The Art Of Chic

The ideal recipe for eclectic chic 21st-century style? Combine the classic details of a Haussmannian apartment with owner Emmanuel de Bayser’s eye for the finest mid-century furniture and design objects – plus a growing collection of contemporary art. Parfait!

- ROBYN ALEXANDER

When boutique owner and collector Emmanuel de Bayser outgrew his former Paris apartment – a pied-à-terre used mainly when he was in town to attend fashion weeks and select items for The Square Berlin, his store in Germany – he and his partner knew they wanted to stay in the same part of the city. “The previous apartment was a bit small, since we intended to spend more time in Paris,” Emmanuel explains. “But I liked the Parc Monceau area very much, and it is ideal for our dog, so I was very pleased when I found this apartment – just 200 metres from where we were before.”

The area’s famed parks were not the only attraction, of course. As Emmanuel says, this part of Paris is “pure Haussmannian style” and features many of the hôtels particuliers (grand townhouses) that are so typical of the famous 19th-century city planner’s designs. “This part of the city makes you immediately feel like you’re right in the heart of Paris,” he says, adding that “this Paris, and what it offers – architecture, monuments, museums, galleries, restaurants, shops – is a permanent source of inspiration.”

Situated on the étage noble, the coveted second floor of a Haussmann-style building, the apartment came complete with three-meter-high ceilings, classic wooden panelling and beautifully detailed interior mouldings. Says Emmanuel, living here “gives you a wonderful feeling of belonging each time you enter the building. And privacy as well. It is like entering a world of its own, full of charm and promises.”