One can argue very few would find the above video interesting. Only the true construction aficionado would be captivated.
Enter the following article:
Heat sensitive tile construction inspired by the Aurora Borealis. Now were talking!
Ikea advertisement in Paris subway.
On an apartment renovation in Paris, it is not unusual to have a chambre de bonne or maids room that is part of the project. This room is usually on the top floor and is many times very small.  In this video they have a number of great ideas like keeping a couch off the wall in favor of movable chaise lounges, a dual use table on wheels and a projection TV screen that comes in the form of a roll up blind attached to the ceiling. If you are looking small space design ideas we hope we helped you out. 😀
IKEA EXPEDITÂ (Photo credit: tomas carrillo)
Yesterday someone somewhere in the world Googled “ikea paris france shower public” and ended up spending some time on our Paris Renovation Apartment and Home Improvement blog.
Is that cool or what?! 😀
The above video was first in the search results. IKEA actually created a ‘living Billboard’ at Gare St. Lazare.
They created fully functional bathrooms and rose them up like billboards. Then they hired actors to interact with the space to showcase how a small room can be maximized using IKEA furniture.
In Paris, your apartment along with your bathroom can be painfully small as opposed American standards.
So you gotta love IKEA.
And you gotta love WordPress.com.
As an American in America you look at the proliferation of IKEA stores in the USA like the furniture version of ABBA in the 70’s; very popular, trendy, easy on the eyes and rather predictable.
In America IKEA is still some what of a novelty like Swedish dance music.
In Paris, an IKEA kitchen in many, many situations is a necessity.
In America there is no special term or drama in bringing kitchen furniture on to the job site.
Your renovating the place. You drive up. Park the car. Deliver the furniture. No problem.
Here it can turn into cauchemar (nightmare) so huge it has it’s own name.
FLAT PACKING!
Imagine…
English: Logo of Ikea. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
“OK, TOMORROW, IF PLAN GOES AS SCHEDULED WE ARE COMING FROM IKEA AND WE ARE LOOKING TO START FLAT PACKING THE APARTMENT AT ONE, FIVE, THIRTY HOURS. THAT’S 3:30 PM. OK?
OK…
GOOD.
THIS HUGE SITE IS ON A SMALL ONE WAY STREET FEEDING A MAJOR BOULEVARD.
TYPICAL FOR THE 7TH….
SO WE NEED ALL HANDS ON DECK IN A ONE BLOCK RADIUS LOOKING FOR PARKING.
NO PARKING?
I CALL IT.
WE SHIFT TO A DUMP AND GO.
DUMP AND GO?
WE STAGE OUTSIDE SO WE DON’T BOTHER THE GUARDIAN.
THIS ONE IS A REAL PIECE OF WORK.
WE DUMP ON THE SIDEWALK,
I GO FOR PARKING.
YOU GUYS START FLAT PACKING THE APARTMENT.
IT’S A FIVE STORY WALK UP TO A HUGE KITCHENÂ RENOVATION BUT WE CAN’T USE THE ELEVATOR BECAUSE THE GUARDIANÂ IS OUT OF HER MIND.
OK.
HERE IS THE CODE TO GET IN THE FRONT DOOR.
HERE IS THE CODE TO GET IN THE DOOR INSIDE THE FOYER.
HERE ARE THE KEYS TO THE APARTMENT.
REMEMBER. TAKE YOUR TIME
DON’T NICK THE WALLS ON THE WALK UP.
OK! WE READY TO FLAT PACK?!!!”
So in honor of this IKEA craziness we offer the following crazy videos.
BEWARE: A bit racy at points, but nevertheless lots of fun!
Enjoy.
Our week in Paris has been truly memorable. Your apartment is truly fantastic. The welcome booklet recommendations were spot on. We will be sure to stay again when next we visit Paris. Jayden and Morgan.
http://www.parisgourmandapartments.com/
Français : La plaque de la rue Mouffetard à Paris (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
In the above link are two apartments we have renovated for two wonderful clients that we are glad to call our friends. They were very clear in their vision and expectations which made them a joy to work with and their apartments a pleasure to renovate.
If you have the desire to do something like this, buy property in France, renovate it and rent it out or or keep it as a vacation home, it is more than possible. It’s done all the time.
The reasons are many. One main attraction to property in Paris is it is seen as a good investment. The real estate industry here is tightly regulated. This makes predatory lending which was rampant in the United States and elsewhere absolutely impossible here.
You may think property in France is too expensive.
In coming posts we will show you how property just minutes away from Paris can be as much as 75 percent lower in price than the same square footage in town center.
Here is a video which reveals a secret about purchasing property in France that only insiders like us know. 😀
Paris Renovation 