We love a good story

We love a good story, and with every piece of merchandise that we buy from our store, we love to dig for the story behind it.  Well, hold on to your seats:  This is a big dig!

It all started about a year ago with a visit to an apartment in Paris.  We were contacted by the owners, who had seen and admired our Beaumes de Venise apartment, particularly for its kitchen, and had asked us to consult with the layout and design of their new apartment, which was being completely renovated.

Before - The living room, in progress

We’re used to renovations, so we were not surprised by the debris or scared off by the condition.  Instead, we completely flipped over the location, the bones, the wrap around terrace and THE VIEW from this phenomenal, one of a kind, apartment.

View from the terrace - spectacular!

We did some consulting back and forth, and tweaked the layout, moving  the master bedroom and the kitchen so that they could both benefit from the spectacular, unobstructed view of the most iconic and beautiful monument on earth.  We made a few other changes so to benefit from the private wrap around terrace of this 7^th floor jewel.  But mostly, we just basked in the joy of working on such a fun job.

Before - Bedroom, the big windows let in wonderful light!

Before - Bedroom, saying a final goodbye the old windows.

In return for our hard work, we negotiated for the spectacular windows that we discovered were being removed from the building. After all, these windows had reflected one of the most beautiful views on earth for close to a century.  They needed a second life!  And oh look at the hardware … The original panes!  The 3 paneled glass!  We couldn’t contain ourselves.

A close up of the windows with the original hardware.

A close-up of the hardware. Such a treasure!

We happily brought the windows back to Atlanta and because they’re so heavy and unwieldy, stored all but one in our warehouse, keeping their existence a quiet secret until we found the right client.  So when Bill Edwards, one of our favorite architects in Atlanta, happened to wander in to the store a few weeks ago, and we whispered that we had brought back all the windows from a spectacular, old apartment in the heart of Paris, his eyes immediately lit up.  He just happened to have a client and a fabulous designer, Ann Dupree, who shared a vision for historic treasures and an appreciation for crusty cremones  … and needed four sets of French doors!

Off we went to the warehouse and when this team of visionaries met our French doors for the first time, it was love at first sight!  Trying to piece the hardware together proved to be as challenging as an archeological dig, matching the heavy brass knobs and cremones with their original windows.  But like all things that involve a hunt, it made the reward that much more fun and exciting.

The hardware puzzle

The team trying to put the puzzle back together.

It was quite the team effort getting the hardware back on the windows.

Ann is available for hire if anyone needs help with their hardware (Just kidding!)

These French doors have reflected a gorgeous view of the Eiffel tower for close to a century.  Now they will take their place in history in a beautiful renovation of a 1930’s house in the heart of historic Buckhead.  We couldn’t be happier and we can’t wait to show you their evolution …

But meanwhile, to complete the story, here is a glimpse of the finished apartment rental in Paris with its new windows.

Beautiful new windows in the kitchen open up to a truly special view.

A sweeping view of the lovely new living space.

The dining area with its beautiful new windows. Natural light is something to be appreciated in Paris, and this apartment has it in spades.

One of the updated bedrooms

Breakfast in bed, anyone?

The evening view from the second bedroom. Can you believe it??

The view from the terrace is unchanged and still jaw dropping. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner al fresco, oui?

If you're interested in renting this gorgeous Margaux apartment, click here for more information.
to further whet your appetite, guess who will be staying in this apartment in September 2013?  Any one of you lucky women who joins us for our Paris and Provence trip, from September 20th to 28th.
Didn’t we tell you this would be a fun story?

Ta ta …