21 Things on My Parisian Apartment Wishlist
Plus some inspiration for our future home
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The countdown has officially begun for our move into an unfurnished apartment here in Paris. Our lease for the furnished apartment we’ve been living in over the past year ends in June, and securing a new place in Paris is anything but convenient.
While I’m planning a more in-depth post about the entire process, I first wanted to share some of the inspiration I’ve been gathering for our future home, from items saved to my wishlist to insights collected here on Substack.
To give you a bit of background, this is our (ideal) criteria list for our new home:
Within walking distance of our daughter’s school
3-bedrooms
Amazing natural light
Second floor and above
Nice-to-haves:
Greenery out of the windows
No vis-a-vis
Renovated bathrooms/kitchen
(and I won’t even add AC because that’s a total American pipe dream. And yes, I am one of those Americans who continues to thrive on air conditioning.)
Needless to say, we’re not the only ones searching in our area with this list of preferences. The listings that check these boxes tend to disappear within a day or two. Still, I have faith that the perfect place will reveal itself, and I’m excited to document the process of making it our home.
I plan for the design of the apartment to take shape intentionally over time. I don’t want to rush the process just to stay within a budget or fill space for the sake of it. We still need to return to Austin to clear out our storage unit and ship back a few essential pieces — most notably, my grandparents’ (enormous) antique mirror. This will be a practice in patience, but I believe everything worthwhile usually is.
As I’ve been gathering inspiration for our home, a few resources have been especially helpful:
My friend , who is an artist and designer, shares a weekly Substack, Blend, full of tangible home decor tips, vintage finds, and more.
Another Parisian friend and interior designer, wrote a post: Decorating Your Home 101 which I’ve referred to more than once, and she also has some other great resources on interior design and vintage shopping.
I also loved this recent post on creating a cohesive color scheme by , which has been guiding the palette I want to weave throughout our space.
Here are a few inspiration images for the apartment:
Shana, who I mentioned above, has a beautiful design approach, intentionally crafting a home that weaves together personal stories and influences. She’s inspired me to think beyond simply how I want our space to look and feel, encouraging me to dig deeper into the materials and pieces that can reflect our background and cultures.
For example, while I imagine the apartment itself will naturally infuse the Parisian charm we love and identify with, I also want to incorporate elements of my first home, Texas. To me, that looks like using leather materials (perhaps in an accent chair) or choosing certain pieces of artwork that evoke that sense of place.
Based on the inspirations above, these are 21 items that are on my wishlist for our home (and maybe some that you will love, too.) Key word here being *wish* list!
Sphere Spoon Green by Natalie Criado
Porte-Revue en Aluminium by Six Dots Design
Liz Lenny x Nomia-Steel and Stone Candle Wall Sconce
Pointe Red/Blue Rug by Nordic Knots
Peter Glass Large-Set of Four by Akua Object
Set of Vintage Scandinavian Chairs from Selency
Lampe Alma Wengé by Romie Objetti
Dou Lampshade - Ø90 by Ferm Living
Wool and cashmere blanket by Zara Home
The Monocle Guide to Shops, Kiosks, and Market
Pharmacy Grand Transparent by Le Soufflerie
This vintage Danish buffet on Selency
Vintage Chaise en Acier Tubulaire et Cuir at Galeris Paradis
The Midnight Bar Cabinet by Maison Madeleine
I hope this post gave you a bit of inspiration for your own wishlist, or potentially introduced you to a brand/maker you hadn’t known before! I’d love to hear which items caught your eye, or if you have any specific questions on the Paris apartment hunting process.
As always, thanks for being here.
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Thanks for mentioning me Maddy 💛 it really warmed my heart reading that my design approach has resonated with you! The Paris meets Texas vibe is going to be such a warm beautiful mix of textures and styling. I was thinking of you when I saw some cool blankets and candelabras I came across recently, I cannot wait to hear more as you find your place and to maybe go exploring some pieces together if you'd like 🤗
As someone who moved to Paris recently, finding an apartment, even if you hire an agent, is nothing less than traumatic. That being said, if you're patient, I wouldn't say that ac is impossible. We ended up not getting an apartment that I really wanted, but we ended up with an even better apartment complete with an obscenely large kitchen, a bathtub large enough to float in, and AC, in an apartment that is "just" 55m2. Best of luck!