Pied A Terre is the next must-see hotel in Paris

Have you ever tried to book a mini-stay in Paris? Several hours on the internet scouring lavish five-star hotels you can’t afford and Airbnbs that look like an IKEA outpost, and you could be forgiven for giving up the search. But there is another way: Foot on the ground.

A series of luxury apartments with exceptional design credentials (think 1960s Gae Aulenti chrome dining chairs and 1970s Hans-Agne Jakobsson brass wall sconces), Pied A Terre launches this week with four properties at three sites in central Paris, with seven more scheduled to open later this year. Combining the concierge service and clean linens of an upscale hotel with the charming mix of flea market finds, iconic design pieces and good books that convey the taste of stylish local, each space has been designed to showcase the work of an up-and-coming architect.

The Brussels rising star Adrian Meira, for example, designed a serene and largely green space on rue Saint-Honoré. Meanwhile, the duo behind the Parisian studio Architecture Necchi, Charlotte Albert and Alexis Lamesta, are the masterminds behind a nearby 80s-tinged two-bedroom townhouse known as the Tuileries Residence. “We want to have places that look like houses, but not so much that you feel like an intruder, more that you’ll have surprises with the artwork,” says Andrea Bokobsa, co-founder of Pied A Terre. “At the same time, we want to provide a superior hotel experience.”

Enter the Tuileries residence, its walls painted a soothing pale pink (or “pink rock”), its shiny burgundy woodwork, and you’ll never want to leave. Nibble on a fresh croissant in Pierre Frey’s padded breakfast nook reminiscent of the work of the legendary Parisian decorator Andree Putman. Laze around in the giant Jean Prouvé-inspired built-in bed, complete with a bespoke steel lamp from the London designer Eliot Barnes. Head upstairs and you’ll find a cozy lounge punctuated with vintage Polish club chairs in red velvet and a lithograph by Bram Van Velde. Next, wander into another bedroom with an equally giant bed facing a bright green Jean-Michel Frank-inspired coffee table, reclaimed safari chairs that use a vivid zebra-print fabric, the floor covered in a luxurious mushroom-colored yarn. The bathroom has a Prada vibe – all shiny ’80s aluminum hardware and glossy black and white tiles.

“The downstairs bedroom was inspired by Giorgio Armani’s 80s apartment, the bathroom, it’s a bit Serge Gainsbourg”, explains Bokobsa, who himself sources the furniture and works of art for the apartments, in partnership with the main architect (and enlightened by the consultation of his mother , former designer of Baby Dior and Bonpoint with snacks). Bokobsa, 31, was born in Paris but studied real estate in the United States, proposing the Pied A Terre project as part of his thesis. With his co-founder Nathaniel Glas, he aims to offer visitors to the City of Light an authentic Parisian experience, complete with suggestions for trendy restaurants (he recommends the upstairs dining room at Roots and Kunitoraya noodles) elegantly presented in city guides designed by artistic director Pierre-Alexis Guinet.

You’ll have to book quickly: designer based in Copenhagen Stine Goya and Swedish influencer Fanny Ekstrand Tourneur are already on the client list, and slots are filling up for 2022. After all, that’s what happens when the only IKEA piece you’ll find in these delightfully quirky apartments is a hard to find vintage floor lamp from the 90s designed for the Swedish megabrand by Jan Wickelgren.

Reservations will be accepted from April 3 to piedaterre.fr or via Instagram @Piedaterre.paris.

This story was originally published in Vogue.com.