Paris Home from Home – Charlotte Whitaker

Charlotte Whitaker, a Chicago attorney, dreamed of buying a pied-à-terre as her ‘Paris home from home’ for nearly 30 years. She decided to look in earnest when the euro softened against the dollar last summer, and closed on this 800-square-foot apartment last December.

Ms. Whitaker said she kept her budget under $1 million, but declined to specify what she paid for the two bedroom in the 16th arrondissement. She used a Parisian design company, MRL Design Studio, to refurbish and decorate with antique mirrors and ‘one of a kind pieces,’ she said.

Pictured is the guest bedroom which is decorated with painted panels and silk curtains. Ms. Whitaker said she found her designer through Vingt Paris, which helps nonresident clients buy, sell and renovate property.

The kitchen needed new quartz countertops and a backsplash, but the cabinets and appliances were already there, Ms. Whitaker said. It has ‘standard size’ appliances and a ‘multitasking oven’ that includes microwave and convection settings, she said.

Ms.Whitaker’s apartment is a short walk from the Eiffel Tower and the Champs-Élysées. ‘It’s a tiny little neighborhood; very, very French,’ Ms. Whitaker said. ‘I can see the tip of the Eiffel Tower when I walk out the door.’

Original article Wall Street Journal Homes Away from Home in Paris, London and New York, Nov. 7, 2013