Some Thoughts on Parisian Architecture and Design

March 25th, 2018

I'm always planning my next renovation/redecoration, so I've been keeping my eyes out for interesting design ideas here in Europe.  Our apartment is nice, modern, functional, but I don't think anyone would call it inspired in terms of design.  So I must look further.  

I'm not sure that I have identified a European aesthetic separate from an American one.  The raw materials they have (for instance, the structures themselves) are often different and older, and there are nods to different design traditions (think more peasant and less cowboy), but the broad contours are the same.  I posted earlier about the hotel in Stockholm where we stayed (more pictures there).  I really loved the Scandanavian elements---the clean but organic, flowing lines and the coziness---combined with some industrial elements and lots of fun and whimsy.  I think all of those parts, especially the industrial and whimsical parts, are equally prominent in American design these days, though.  

In that case, the building itself was modern and characterless, so everything was created from whole cloth.  The buildings that really shine in Paris, I think, are the ones that take advantage of the antique structural elements.  There are two elements that I see over and over that I love:  natural timbers and butter-colored stone walls.  In fact, one often sees the light stone and mortar in barrel-vaulted ceilings of cellars that have been re-purposed as living spaces.  Some interiors cover up both those elements with drywall or plaster or paint but many leave them exposed to great effect.  Below are some photos I took to illustrate these two elements.  Here, first, are details of exterior stone walls with irregular-sized stones.

Here are two store fronts with the old timbers and stonework:

Here is an ice cream shop with timber beams on the ceiling and a stone back wall.

Here I love the structural stone wall, visible inside and out, with a store front of clear glass butting against the stone.  

The following image is a shoe store interior with half-timbered walls, where the timbers have been bleached very light with age, as seen through a glass storefront reflecting the buildings on the other side of the street.

Here are a few stock photos of Parisian interiors I pulled that do a pretty nice job of illustrating how these elements can be beautifully exploited in interior design.  The final one is of a guesthouse near us where I would like to stay when we come back to visit, La Maison d'Anne.