Contemporary homes in Paris and the suburbs
Lofty volumes, open-space layout, leisure areas, trendy decor… Designed to reflect today’s tastes, contemporary houses offer living conditions tailormade to suit the era. Focus on these ultra-modern properties and their markets in Paris and the suburbs…
Contemporary homes are rather like snapshots capturing our day and age. Recent-ly built houses or old properties which have been renovated throughout, these modern homes usually offer much larger rooms, terraces or gardens to benefit from a spacious outdoor area, innovative and often ecological appointments, a high-quality environment and a variety of leisure facilities (pools, recreation rooms, spas, movie lounges...). Who exactly lives in them ? According to Jules Caris, director of the agency La Galerie de l’Immobilier : “Contemporary houses usually appeal to a rather wealthy clientele, keen on new technologies. Artists, industrialists, company directors, personalities in the media... fans of contemporary properties have a modern outlook and their homes are an extension of their lives. Living in a contemporary home is a certain way of thinking, almost a philosophy, and an expression of what people know and like. These homes usually target an elite in terms of financial means. Clients tend to be European : the Germans, Italians and Swiss are real fans of this type of property. Americans, however, are much fonder of old stones, which they see as being typical of Paris and its charm”.
In fact, in Paris “intra-muros”, contemporary homes are pretty rare. You have to leave the historic arrondissements to find modern houses, and even aim for the city’s nearby suburbs, a good source for this type of property. “The suburbs are indeed an interesting hunting-ground for “aficionados” of contemporary houses, as they are not restricted by the interior volumes of old homes, nor the high prices of the inner city,” explain Caroline Gazel and Gaël Marchand of Fleuron Immobilier. “On the far side of the “Périphérique” (ring-road), buyers can find building land, or existing properties to be restructured, at attractive prices. The style of contemporary houses on the outskirts of Paris is very eclectic ; they are often remarkably original. You can find highly contemporary interiors all over Paris, though it’s true that such homes tend to be found in less historic arrondissements, in other words, outside the central neighbourhoods. Contemporary houses on the Left Bank benefit from generous living space around the George Brassens park, then near Les Maréchaux in the 14th arrondissement. The 13th also offers a few fine examples over towards Boulevard Arago, Chevaleret, around Rue Tolbiac, and again in the little New-York around the Bibliothèque François Mitterrand, which has some particularly modern opportunities.”
The north and north-eastern parts of Paris offer the best possibilities of new-builds and rehabilitations at prices close to those in the chic neighbourhoods, whereas the suburbs, depending on the commune chosen and its distance from Paris, propose prices per sq. metre much lower than in Paris “intra-muros”. “The suburbs offer appointments and prices that vary considerably, they are far from homogeneous,” comments Laurent Visciglio, director of the Agence Féau Paris Ouest. “In the western suburbs of Saint Cloud, Garches or Marnes-La-Coquette, prices are similar to those found in Neuilly or Boulogne. They are highly-prized communes where prices remain high, though less expensive than in the very centre of Paris. On the other hand, as soon as you venture beyond the second crown, into Département 78 for example, prices are significantly lower for amenities that are quite incomparable. Instead of gardens of 100 m2 on average enjoyed by contemporary houses in Paris and its nearest suburbs, modern properties in suburbs further out are surrounded by parks which multiply the living and leisure space, and offer a completely different life-style.”
