With AI images everywhere online, I often get push back from FB followers insisting an interior I post is not real when it truly is. What a strange time in technology and media this is. This Parisienne-Style Villa in Pacific Heights is bursting with enough fantasy that it could fool anyone. I like noticing the interior choices made, the color stories selected. While decidedly over the top, it boasts several actionable ideas which could be applied to non-fantasy homes. This manse on the market for $13.9 million (offered by Sotheby’s HERE) offers 8,650 square feet of wonder.
Photos: Sotheby’s
Parisienne-Style Villa: Actionable Ideas from a Fantasy
This amazing Parisienne-style building appears to be a European gem!
5 bedrooms and 5.5 baths are inside.
There’s also a gorgeous chef’s kitchen, 4 fireplaces (including a 16th century Renaissance-style showstopper), a grotto, a library, and beautiful stone and hardwood flooring.
Sotheby’s calls this Francophile mansion “evocative of a Parisienne-style hôtel particulier.”
Are you familiar with the French hôtel particulier?
This description is actually spot on.
One of my favorite parts of our visit to Paris was touring hôtel particulier wonders!
In case you’re wondering…a hôtel particulier is a grand mansion in the city.
My favorite? Carnavalet which closed for five years of renovations shortly after I toured it. Five years!
While these private manses certainly appear palatial to most of us, not all are palaces.
The term “hôtel” was defined by Catherinot as houses…
“…less beautiful than palaces and more beautiful than simple lodgings” in his Traité d’Architecture published in 1688.” –UNTAPPED CITIES
While this villa (2839 Pacific Avenue) has classic French architecture undeniably Old World, you’ll find contemporary style inside that feels consistent with MODERN FRENCH style.
Yes, indeed, luxuriously grand like the price tag.
Doesn’t it feel surprisingly comfy and livable inside? Neutral colors, spare furnishings, traditional appliances, and state-of-the-art technology juxtapose with ornate architecture and exterior formality.
A breathtaking, centuries old fireplace upstages everything including a gorgeous La Cornue range in the kitchen!
What a gorgeous mix of old and new.
(If you’re thinking about adding an antique French limestone mantel to your own manor, sashay over to Chateau Domingue.)
No. 1: Paint Colors & A Serene Color Story
Inside and out, you can’t miss the tranquil tone on tone atmosphere.
You’ll notice there is little in this everyday kitchen dining area that is jarring or saturated in color.
From the beige stone to the white trim to the light wood floors, contrast is kept low. Have you seen rumblings of “color blandness” or “sad beige trend” in social media? Because this is my kinda boring beige. 🙂
While the walls are luxuriously finished with plaster, a paint color that springs to mind for a similar warm white look is
Another possibility? The color of my own kitchen:
Here’s another off-white that would be peachy:
And what color for trim and doors?
All White (2005) would be a great color with both Wevet and Wimborne White.
What do you think about the black stone used for countertops? It surprised me yet felt consistent with a more Modern French look.
No. 2: Contemporary Decor With Traditional Architecture
This French home would be a dream for a modern art collector as it is designed with art lighting and multiple gallery walls.
The tension introduced when modern abstract paintings or sculpture live with traditional Old World style? So very Parisian chic.
Like a well appointed Parisienne apartment, there is no excess of accessories or clutter.
The bedroom sitting area would feel quite different were there dark colors in here or an antique portrait above the fireplace where we see the modern art.
No. 3: Understated Quietude & Modern French Style
Oh this spare and sophisticated modern bedroom (below) with its traditional French doors and shutters! Such restraint as far as decorating the space.
Subtle neutrals, simple lines of furniture, and sumptuous nubby rugs create a very hygge feel that is anything but fussy.
Just imagine if this very Paris-like bedroom was crowded with ornate antique furniture, shelves of objects, or gilded finishes.
While the bones and architecture are breathtaking, even without them, such unfussy simplicity would feel modern in a space with a traditional or vintage backdrop.
San Francisco Manse With French Style
Peek inside this unique mansion to see it for yourself!
No. 4: Timeless Finishes & Lime Washes
If you have never lived with plaster walls, you may wonder what all the fuss is about, but they really are allllll that and a bag of…
Plaster and plaster-like finishes are becoming more commonplace. Curious about giving it a try? You could always start small!
If you live near Houston, you could consult SEGRETO FINISHES! Their work speaks for itself…see examples HERE!
Psst. This ultra-luxurious French mansion’s bathroom with its gold toned hardware and stone floors reminded me so much of the Park Hyatt Paris Vendome.
Twin showers! As I gazed at this home’s primary bath, I pondered what could possibly be affordable to get the look.
Let’s see…cremone bolts on grand double doors…nope. Out of the stratosphere soaking tub…non, non, non. Skylight? C’est possible.
Fine. About all I can emulate are those fluffy white towels in the shower above on the left:
These are the best towels I own! Here are a few ideas for baths while we’re at it:
No. 5: Work Area in Kitchen
I can’t stop thinking about the beauty of this desk area next to that enormous fireplace in the kitchen. While an ancient kitchen hearth may be out of the question, creating a tucked away nook isn’t an impossibility!
Another possibility is borrowing the color story happening…reminds me of this:
Alternatively, you could mix a modern lift desk with a MCM chair like I did:
For even more Francophile eye candy, do visit THIS.
I independently selected products in this post—if you buy from one of my links, I may earn a commission.
Peace to you right where you are.
-michele
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Fantasyland! Hahahaha