists that we are integrating bit by bit into the gallery and who, for us are a sort of continuity of what we have promoted and represented up until now. Many of the artists that you’ll find at the gallery are American pop art artists so you’ll find works from Andy Warhol or Wesselmann on a regular basis. There’s Keith Haring who is part of the free figuration narrative but in the American category and then we have our French artists that we have been promoting for a longtime notably the figurative narrative artists such as Jacques Monory Valerio Adami Peter Klasen and then artists continuing with our French movement and free figurative such as Robert Combas who is a major artist in this gallery. A French artist who’s popularity is on the rise especially with international collectors…. many of his works are being bought in Asia. Antonio Segui, Retna, and Richard Phillips to whom we owe this oil on canvas, share the walls of this gallery. Philippe Pasqua is represented by his portrait of Picasso while the newcomer the artist Brusk his talent literally blew everyone away. Yes, there’s a new arrival in the gallery who we love a lot and promote ferociously who is part of the street art movement he is a French artist a Lyonnais to be precise and he’s about 40 years old and works on tearing and sagging so there is always this dynamic of disintegration something run-down We can try, try to take off but we are sometimes brought back to reality, to the ground, there are often very important messages in his work. An artist whose paintings will probably fly off the walls in the coming years. And speaking of art another place of French expertise comes to mind. It all started with Louis 14th who wanted a to create a grand space to show absolute power in the heart of Paris. Napoleon got involved and replaced the statue of the monarch removed from the throne in 1792 with a column poured of the bronze of 1,200 canons taken from the enemy. The square an octagonal gem of classic urbanism was over time, transformed into a luxury showcase. The biggest names in fashion fine jewellery and watchmaking all came to set up shop there making Place Vendôme and Rue de la Paix the most precious place in Paris. A wonder that continues in the shop windows of Jaquet Droz one of the oldest Swiss watchmaking companies created in 1738. 280 years of history and always the same emotion when we admire these automatons the pride of the house. On the facade of the shop located on rue de la Paix…is the number 8 A true symbol... The 8 is actually symbolic for Jaquet Droz it is part of the codes of the house It is an aesthetic signature I would say, of the house.. that one finds in the emblematic iconic and grandes secondes collection. At Baselworld 2018 we launched the Grande Seconde Skelet-One Ceramic which once again highlights the pocket watch that was created in 1784 this time with the idea of really highlighting the deepest parts of the dial in a way to feature the number 8 so a difficult exercise for our watchmakers but we managed to execute it beautifully. Another novelty of 2018 inspired by the Lady 8 is the Lady Eight Petite and its double bracelet. Already richly decorated like this Petite Heure Minute Lion unveiled in 2017 the Ateliers d’Arts collection recently welcomed the newcomer Petite Heure Minute Smalta Clara. A 35 mm piece for lady’s that plays with different coloured enamels. Set with diamonds and dressed with a satin bracelet it offers a sublime game of light. And because 2018 is the 280th anniversary of the house two exceptional pieces were added to the Grandes Secondes and Automates collections. The Grande Seconde Hommage is equipped with a grand feu enamel dial. It’s the first time that the house has a created a wrist watch in yellow gold It’s an anniversary model limited to 88 pieces. Proof once again that amazement is an art that the Chaux-de-Fond brand masters perfectly. Here they offer a magical moment by unveiling their second anniversary model. The second model is a Parrot Repeater Pocket Watch that unites I would say, all the expertise of the house in terms of watch technology the mastering of automatons and the arts workshop. It’s a unique piece announced at one million Swiss francs. It’s certainly a day that’s full of emotion and it’s not over yet! Quick stop at the Montmarte Sacred Heart Basilica the second most visited site in Paris with more than 1 1 million visitors recorded in 2017 according to numbers published by the Tourism Office and the Paris Congress just behind Notre-Dame Cathedral that attracted just over a million more. Built in a Romano-Byzantine style it offers one of the most beautiful panoramic views of the capital at an altitude of 130 metres! From a distance we can even distinguish the arms of a windmill a moulin in French. An historical cabaret that is world renowned for its crazy soirées. Welcome to the Moulin Rouge! At nightfall, the place comes alive. Created in 1889 the place has always been dedicated to extravagance. During the roaring 20’s the Moulin enjoyed its time of glory with stars like Mistinguett. Then it experienced incredible success in 1962 when Jacki Clérico bought and owned it. One year later in 1963 he launched the Frou-Frou show. Success was immediate and so big thatby superstition, all the following shows names started with the letter F. So in 2000 the Féerie show was born which is still on stage today in a room that hasn’t changed one iota in decades. The room as we know it today has been like this since the 50’s since everything was redone at the time by a renowned decorator called Henry Mahé and of course the hall is part of the whole evening experience. We have a tendency to think that the evening is mainly the show but I like to think that the evening starts when we enter the hall because when we come for dinner at 7pm the show only starts at 9pm so between 7 and 9 we’re in a totally unique atmosphere that prepares the spectator for the upcoming show. Féerie is a show of 4 tableaus that last an hour and a half and is enchanted with incredible songs and dances and amazing scenes. In the troupe there are 14 nationalities one hundred artists including sixty on stage all perfectly mastering the most famous Parisian dances the one that tourists love The Moulin Rouge is a place that is full of history it’s here that the French Cancan was created So the French Cancan remains one of the major dances and highlights of the show and of course spectators want to see the French Cancan.. Splendid costumes have all been made on site for the past ten years. Shoe makers feather workers in all they are more than thirty workers creating and restoring these costumes every day each item custom made for each artist. “Home made” that is also found on the plates in the dining room. Since 2015 everything is made at 82 Boulevard de Clichy. Other changes could be made soon for the 130th anniversary of the cabaret. According to our sources a new show is being planned after almost 2 decades of loyal service of the Féérie show. So we can only advise you to buy your tickets, quickly… And so ends our visit to Paris. We’ll see you again soon for another new city trip!
