Maison Carrère, Colonial mansion in Saint-Denis, Réunion Island, France.

Maison Carrère is a two-story Creole house at 14 rue de Paris in Saint-Denis, with pale grey horizontal siding, white trim and a flat roofline defined by layered white cornices. Its symmetrical facade has five tall upper windows with white louvered shutters and a central double door with multiple glass panes, reached by a wide grey stone stoop of about five steps.

An original single-story wooden house from 1820 was transformed in 1908 by sugar merchant Raphaël Carrère into the grand mansion that stands today. This renovation reflected the growing wealth and urban development happening in Saint-Denis.

The rooms inside display period furniture and everyday objects that show how wealthy French colonial residents lived on Réunion Island during the 1800s. Walking through them gives a sense of their daily habits and the comfort they enjoyed.

The building sits on Rue de Paris in central Saint-Denis and is easily walkable from the main areas. It now operates as the local tourist office and offers guided visits of the interior throughout the week.

The 1908 addition of a second storey, a garage and a new street gate were the last embellishments carried out on Rue de Paris, closing more than a century of building along Saint-Denis's most prestigious axis. Raphaël Carrère, a leading sugar merchant, had moved in three years earlier with his wife Amélie and their five daughters.