Coco Chanel’s Apartment at 31 Rue Cambon

“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” ~ Coco Chanel

C oco Chanel lived at the Ritz in Paris but worked and entertained within walking distance at Rue Cambon. There are four floors: the Chanel store is at street level, haute couture dressing rooms are on the second floor, her apartment is on the third, and her workshop is on the fourth. The rooftop of the building is said to have some of the best views of Paris.

The photos above show Chanel’s sitting room and a chandelier that featured interlocking 5′s and C’s.

Below is a photo of the famous faceted mirrored spiral staircase that Chanel designed. It connected all four levels of her apartment and made it possible for her to stand in one spot and see what was happening on every floor.

In the photo below you can see the Chinese screens that she split and used as wallpaper. They feature her favorite flower, the Camellia, which she often used in her designs.

Chanel lived here until her death in 1971, and everything has been frozen in time. She didn’t actually sleep here, though–there is no bedroom in the flat. Instead, she kept a private suite at the Ritz across the street.

Here are the haute couture dressing rooms on the floor below her apartment:

Other interesting facts about Mme. Chanel:

The birdcage in her sitting room (shown below) was the inspiration behind the 1992 Chanel commercial with Vanessa Paradis ( see the video here ).

I found these photos on NotCot , Blographic , and CoolHunting , so go there for more pictures and information. Photo of Coco Chanel photographed by Man Ray in 1935 (Man Ray Trust). You can read more about Chanel and see more photos of her flat at NPR .

Source: http://hookedonhouses.net