FRENCH LESSONS

COULD YOU TELL US ABOUT HOW YOU CAME TO RESIDE IN YOUR HOME? Fifteen years ago, I accidentally visited this place – near Montmartre, a district of Paris I have always loved – and immediately saw the potential. It was a near-abandoned ground floor of a tiny mansion where a craftsman still worked and lived. With its high-ceilinged car shed, brick stable, attic for storing fodder accessed by a ladder and concierge’s lodge, it was an inspiring witness to a vanished Paris. There was also a small courtyard where I could make a garden – and find peace in the heart of the city.

WHAT DID THE ALTERATIONS ENTAIL? The place was not inhabited