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The House
A place of military history
Avenue Marceau, as well as the surrounding streets, was divided up from 1882 following the transfer outside the city of the former barracks housing the 13th Line Infantry Regiment. The new district thus created was quickly built in the Haussmann style in force at the time.
This building, built in 1889, was first occupied by a wholesale grocery store and then, from 1916, by the Foyer du Soldat de Nevers which welcomed non-commissioned officers and soldiers who found books and games of skill there as well as everything they needed to write to their loved ones.
When the United States entered the war (April 1917), the Soldiers' Homes, the first of which had been created in 1915 near the Front, grew in size thanks to an association (Union Franco-Américaine) between the American YMCA and the French Army under the patronage of General Pétain.
At the end of the 1914/18 war, the Soldiers' Homes were responsible for liaising between soldiers returning from combat and the Departmental Placement Office and they provided information on the duties and rights that demobilised soldiers enjoyed upon their return to civilian life.
But also ...
An Inspiring Atmosphere
After passing the hall with its military decoration, the house opens up to you through the living room and its tapestry - a panoramic wallpaper from the Dufour factory published in 1818 and representing the arrival of Telemachus and Mentor on the island of Calypso - like an invitation to daydream. Dreams, which, like the softness of the blue words, will seduce you.
An Inner Journey
You are ready for an inner journey, travels through time and space, a sweet reverie conducive to memories and imagination.
An Exotic Decor
Let yourself be surprised by this exotic decor. The blue of Nevers, known worldwide for its earthenware, you will find it everywhere in our home in the decoration (with the exception of the space dedicated to Japan and that of the America Great Gatsby room) all in nuance from the horizon blue chosen to highlight this beautiful staircase and the reception rooms decorated in blue and gold and furnished in the French styles of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Unique Collections
From the entrance and on the second floor of this former soldier's home, you will discover a collection of military objects which have naturally found their place in this residence which housed so many soldiers between 1916 and 1918.
On the staircase, Japanese screens invite you to visit the museum dedicated to Japan on the ground floor;
A passion: Travel and Japan
We are passionate about travel, art and cinema. We met 20 years ago in Mexico where we were expatriates and, since then, during our stays in Central America and then in Japan where we lived for seven years and our travels on the five continents, we have constantly collected different objects that allow us to extend our immersion in the different cultures that we have had the chance to rub shoulders with.
Each of these objects, even the most modest, tells a story, from the craftsman who made it to its various owners whose lives it has shared.
