The Hotel Bellechasse re-imagined by Lacroix

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The Marais District of Paris has always attracted a colorfully design-minded set. Filled with artful additions such as the Hotel du Petit Moulin, whose interiors were imagined by Christian Lacroix, there has been no sign of fading affection for the region. Now, in addition to the Petit Moulin, Lacroix has put his personal affection for design into a second endeavor, the Hotel Bellechasse in Saint Germain. With its kaleidoscope of colors, dainty stencil drawings along high sky-lights and surprising touches such as fabric lined walls, Bellechasse's boutique sized accommodations are attracting every sort of taste maker to Paris' left bank.



If you don't believe me, just ask these folks:

AD [http://www.lebellechasse.com/pdf/7.pdf]
Elle Decor FR [http://www.lebellechasse.com/pdf/13.pdf]
Times Travel UK [http://www.lebellechasse.com/pdf/5.pdf].

http://www.lebellechasse.com/

An Ode to our Economic Crises

While the rest of the country hurriedly consolidates (what's left of their) assets, sells homes, refinances mortgages and streamlines their daily spending, a very select few have the luxury of ignoring the economic crises (or perhaps benefiting from it). While I hadn't initially imagined straying from the blog's central theme (impressively famous, creative and inspiring homes and interiors), the current state of the nation begs for a bit of finger pointing. Please excuse this act of spontenaity.

Thanks to the golden parachutes available to the CFOs, CEOs and senior executives at failed investment institutions, making new investments on multi million dollar homes is hardly worth yawning about. The former head of Lehman's mortgage banking group, Kurt Locher, paid $5.25 million for a five-bedroom apartment at 500 West End Avenue. Meanwhile, his former apartment at 1165 Park is still on the market for $2.495 million. The property is apparently one of the grandest homes on the market on the Upper West Side, boasting a maid's room, living room, library, windowed, eat-in chef's kitchen, formal dining room and multi-million dollar address. Locher's mortgage? A paltry 3.224 million.

Mortgage crisis, what mortgage crisis?

Yawn, yawn, scoff, scoff.

The House that Chanel Built

Madame Chanel's Apartment:



To the world of the fashion, the design and the globe-trotting elite, La Maison du Chanel never tires in its appeal. Whether it be commercial endeavors or photographic feats, the coverage never ceases and the allure never dims. Here are a few personal images from one of my various trips into the icon's gilded salon.

Take special care to note the prevalence of:

- pairs or sets
- gold
- wheat stems
- omens of luck and good fortune
- quilted fabrics
- chinese lacquered panels
- mirrors

It's like an eye-spy for the couture-cult.


Bisous, bisous.

KARL LAGERFELD MILKS A COW

[Karl Lagerfeld's New Vermont Home]

News outlets across the world today hummed with word that fashion legend, Karl Lagerfeld had just purchased a new estate. In Milan? Luxembourg? St. Moritz? Well he has at least one residence in each one of those locations already and for heaven's sake, why would he ever be that predictable? Monsieur Lagerfeld's new property happens to be situated in the Green Mountains of Vermont. Indeed, the small, yet lovely state has experienced plenty of celebrity over the past few centuries. The Vanderbilt lineage erected multiple summer manses, the Vonn Traps fled Austria, heading into Vermont's Green Mountains, which were of course, filled with the sound of music, while Greta Garbo was infamous for her nude swimming off the shore of Lake Caspian in the North East Kingdom. But fashion darling, ingenue and taste maker Lagerfeld purchasing an estate for his personal use? Unheard of!

For the sake of logical thinking, one must assume that an investment in real estate is a smart decision for any person during such a volatile economic time. Perhaps Lagerfeld intends to sit on the investment, increase its value by association and set it free once the markets begin to re-inflate? Only time will tell.

However, according to Women's Wear Daily [http://www.wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/lagerfeld-coming-to-america-1823050], Lagerfeld plans on using it as the central grounds for an upcoming Chanel advertisement campaign.

Therefore the house must be colossal, right? Above the two million dollar mark, sure?

Nope, hardly.

Following some thorough insider communication with local Realtors representing Sotheby's and Christie’s estate management based in Vermont, I quickly learned that Lagerfeld's piece of property wasn't listed through a commercial brokerage. Rather, it was obtained by Lagerfeld through a private transaction. But to think, who in their right mind would have the nerve to show Lagerfeld a few pictures of a home in Vermont, imagining that the man would have enough time or interest to purchase the modest plot?

Kudos to the messenger for their audacity.

While the brokerage information remains private, I was able to obtain a copy of the listing's details. Apparently, the home was sold for a paltry $575 thousand - hardly a fair comparison to his newly redecorated apartment in Paris (see Vogue, October 2008). While I cannot send out the link directly, here are some of the features that the modest property boasts:
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Price: $552K (Down from the original listing of $624K)
Square Feet: n/a
Lake Front: NO
Property Style: Federal, two-story, shingle roof, brick exterior, 3-car garage
Land Description: Common Acreage, Lake Access, Lake Frontage (the house however, is not on the waterfront), stone foundation, mountain view
Bedrooms: 4
Baths: 4.5
Stories: 2
County: Grand Isle
Amenities: Decks, covered porch(s), Outbuilding(s), spa/ hot tub
Year Built: 1843
Broker's remarks: Beautiful brick Greek revival. Huge kitchen, paneled library w/dental molding, 2 FP, pegged random width HW floors. New tile in master bath. New shower in 1st floor bath (master suite possibly?). In-law/teen wing over garage w/ bath/claw foot tub. Decks w/ great west lake/mtn views. New/newer stainless in kitchen. Newer Buderus boiler & hot H2O htr. 345ft owned, shared lakefrt (4 fams total). Boathouse w/engineered H2O system on shared lake land. Town H2O @st. Apple & pear trees. Realtor owned. GI being re-appraised
Directions to the house? I-89 to exit 17, through South Hero then Grand Isle, 2.6 miles past A&B Grocery. On Westside before drawbridge.

**The property was realtor owned, listed in the VT historic registry

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Aside from the surprising choice of geography and proximity to the famed lake monster of Vermont, Champ, Lagerfeld's recent acquisition is far from extraordinary.
Perhaps I am failing to acknowledge the likelihood that Lagerfeld's purchase was made as an intelligent investment, rather than for the sake finding a place to park the roadster during fall foliage tours of New England. Prove me wrong though, perhaps this time next year Anna, Caroline Roitfield and Aggy will be flying in on choppers to view Lagerfeld's newest collection?

For the man with an extra apartment in Paris (one for cooking, so to avoid the strong culinary aromas), nothing seems impossible.