I now realize that most people haven’t been in as many apartments as I have. Due to living and working I guess I’ve clocked up a lot of real estate. So a lot of the time I talk about things assuming everyone knows, but most people who visit Paris will never have a clue. In a way that’s sad because you’re missing out on so much. 

I’ve been thinking about a real estate lately. I’ve been trying to idolize what my dream Paris apartment would be and I must admit it would be basic. There are a lot of cool apartments out there. They're not all cut and dry Peirre de Taille. If I could afford my dream it would be a hotel particular, but in a rational world the classic quintessential style I adore is Haussmann. And yes, Haussmann, post Haussmann, it still looks Haussmann. 

When people think of Haussmann they think of parquet floors, fireplaces, and tiny kitchens shoved in a tiny space facing the interior (because rich people don’t cook, only servants use the kitchen so it should be windowless and the size of a closet). You would not be wrong. There is a reason this apartment is the de facto Paris look.

I’m no estate agent or architect so I don’t know what constitutes what, but off of my own knowledge and experience these were the basic features I looked for. If you're into the same look you’ll probably look for the same. 

Really grand buildings will feature double doors. Meaning they were big enough for a carriage to pull into. The newer ones (20th century) won’t. At one time I wanted to make an Instagram of just Paris doors because they're all so unique, but there are just so many, you could walk the streets every day and still miss all of the little details. With buildings like these you only the smaller right side door. The big ones usually stay closed. However I once worked for an uber rich family and they used to pull their car in. When you're rich you can open them up everyday and park inside.

Another feature which is actually the Paris norm, the door code (the digi). Every building in Paris requires a code. It’s just a fact of life. If you don’t have it you’re not getting in and this will be why you see people impatiently consulting their phones at entrances, they’re waiting for someone to send them the code. One guy I dated told me that all of the buildings opened during certain hours (for deliveries) so you just need to press the big silver button, but that’s not always true. 

Either way it doesn’t matter if you bypass the first door because there is always the second security door. Unless the building is one of those 1930's numbers, you will need to enter another code, use a physical key (usually for buildings in the Marais), or pass your Vigik to access the apartments. Any visitors at this point will need to ring you. 

Opaque Curtains Always Mean Guardian Apartment

On the ground floor you will find the Guardian. Their apartment is behind one of those doors, usually the one with the opaque curtains. Most buildings have one. You will of course pay more in charges to have one but nothing too crazy (maybe 100€ instead of 40€ a month). The Guardienne maintains the building, takes care of the trash, and can generally be annoying. I haven’t met one who has been nice. Most of the time they eye you with suspicion. 

Elevator Squeezed In Middle of Staircase

Because Haussmann buildings are so large you will probably always have an elevator. Elevator’s are small, but these buildings were built pre-elevator so they can only fit them where they can. My favorite being the ones where the staircase is so wide they’ve managed to squeeze it in the middle. 

Rickety Service Stair

On the ground floor you will also have a service staircase (for the servants back in the day). Sometime it will say "service". Most of the time it won't. They're usually narrow and badly maintained. This staircase leads to the chambre de bons and the kitchens. Remember servants were seen and not heard so they had to use these crappy little staircases. The one pictured above is much, much larger than the usual.

You’ll also have a courtyard. Depending on how big it is and how you're guardian designs it, it could be really nice or could just be basic cobblestones and 4 walls. Sometimes it’s where your trash cans are. If you don’t have a guardian, you’ll surely have a Syndiq. Like a guardian, except they’re not there 24/7. Like the guardian they clean the building every week and are the ones to take out the bins. I couldn’t even tell you what days the trash comes because I’ve never had to pay attention to that. They deal with it.

You should also have a staircase to the caves. If you're renting you probably won't have access to this, but some will. The caves are like your own personal basement. Every apartment in the building gets one (or more). Including a chambre de bon (which you access by the service stairs). So you get lot of storage space and it's why you never see Parisian apartments with clutter. 

Some buildings are fancier than others. I don’t know what decided that (19th century property developers who didn't mind splashing cash?), but for instance if you are in the buildings around Mendel or Wagram, the interiors of the buildings will be super lush. Marble staircases, stained glass windows, they’re all different on the inside. Half the fun is opening the doors and seeing what’s inside. 

If your apartment is really large you’ll only find one apartment per floor. I used to think this meant you were super rich, but then I tutored for a family that lived near Victor Hugo. They were one of two on their floor, and their apartment was like 400m2, so it fully depends on the building. Obviously buildings in center Paris will be smaller than buildings in the 16th. 

Typical Fancy Building Double Door

Regular Paris Door

Another feature is the double doors. I never realized this until I was apartment hunting but the double doors mean so much. It wasn’t until I saw that my apartment had them that I was like oh yeah they’re supposed to have this. They also make that horrendously loud boom when they close. I call this the boom of death because if you forgot your keys, you’re fucked. 

Most people (read Americans) would think well why doesn’t your “super” (guardian) have an extra set? Good question. But apparently the French are suspicious of the guardian as well and they don’t give them access to their apartments. Hopefully you’ve left a set with a friend. As long as you didn't turn the key twice, it's a bit less expensive. Otherwise you’re looking at 700€-1400€ to have a locksmith break your lock. Landlords do not like that FYI.

Once inside, your apartment should feature crown moldings. I worked for this woman once. She owned in what used to be an old bordello on rue Maubauge. Beautiful apartment. Massive, but she didn’t have moldings. At the time she was going through a divorce so they were selling and they were apparently having a hard time because in the 70’s the owner had decided moldings were passé and had completely shaved them down. Now because the apartment didn’t have moldings, no one wanted to buy it. It essentially made her 2m€ dollar apartment only worth 1m€. #TheMoreYouKnow

Typical Haussmannian Apartment

My favorite feature, and one that is the Paris standard: parquet floors. Yes, those annoying bloody floors that squeak every time you make a move. They feel weak and brittle, but have existed in the building since day 1. The most Paris of Paris things. I've seen some apartments where they cover them with carpet and it's sacrilege. Or some where they’ve tiled. I have no idea why anyone would do that. You can actually find pieces of old parquet at Les Puces. I remember seeing stacks of them and wondering where they ripped them out of.

Some apartments are fancy and will feature Point de Hongrie or Herringbone and Chevron (my favorites), very rarely they’ll have Versailles or Aremberg, most will just feature wood stripe. Buildings from the 60’s (high rises found in the 20th, 13th, 15th) always have fake parquet in square basket. I don't know why.

Lastly the fireplace. I've never seen a functioning one. Back in the day the more chimney pots on the roof, the more expensive your property looked so the French had the habit of creating dummy fireplaces and dummy chimney pots. Possibly why most of them don't work, or the upkeep is too expensive. Either way most fancier apartments will have a fireplace in the living room and in the bedroom. At the very least you should have one. Sometimes you'll see the square where the fireplace used to be and that's just sad. 

One gripe I have with the fireplaces, and I don't know if this increases the cost, but some of them do not have the mirror. You can buy the mirror at Les Puces, but for the most part they should come with. Most of the time they are gold, but my friend's parents had theirs's painted silver and it look really beautiful. I prefer the classic gold to the white, which some apartments have. 

You'll need to go to Medieval Paris for exposed beams

And there you have it. The little things that make that ‘classic’ Paris apartment. Not everyone will want these features. You may be more into the lofts of Belleville and Pigalle, or the high rises of the 15th, or the medieval look of the Marais, 5th and 1st. But if like me this is more your jam you can try looking in the 16th, the 8th, the 7th, the 6th, and the 9th. You can find cheaper in the 12th and 20th, but the highest concentration is going to be in the areas that were wealthy when they were built, so read a bit of history and you'll get an idea. 

If you’re into learning more about Paris architecture I was recently told by an ex of mine (a property developer) that the museum to check out is the Architecture museum at Trocadero. I had no idea there was an architecture museum there. I lived there for a whole year and could have visited it! I only know the Homme museum is there. But apparently it’s a permanent museum. On a date 4 years ago he took me to a Haussmann exhibit at the Arsenal so every year I bother him for advice (his company was a partner in the exhibit) but so far there haven’t been any like that one. Such a shame because it had so much information. If one ever pops up again I’ll post about it.