We lcome to the pre mie r is s ue of Abode , the Wa lkwa y’s journa l of e xce ptiona l living. As we pa ins ta kingly put the finis he s on the fine s t ne w re s ide nce s in Uptown (we wa nte d to rus h you a n e xclus ive inte rvie w with the e xce ptiona l J e a n P ie rre De cha te a u. And who is this s a va nt? He will be the Twin Citie s firs t e xclus ive concie rge ’ for a n a pa rtme nt re s ide nce . His ins ights a re s o pre s cie nt, we de vote a full is s ue , be ginning with the time he s colde d Ma ria h Ca re y a fte r fe tching he r s hoe s . .
“Mariah has always been exceptionally kind but she does have her quirks,” said This Winter, “JP” brings his magic to The Walkway. Dechateau. He recounts the time she slept in Ms Ca rethat y wa sshe a wonde rfulon pe the rs on,wrong re a lly, shoes (unlike othe r ce le britie s he ha s so. late slipped Over a freshly roasted coffee in a unnamed café’ s e rve d) but s he ha d a , how do you s a y…quirk. prior to skipping out for a concert. It had he relinquished a few of his secrets that have something to do with her insistence that her room remain pitch black throughout the day made him a favorite of the well lived: from prior to show time. “Naturally a diva wears Manhattan and Martinique to The Walkway. any shoes she wishes,” said Dechateau but in this one instance a pair of bedroom slippers with spikes scared her silly when she looked down at her feet. That’s when I told her to turn the lights on earlier.
“Because the only time a lady should not see her feet is when she is pregnant.” Apparently Ms. Carey and boyfriend Nick Cannon were with child shortly thereafter. Proof, perhaps, that a concierge’ can be influential in all areas, and all walks, of life. Whether shuffling along VIPs at the Waldorf Astoria (his alma matter) or simply fixing a PB&J, Jean Pierre’s mission is to work miracles large and small, day or night.
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“Not e ve ryone knows how to us e a concie rge ’,” s a ys De cha te a u. “I provide a s e rvice tha t is s o much more tha n finding a ta ble a t a re s ta ura nt or a ticke t to the s how…
I design pleasure.”
“Sir Elton took a British point view. Ms . Ca re y wa of s a wonde rful pe rsIon,would re a lly, (unlike othe r ce le britie s he ha s s e rve d) but s he ha d a , how do you s a y…quirk. be his butler.” The key to knowing how to utilize a concierge, according to Dechateau is to maintain one’s point-of-view while cultivating curiosity. While he realizes the average Walkway resident is hardly star crossed, he does bring up the point of working with Sir Elton John, who hired him to “butler” in the British tradition.
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Unlike some other celebrities he has served, Sir Elton was “most generous,” in addition to knowing exactly how much starch he required in his favorite Eton collars. “The man had a point of view on everything it seemed. While very much a rock star he was also, how do you put it, a bit stuffed, yet still very sweet…”
One of his favorite pictures of a fussy yet very sweet client, Sir Elton John, photographed by Richard Avedon.
Hot shots, old flames. Rediscovering the connoisseur’s camera.
. Light my fire
The move toward a warmer cocoon.
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