This week on the podcast I talked about my love for the Castel Béranger. In case you missed it, the Castel is a residential building in the 16th arrondissement, designed by Hector Guimard. He even lived here for a while.

Now, over 100 years later, it’s still very eye-catching and totally worth seeking out. And once or twice, I’ve actually been inside. Here, on this top-secret Patreon-only hidden page, I’m sharing my photos.

First, some facts (and the podcast episode)

The Castel Béranger

This is the most famous of the Guimard buildings. It was constructed between 1895 and 1898 and is considered an Art Nouveau founding work – the first of its kind to be built in Paris. The facade was ranked as the most beautiful in Paris in 1898 and the building was declared a historic monument in 1972.

The front gate is unlike any other you’ll see in Paris. Just beyond the gate, the lobby was designed in the style of an underwater grotto.

Address: 12 Rue Jean de la Fontaine, 75016.

More of the Castel Béranger

From the street, you can admire all kinds of fancy decorations on this building, including what appear to be seahorses. There’s a clear influence of nature and plenty of curvilinear lines. Even the windows are adorned with Art Nouveau details.

Over the fence you get a glimpse of the rest of the building. Eye-catching green details adorn the balconies, drainpipes, and overhanging turrets.

Inside the first lobby

So I’ve been in here twice. The first time was during a Patreon-only live stream, where I spent five minutes saying “Wow, wow, wow” and feeling nervous. You can see it in this video link, which I’ve set to begin at the moment we walked in.

Fortunately, I had my camera with me too, and I took the following photos.

Through the next door

I went back during a special one-off walking tour a few years later an we managed to get into the next part of the lobby an the courtyard. The following pics are mine, and those of Kim Loftus, who was with me.

Into the courtyard

We continued into the courtyard, which included a fantastic Art Nouveau water fountain that reminded me of an octopus.

The plans from Guimard

Remember, these were such revolutionary designs that everyone would have been talking about them. Here are some of the plans that went on display at the time.

Buy an apartment inside?

And lastly…. keep an eye out because sometimes the apartments inside are on sale. And you can see real-estate listings with the pics. Given this is a private blog post, I’ve shamelessly copied some of their photos below, don’t tell anyone. You can view the property here.