Lego Review · Purchased January 28, 2026 · $99.99 CAD via The Lego Store
The Setup
LEGO Architecture’s original Paris set (21044) has been around since 2018 and I always found the monochrome city-skyline format a little sterile compared to some of the line’s later releases. When 21064, Paris: City of Love, launched right at the start of the year, I was curious enough about the format change to pick it up almost immediately. Rather than a single skyline silhouette, this one is built as a hangable, postcard-style piece: the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, and Sacré-Cœur are all worked into one framed composition using forced perspective, in a warm tan-and-brown monochrome palette instead of the older set’s grey.
Living With It
At 958 pieces, this is a genuinely absorbing evening-or-two build, and the forced-perspective trick actually works better than I expected once you step back from the table. Landmarks that are miles apart in real Paris get compressed into a single, coherent composition without feeling like a jumbled mess, which is a neater piece of design than the format’s “we just squished everything together” premise suggests. The included display frame is a nice touch: you can either hang it on a wall like actual art or prop it on a stand, and I ended up going with the stand so it can live on the same shelf as the rest of my Architecture pieces.
Compared to the original 21044, which always read a little flat and abstract to me, this one has an actual sense of place. The tan-on-tan palette does mean fine details can blur together a bit under certain lighting, and if you’re looking for a straightforward skyline silhouette rather than a landmark collage, the older set still does that specific job better. But as a standalone display piece, City of Love has more personality than I expected from an Architecture set.
What I Liked
- Clever forced-perspective composition that actually reads as a coherent scene
- Includes a display frame, so it can be hung or stood up
- More visual personality than the older monochrome skyline format
What I Didn’t
- The tan monochrome palette can make fine details blend together in low light
- If you specifically want a clean skyline silhouette, the original 21044 still does that better
The Verdict
Rating: 4/5
A satisfying, well-designed reinvention of the Architecture Paris concept that earns its spot on the shelf next to the original.
