Immeuble Art Nouveau d'Hector Guimard

The Castel Beranger stands apart on the Rue de La Fontaine with its asymmetrical stone facade and wrought-iron balconies that twist like tangled vines. Hector Guimard designed this apartment block in eighteen ninety-seven, bringing the undulating curves of Art Nouveau to Paris architecture for the first time. The architect lived on the ground floor himself, and he insisted on designing every door handle, wallpaper pattern, and fireplace to maintain his vision of a total work of art throughout the entire building.