I have been very fortunate to have visited Paris in almost every month of the year. She never disappoints! But this last trip in the fall was charmed in ways that I couldn’t have imagined. Have you known that feeling? Daydreaming about living in a foreign city with which you’ve become enamored, like Paris…its singular architecture and handsome doors,

cafe’s and tea spots, around the clock

and shopping escapades (sometimes masquerading as a museum show), just to name a few highlights.

Last October two friends and I had just that opportunity…on the Left Bank, in the sixth arrondisement, we rented a third floor apartment with a beyond-appealing interior. Three bedrooms and 2 full baths are nestled happily within the 1,076 square footage, cozy and roomy at the same time.

Walking up the stairs (the only drawback) sets the mood for feeling “at home”, where you are greeted with a foyer and elegant spot to hang coats.

The Rue Bonaparte address is just up the street from le Jardin de Luxembourg, (which contributed the owner’s title for this apartment, Luxembourg Gardens Élégance )

and the towers of St. Suplice can be seen from the apartment’s tall windows.

Both a tony and convenient location, it’s also a nice walk to Paris’ favorite boutique shopping emporium, Bon Marche’. Since the apartment boasted a well-designed, efficient, small kitchen the store’s vast culinary treats as well as practical dining selections offered a welcome option for “bathrobe breakfasts” (as I love to call them) ….or nibbles and cocktails before we left for the evenings’ outings.

Part of the romantic in me loves details that contribute both a sense of welcome as well as embracing charm. Rue Bonaparte has these in spades, from the antique furniture (with its marble top on which we placed our 3 sets of apartment keys)

to the cardinal red brocade wall paper (and period-appropriate framed art).

The owners clearly set out to retain the original features…original hardwood and stone floors, wood panelling, shutters that fold into the window reveal, and a fireplace in the master bedroom, while providing modern day comforts (ie. new showers).

What a treat it is to share this with you, at the same time that I’m reminiscing…oh my, the memories are flooding back! This part of the Left Bank is so special; when you follow Rue Bonaparte all the way to its other end, the Seine and this image greet you. Do you need any more coaxing? PS Pack lightly, there’s not a lot of closet space in old apartments.

Here’s to a New Year with many travel spots on your calendar…and the refreshing occasions for delight that accompany a change of scenery.

Happy to pass along a link to the apartment Luxembourg Gardens Élégance.