I love architecture and I love colour. This is a classically designed building – and it’s beautiful. So simple, and yet so elegant (Just like the Parisians themselves!). It’s those extra big windows that lets the natural light right in, which is quite romantic and mystic in its own way. It’s really a question of what’s so special about this building: What makes it so beautiful? Simply put, it’s the architecture and those extra-big windows that likely let in a lot of natural light. It’s really quite romantic.
If you look to the left of the picture, you see those mammoth sets of doors that likely open up into rooms 12 feet high. Can you imagine it? How regal and profound that space must be. Proportions are also key because they’re so balanced. Oftentimes designers and architects alike try to reinvent this scale, while also adding their own twist. This is where they go wrong. You can’t mess with classical construction. That symmetry is a talent and not always achievable.
I lived in Paris for years, back in the ‘70s when people smoked Gaulois cigarettes in the train stations and clubbing each night, every night was de rigueur. It was a magical time, not because my years there were formative, but also because I got to experience – year after year, season after season – springtime in Paris. Gardens in full bloom, bustling street markets and those chic sidewalk cafes. The City of Light was quite literally shining that time of year and, to me, this snapshot reminds me so fondly of that beautiful mood. It’s an image of a city that I will never, ever grow weary of. Every time I visit, I walk and discover new arrondissements, new bespoke boutiques and places to grab a chilled glass (or Magnum!) of champagne. (There is never such a thing as too much champagne, dear friends!) Funny enough, when I do land I take a deep, collective breath because, after all these years it still manages to take it away.