Description
A panoramic flat on the top floor of a typical 1930s artists’ studio building.
Set in an Art Deco building designed by architect Maurice Bonnemaison in 1932, this flat boasts an exceptional 180° view over Paris and the Seine.
It has a floor area of 207.5 m² (293 m² on the ground).
It features a gallery entrance with cloakroom, a 58 m² living space comprising a lounge with fireplace and 4.5 metre high ceilings and a dining room, bordered by a moulded alcove. A wrap-around balcony runs the length of the flat, offering spectacular views of the Eiffel Tower, the Sacré-Cœur, the towers of La Défense and the bend of the Seine. A kitchen with pantry and small balcony has a service entrance leading directly onto the landing;
The night area comprises 4 bedrooms. A 21 m² master suite opens onto a balcony with a fireplace, dressing room and bathroom with original earthenware tiles, overlooking Paris. To the rear, three adjoining bedrooms share a connecting shower room. One of them has its own bathroom.
A staircase leads to a mezzanine that could be used as an office or small lounge, a utility room and a convertible attic;
A double cellar in the basement and a double garage in the courtyard complete the property.
The flat benefits from a shared garden.
It has retained its original floor coverings, such as the Versailles and herringbone parquet flooring, and the tiles in the entrance hall, kitchen and bathrooms, as well as numerous period details such as the moulded fireplaces. A skylight creates a light well above the staircase. The spaces are enlivened by geometric mouldings, friezes and refined cornices. Alcoves allow multiple uses within a room.
The building is ideally located in the Val d’Or-Les Coteaux district of Saint-Cloud.
It is served by the T2 tramway, the train (Le Val d’Or station) and bus routes.
A typical 1930’s architecture
The building’s garden facade, covered in traditional light-coloured stone cladding, is punctuated by double-height workshop bays and projecting rectangular balconies adorned with geometrically designed wrought-iron balustrades.The overall design is typical of the period, based on an assertive orthogonality, materialised by the vertical of a central projecting bow window and the horizontal of a balcony running along the top of the structure. The design of the bow window is in line with the work of architects of the period such as Michel Roux-Spitz, who modernised this motif by geometrising its form.
The street façade, which is less expressive, is clad in softly tinted ceramic panelling punctuated by openings of varying sizes. The building’s entrance door, framed by two thick grey marble jambs, features a geometric motif in wrought iron and glass.
The artists’ studios building
This building, designed by Maurice Bonnemaison, is in the typical style of the artists’ studios that developed in the 19th century and more widely in the 20th century.
The studio’s large windows give the façade a distinctive and recognisable typology. The north-facing aspect and occasional overhead lighting give the space a stable light level throughout the day, meeting the needs of the artists. The simple interior volumes and double height accentuate the feeling of an airy interior, allowing artists to take a step back from their works and their spatial dimension, or to experiment with different hangings.
The model of the artist’s studio appealed to the bourgeoisie of the 20th century. It was during this period that it began to be used in the construction of private homes, blending the characteristics of the studio with the codes and tastes of modern life through a variety of orientations. Iconic architects such as Le Corbusier, Robert Mallet-Stevens and Auguste Perret drew inspiration from this model in some of their best-known creations.
Maurice Bonnemaison
Maurice Bonnemaison was born in Rambouillet in 1882. He studied architecture at the studios of Jule Pillet and Edmond Paulin, graduating from the Beaux arts in 1905.
He then worked as an architect in the 4th and 16th arrondissements of Paris between 1910 and 1914, then in Arpajon in the Essonne department. He designed a large number of workshops, apartment blocks and town houses, particularly in the 16th arrondissement.
