Sometimes you have to climb several flights of stairs to deserve a sky

Living under the rooftops is like touching the clouds,

And following the sun’s path through a skylight.

The poetic world of the city unfolds under our eyes.

Living under the rafters is as charming as it is restrictive,

But it’s like a house on top of the city.             

Renovated attics are the pinnacle

Only the rain will patter on our heads.

Baudelaire celebrated the Paris rooftops long before us:

‘I would, to compose my eclogues chastely,

Lie down close to the sky like an astrologer,

And, near the church towers, listen while I dream

To their solemn anthems borne to me by the wind.

My chin cupped in both hands, high up in my garret

I shall see the workshops where they chatter and sing,

The chimneys, the belfries, those masts of the city,

And the skies that make one dream of eternity.’

Charles Baudelaire – Parisian Scenes -1857

Hugues de La Morandière

Associate Director