The Façades of Paris

Book excerpt: Lively watercolors and ink drawings of refined facades draw a compelling portrait of Paris, where each building is accompanied by its delightful ornamental details. This elegant book invites readers to lift up their eyes while strolling throughout Paris’s streets and boulevards to pause, discover, and appreciate the facades of its buildings and the delicate artworks that are their windows, doors, and balconies. Innumerable motifs ornament the architecture of the French capital—each a minor masterpiece of fine design and ironwork artistry. Exquisite, never-before-published watercolors and ink drawings by French illustrator Dominique Mathez bring each building’s beautiful exterior to life. Away from the over-celebrated monuments and landmarks, the city’s true, subtle charm emerges, distilled in a striking invitation to take a new look and rediscover its architecture through the ages. Complete with an informative text by one of today’s most renowned design experts, Olivier Gabet, this sophisticated volume is the ideal gift for Francophiles and Paris lovers everywhere.