We occasionally host artists, writers, researchers and small creative groups visiting Paris for a defined project.

Floor-to-ceiling windows fill this converted factory loft with light: over 150 m² of open space under 4-metre ceilings, in Ivry-sur-Seine, just south-east of Paris. It is one of a community of around 30 artists’ live/work lofts, where everyone knows each other, reached through a large, private and secure gated garden full of trees and birds. Space, light and quiet like this are rare so close to the centre.

The living space
Large, comfortable sofas (one opens into a double bed), a big dining table that doubles as a meeting table, a work area with a computer, and a large kitchen with a central island, ideal for cooking together. There is room to paint, show your work, practise yoga or dance, or hold a small work meeting.

Bedrooms
• Ground floor: a double bedroom with an en-suite Italian shower and WC
• Mezzanine, a half-flight up: a double bedroom with a full bathroom and WC
• Mezzanine: a bedroom with two double beds, one on a roomy platform, with its shower off the laundry room
Two of the doubles can be unzipped into singles. The loft sleeps six in beds, and up to ten with the sofa bed and fold-outs. The laundry room has a washing machine, a dryer, two sinks and a WC.

Terrace and neighbourhood
Have breakfast in the sun on the south-facing terrace and listen to the birds. A large Carrefour is about 100 m away, and a lively open-air market sets up in front of Ivry’s historic town hall on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with cheeses, breads, fish and fresh produce. There are bakeries, cafés and restaurants nearby, Bercy Village is a 15–20 minute walk, and the Bois de Vincennes is a short bike ride.

Getting into Paris
The loft is just 600 m from Paris’s 13th arrondissement, and 5.6 km (3.5 miles) from Notre-Dame:
• by Uber: about 10–12 minutes
• by RER C from Ivry-sur-Seine station, a 7-minute walk away: about 10 minutes to Saint-Michel–Notre-Dame and 25 minutes to the Eiffel Tower. The line runs right along the Seine, past the Musée d’Orsay and the Invalides, so most of central Paris is a single ride, then a short walk across the river
• by bus 325, which stops close by
• by shared bike along the Seine: about 30 minutes
• by metro line 7 from Mairie d’Ivry: about 40 minutes, door to door
• on foot: a lovely walk along the river
Much of Paris is closer still: the 13th arrondissement is a short walk away, and the Bibliothèque François-Mitterrand, with the fast metro line 14, and Bercy across the river are easy walks along the Seine.