Saint Jacques Apartment

Global Ingenuity Updates Classic Parisian Apartment

The designer-owner of this classic French apartment has made a career of blending vernacular and modern lifestyle concepts into interiors across the Caribbean, Japan, France and SE Asia, so it’s little wonder she’s incorporated global architectural elements into her home near Place Maubert, a Parisian market square in the historic Latin Quarter of Paris' Left Bank.

The Latin Quarter apartment is full of ingenious, space-expanding hacks, such as the “mini chambre” that tops a compact, Japanese-inspired wood staircase, mezzanine style, creating an entirely new sleep space for two. The apartment’s main bedroom has also been expanded by mezzanines. In this case, twin bed lofts are accessed via a pair of cool ladders that climb up an artfully wallpapered wall. A pair of Knoll chairs and a Corbusier table create a design-forward workspace, and the fully-equipped cuisine americaine is bordered by a dining table for six. The double-height living room with its dove-draped trio of floor-to-ceiling French windows is backed by a bank of mirrors, another visual opening of space that gives this classic pied-à-terre an expansive update.

Around

Adjacent to Paris’ Place Maubert at the heart of the Latin Quarter, the apartment is set in a beautiful building with a pave-lined entry and gracefully arched window openings. Place Maubert’s thrice-weekly market has been a Parisian standard since the 1500s, and the market stalls are surrounded by specialty shops—the culinary outposts of pastry makers, butchers, fishmongers, and a handful of busy cafes, restaurants and bars. Paris’s 5ème arrondissement, also known as the Latin Quarter for its scholarly history (Latin was the language of academia until nearly 1800), is home to the Sorbonne, l’Ecole des Beaux Arts and several public Paris universities. A pure Left Bank district—the historical stomping grounds of academics and artists, students, and writers, the district’s narrow streets (Paris’ narrowest is in the area) are walkable, and the best thing to do there is wander curiously, or as the French put it: flâner. The youthful Boulevard Saint-Michel is one of the quarter’s busiest streets, a popular strip of restaurants, Greek food outlets and kabob stands, and dozens of sidewalk cafes packed with students. The independently owned Shakespeare & Company bookstore popularized by Hemingway in his memoir, A Moveable Feast, still greets a crowd daily, and the neighborhood’s streets range from the hushed and historical to the thronged and touristy.

Slip away from the sightseeing crowds into the Jardin des Plantes, a 17th-century botanical garden with alpine, rose, winter and Art Deco garden sections. Entry to the lush locale is free, though the zoo and Natural History Museum on its grounds have an entry fee. Another gastronomical street nearby is Rue Mouffetard. A market street Juila Child made famous in the US. Its vibrant produce stands and fragrant bakeries shouldn’t be missed. It’s a great place to grab a picnic before heading to a quiet square or the banks of the nearby Seine overlooking Notre Dame Cathedral. Paris’ Grand Mosquée’s garden makes for another great, plant-filled food stop. The mosque’s interior is lush with greenery and lined with fountains and ponds, and sweet mint tea and honey-blanketed pastries are served in beautiful, open-air surroundings, and there’s also a hammam open to the public.

From the Pantheon to the churches of Saint-Etienne-du-Mont or Eglise Saint Severin, among others, the quarter is filled with historical monuments. Some date from Roman times, as the neighborhood is Paris’ oldest, the original Lutetia, and remains of the ancient arena/stadium are also in the area. The Latin Quarter is bordered by the Seine, the neighboring 6th arrondissement and the Jardin du Luxembourg, and the Boulevard du Port-Royal is to the east/southeast.

Location

Nearest airport: Paris Orly (20 minutes); Paris CDG (30-45 minutes)

Best time to visit

Paris is always a good idea.