Inside the private mansion of the Marquis de Dreux-Brézé, in Saint-Germain-des-Prés

On the Left Bank,  the district of Saint-Germain-des-Prés takes on a very special place in the heart of Parisians. This emblematic area, so dear to the intellectual and artistic elite, which meets on the terraces of mythical cafés such as brasserie Lipp or the Flore, is swarming with workshop-museums and elegant boutiques, but also discrete aristocratic homesteads that deserve to be known.

Saint-Germain-des-Prés, a historical and aristocratic district

Such as this building, acquired in 1696 by the Carmes community. It was occupied by Jeanne-Baptiste, daughter of the Duc de Luynes and Anne de Rohan, who married the Comte de Verua, a colonel of the Piedmontese dragoons, whose gallicized name became Verrue. Having hosted Châteaubriand and Brillat-Savarin, his private apartements are now under the aegis of the Monuments Historiques.

Paintings, small objects, classic tableware, the dining room has not given in to the temptation of modernisation. © DR

The living room-library, featuring several hundred old books and manuscripts, hosted a wide array of writers. © DR

A regal love nest in the middle of Paris

Between the main courtyard and a private garden, this private love nest of 370 m² liveable space has preserved all its vintage charm. It comprises a living room-library dressed up with a wood paneled colonade, a dining room collecting the souvenirs of a glorious past and 4 bedrooms with very high ceilings. All this decorated with a very successful combination of styles showcasing good taste...à la française.

In a relatively small space, the bathroom welcomes a vintage bathtub with feet. © DR