Before & After: Introducing the Enchanting Marsannay Paris Apartment

We could fill a book (or two … or three!) with all the stories and experiences we’ve had remodeling our Paris vacation rentals. It certainly is an adventure from the rough beginning—when you have to squint your eyes and bring with you a healthy dose of imagination—all the way through to that WOW moment when you finally open the door and step into a beautiful new home in Paris. When the dust settles, and the memories of construction chaos begin to fade, there’s nothing we love more than before and after pictures!

Breakfast on the balcony of the enchanting new Marsannay apartment!

It has been a joy for all of us to watch the transformation of the Marsannay apartment into a beautiful 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom vacation home in a fabulous location in the 7th arrondissement. This story begins with a delightful family who first stayed with us at our at the Cognac apartment, and then returned to stay in the Chateau Latour. It is an honor for us every time guests return to stay with us, because it lets us know we’ve done our job well. This family enjoyed their Paris Perfect experiences so much that when they decided to buy an apartment in Paris they asked us to manage it while they were away.After months of searching, we were invited to view what would become the Marsannay apartment for the first time. With many years of experience, we know what to overlook and how to spot potential – even in the most challenging apartments! Previously owned by an Egyptian/Asian couple with tastes that ran to hieroglyphs and tomb paintings mixed with the wife’s wedding dress pinned to the walls, the décor needed some serious work to say the least.

However, the potential shone through in the gorgeous balcony views of the Eiffel Tower, upper floor setting, original crown molding and mirrors and location in our favorite neighborhood in the 7th arrondissement. We gave our thumbs up and remodeling work began. Six months later … and the Marsannay was reborn. Without further ado, let’s get to those before and after pictures!

Living Room – BEFORE – 1950s/60s/70s eclectic

The living room is the heart of a home, and one of the Marsannay’s best features was its large double living and dining room with outstanding views of the Eiffel Tower. However, the 1950s/1960s/1970s  furniture and eclectic décor covered most of the room’s charms. Here’s a look before the remodeling where you can see some of those original details that caught our attention, such as the marble fireplace, mirrors and gorgeous crown molding.

Look at that mirror and crown molding – there’s hope here!

Living room with angel poster and 1950s furniture

Living Room

Are you ready for the first transformation? The view from the dining room toward the living room of the new Marsannay is quite a different sight now. We found the original mirror for the living room, which matches the crown molding, hanging in one of the bedrooms. We had it refinished to hang once again above the original fireplace in the living room. The room is already bright and sunny thanks to the 5th floor location, but the green and purple furniture made the room feel dark and small. With a new silver sofa, which converts to a comfortable double bed at night, and beautiful accents, we think the room is a much cheerier setting for a holiday in Paris now!

The new living room of the Marsannay with original refinished mirror above fireplace

Elegant living room setting with green silk curtains

Original fireplace and French Louis XV armchairs

Dining Room

The dining room of the Marsannay was one of the apartment’s most striking transformations. The room had such promise for being a romantic setting for dining with views of the Eiffel Tower from the large French doors and out on the balcony. However, the busy décor failed to enhance the gorgeous setting.

Eclectic dining room with guitars

Busy dining room from entrance hallway

Now we invite you to step into the newly remodeled and beautifully decorated dining room of the Marsannay. It seems so completely different that it’s hard to even compare! The room now features a large oak table that seats up to 6, an elegant sideboard, antique plates hung on the wall and a gorgeous chandelier. Step outside on the small balcony where you’ll find a bistro table, perfect for morning coffee while taking in the stunning views of the Eiffel Tower.

French oak dining table and antique chandelier in the new dining room

A breath of fresh air – the beautiful new dining room in the Marsannay!

Beautiful setting for dining any time of the day in Paris!

Kitchen

When doing apartment renovations in Paris, we often end up completely moving kitchens and bathrooms in order to modernize and make the spaces as livable and comfortable for guests as possible. This often means adding more bathrooms or powder rooms, and can get quite complicated given the limitations of plumbing in historic Paris buildings. But where there’s a will there’s a way! In the Marsannay, there was a lot of work to be done, and the kitchen ended up being moved completely. Where you see it in the before picture below you’ll now find the first bathroom in the Marsannay. My how things change!

The original kitchen was where first bathroom is now!

The new kitchen in the Marsannay was designed in an open plan with plenty of cupboard space and beautiful details. It’s located conveniently near the dining room and is now a light and pleasant space to prepare meals for family and friends. What a difference!

Voilà … the new kitchen with pale blue French country style cabinets!

Modern kitchen with refrigerator and cupboards on the right

Hallway

A light and sunny space changes the way you live in a home, and we try to bring in as much as possible in our Paris vacation rentals. When we first saw the dark hallway leading to the bedrooms and bathrooms in the Marsannay, we knew we had to do something. It was dark and gloomy, and the wall of books made us feel cramped walking down the hallway.

Long hallway with dark wood ceilings and jammed with books

The after shot for the hallway really tells the story of how much you can transform a space! The dark ceiling was removed and replaced with excellent lighting. The bookshelves were removed and replaced with antique paintings fitted with their own lights above. The new bathroom on the left with toilet, shower and sink was added where the kitchen once was before the renovations.

The transformed hallway in the Marsannay with new bathroom on left

Bathrooms

The before pictures of the bathrooms in the Marsannay pretty much speak for themselves. They needed some serious help to bring them up to modern tastes!

Bathroom needed updating … to say the least!

Glass brick wall in the bathroom – that has got to go!

Old bathtub in the Marsannay before renovation

We love the final results of the two beautiful bathrooms after the renovation of the Marsannay. The artistic touches, antique mirrors, heated towel racks and excellent lighting has transformed the bathrooms into pleasant rooms to start your day in Paris. Just take a look for yourself at all the changes!

The new first bathroom in the Marsannay

Pine vanity with slate top and inset sink and antique mirror above

Gone with the glass bricks – here’s the new second bathroom!

Antique touches in the newly designed second bathroom

Bedrooms

Little surprise that the bedrooms at the Marsannay needed some love and attention as well. In the main bedroom there was a gorgeous mirror with a design that matched the crown molding in the living room. That’s the one you spotted earlier hanging in its new location above the original fireplace. While we know everyone has their own decorating tastes, we found the wedding dress pinned to the wall and the exercise equipment unusual touches in the bedroom.

The mirror above the bed was moved back to fireplace in living room

Bedroom with workout equipment needed some working out itself

Both of the bedrooms at the Marsannay have been transformed into two beautiful and comfortable rooms. It’s a pleasure to turn in at night when you’re surrounded by such a romantic and luxurious setting. The rooms have tons of storage, luxurious linens and have been decorated with unique little touches that create a cozy feel. Don’t you want to just move right in?

Luxurious new master bedroom in the Marsannay with queen-sized bed

Romantic fireplace mantle in the master bedroom

Charming second bedroom in the Marsannay with two twins or zipped as king

Second bedroom with beautiful curtains and tons of storage

It’s All In the Details …

Naturally, it’s not all about those fun choices of new decorations, color and furniture when it comes to renovating an apartment in Paris. There are problems like peeling paint, damaged walls and oh so many other fun things to attend to at the same time. But to turn an apartment into a welcoming home, it’s all in the details!

Middle Eastern tones in the entrance lighting

Paint peeling from the walls

Leather Moroccan bean bag chair in living room and damaged walls near the windows

After all the hard work, we think the beautiful original details of the Marsannay apartment really shine through! The crown molding in the living room and dining room is stunning, the floors have been refinished beautifully and the apartment decorated with a romantic and artistic touch. We know guests are going to love staying in this welcoming and comfortable new Paris vacation rental!

Beautiful crown molding in the living room is now highlighted

Beautifully refinished floors with a rich honey tone in the Marsannay

Romantic bedside table in the Marsannay’s second bedroom

Fall in Love with Paris at the Marsannay!

There’s one thing that didn’t need any retouching during the renovation – the picture perfect views of the Eiffel Tower from the romantic balcony at the Marsannay!  At night it offers a spectacular view of the Eiffel Tower, especially magical when thousands of twinkling lights dance across it every hour on the hour. The Marsannay is now available for your next holiday in Paris, and we invite you to view more after photos of the Marsannay by clicking here.

Make a toast to Paris as the Eiffel Tower twinkles during the magical light show!

Posted on Thursday, March 8th, 2012 at 5:18 pm in Paris Home Remodels. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.