My Paris Studio | Proof of Natalie

It took me awhile to find the right apartment in Paris. I looked through numerous other sites, but kept coming back to Airbnb, which I’ve used before on a trip to Amsterdam. At first, the idea of a studio seemed difficult. I mean, I work at home. Wouldn’t it be difficult to sleep, relax, and work in the same room? So far I’ve been completely wrong. This studio is amazing. It’s no more than 10×18′, but it’s so well laid out that it hardly feels that way.

I actually have two beds. One is the main bed on the left in the photos, and it folds all the way up into the wall. I don’t forsee the need for doing this though, because I have plenty of room, and it’s a nice dressing surface when choosing what to wear. Choosing what to wear is important! Everyone is so fashionable. They wear heals when they ride their bikes, and they put crazy things together. I’ve generally felt like I’ve fit in, except when I went for a run… I don’t think a lot of people jog here.

Couch close-up – my knitted blanket on top

The second bed is the couch. I haven’t pulled it out yet, but it’s larger in width than my bed, so it will probably be plenty comfortable for my guests. The main table in my apartment is even adjustable. I can keep it as a dining table or lower it to be a coffee table. Pretty convenient for entertaining and/or working.

The bathroom is perfect. It may have more useful storage than my previous large bathroom at 777. I have two drawers and a huge medicine cabinet. Plus I have a washing machine, which is a huge plus in most European apartments. It also serves as a counter, so I can easily lay out my hair dryer and straightener when in use. The shower head is awesome, it comes off of its stand, but it also slides up and down and can tilt in all directions, which makes it better than my showers in Philly :) AND they have the better toilets where you can use more or less water based on need. No bidet though, too small for that.

The hook on the kitchen door

My kitchen is small. I have a mini fridge, a small induction stovetop, a toaster oven as my oven, a fancy English-speaking microwave, and a functional albeit small sink. I also have a tea pot, a small coffee maker, and a toaster – all of which I consider to be bonuses. They’re are lazy-susans and drawers in all of the cabinets, which makes it really easy to store all of the kitchenware, food stuffs, and cookware.

And then there’s the storage! They really planned out the storage well. I have a large closet compartment to hang things, a large section to keep folded items, extra storage up top, and a whole section with cleaning things and extra chairs etc. I’ve got room to spare, really. Which is awesome, because I will be having visitors and it will be nice to maintain the emptiness that is currently the norm in my living space.

The view from my window

My windows face a courtyard, and I’m on the 3rd (4th American floor) of 7 (8 American floors). I don’t get a ton of light, but I only have 3 stairs to walk up, and they’re adorable old wooden stairs with wrought iron railings. I have a key fab to get in through the main doors, and the apartment door is strong but not too difficult to open.

Overall I couldn’t be happier with my choice! Especially since it’s on Rue Montorgueil which is absolutely amazing. It’s a small pedestrian-only street (plus taxis, bikes, delivery vehicles, and residents but still less crowded with vehicles than other streets). Tons of shops, bakeries, chocolatiers, fromageries, meat and fish shops, and cute little boutiques. I’ll have to write a whole post just on my street.