A Parisian “mini-palace” facing the Eiffel Tower and containing works from the artisans of the Château de Versailles has sold for €35 million (£30.5m), making it the most expensive apartment sold in the city this year, according to the agent who brokered the deal.
The ornately decorated 669 square metre space was bought by an Asian client “illustrating the return of high-profile clientele to Paris and their growing demand for one-of-a-kind real estate,” according to agent John Taylor Paris.
Priced at €52,000 (£45,300) per square metre, the property is valued almost five times higher than the Parisian average of €10,936 (£8,700) per square metre, amid a downturn in the market.
The four-bedroom flat is located on the Champ de Mars in the seventh arrondissement with the living room directly overlooking the Eiffel Tower.
It is decorated in a lavish style by architect and interior designer of what they describe as "haute couture living", Cogemad, who was also the seller of the property.
Entered via a grand entrance hall with sweeping staircase, marble floors, and a custom Bösendorfer Grand piano, the property is replete with crystal chandeliers hanging from its 5.5-metre, hand-painted ceilings.
The study features murals of historical scenes, while the dining room currently holds a table that can seat 14.
There is a La Cornue kitchen, wine cellar stocked with vintage wines, a cinema, gym, spa with massage room, sauna and steam room and smart home tech throughout.
International eyes are on Paris at the moment as the city prepares to host the 2024 Olympic Games next summer, with a flurry of building work and infrastructure projects sweeping the French capital.
While the Champs-de-Mars apartment is certainly at the top of the market for an flat, rare full houses in Paris make the €35 million price tag look modest by comparison.
In 2022, Hôtel Lambert on the Île Saint-Louis sold for a reported €200 million with the alleged buyer telecoms billionaire Xavier Niel.
The 400-year-old property has seen the great and the good of French culture and history pass through its doors, including Voltaire, Frédéric Chopin, George Sand, Honoré de Balzac, Franz Liszt, and Eugène Delacroix.
In the 20th century, after it was divided into apartments, the building played host to party guests from Audrey Hepburn to Elizabeth Taylor and Jacques Chirac.
