Painted On Paris

The Guilded Suite, La Maison Champs Élysées, Paris. Designed by Martin Margiela. Nice, huh? (no, Paris...ha ha...hmmm...)

La Maison Champs Élysées

Kitchen Envy II

and...it's in Paris...hmph.

photography by Jean-Marc Wullschleger via Vart Nya Hem

Paper Gifts

For our first wedding anniversary we got each other paper gifts.
As we were visiting Paris, my grand plan was to take my husband to the comic book artist, Moebius' shop where he could choose a limited edition print and hopefully have it signed. However, after an expensive taxi ride to the opposite side of the French capital, in a month when Parisiennes generally vacate the city...the shop was closed.
Fortunately, on our last day we took the Metro out to La Defense, home to La Grande Arche and many more futuristic, architectural phenomenons on the outskirts of the city where we happened upon an awesome art store called, Arteum. Needless to say we were there for quite some time exploring the shelves.
I eventually found my 36 year old husband in the 'Petits Artiste' section where he proclaimed, with much excitement, that he had found what he wanted, from me, for our anniversary....a large model cardboard robot by Calafant...
My husband got me 'Sundays Are For Lovers'; a lovely book curated by Maria Alexandra Vettese, by independant American publishers, Lines & Shapes, in which artists express what they like to get up to on a Sunday...I love it.
How do you spend your Sunday?

Book images courtesy of Lines & Shapes via Daily Candy
Robot available from here

Ovale

If there's one thing the Parisiennes can do well (apart from architecture, food, style, baking, etc etc) it's retail display. Whilst window shopping (much cheaper than real shopping) in St Germaine one evening (best time to see window displays) on our recent trip, we came across this baby shop full of sleeping polar bears...



photographs by me

I'll take...that one...

After the obligatory morning at the very impressive, Eiffel Tower, we boarded the Bateaux Mouche one sunny afternoon and settled down for 1hr and 10 minutes of learning. Rather than looking starboard and port, when instructed, to see yet another monument France was gifted, I found myself snapping the Paris apartments I would most like to live in...check these out...
It seems, a view of Paris through large windows is a must on my fantasy property wishlist...fancy that?!

photography by me

Merci

One of the shops on my list for our trip was Merci, a favourite amongst bloggers and designers, so I couldn't have passed it up...
Merci is a charity shop with a difference; Designers donate peices to be sold and all proceeds go to help children, mainly in Madagascar. A concept put into practice by the founders, of childrens store, Bonpoint, Marie-France and Bernard Cohen.
It still puzzles me though. There were designers there assembling displays, staff, serving coffee and assisting shop and the property itself must have been extortionate!
Either way, what a place!
Jewellery, accessories (including a separate Mulberry bag 'zone') and a beautiful Annick Goutal, D-I-Y perfume bar greet you upon entering the bright, airy shop through the courtyard set back from the busy, Boulevard Beaumarchais. Then you make your way up a couple of steps to the stationery and baby merchandise, and through the huge furniture, clothing (designer & vintage) and homeware section. Then downstairs to lighting (see the Foscarini for Diesel pendants below) and kitchenware, complete with a restaurant and courtyard.
You end up with the irresistible option to exit through the 'used book café' where you can sit on an array of upcycled furniture, (all with price tags) and sip a café creme, whilst perusing the floor-to-ceiling book shelves...

all photography by me

We're back!

So we're back from Paris and are now off to a 2-day wedding in the Scottish borders so apologies for the lack of blog posts this week. I do have a couple of goodies lined up from the trip...if my photos are up to grade...
We had a lovely time; saw some sites, walked a fair bit, shopped a little and ate a lot!
We tried not to spend too much but Paris is expensive and the Euro is strong (against the pound) so I thought it best to leave this dress in the good hands of Givenchy, for now...it wouldn't have fit into our Ryanair, 10kg limit, hand luggage anyway...

oh...and ...if you've got a minute, you could vote for me here if you like...Thanks x

À Bientôt

We're off to speak pigeon french with Scottish et Australian accents to angry Parisiens, drink café au lait and hopefully not buy anything that won't fit in our hand luggage (Ryanair)...

Many thanks for the suggestions on my previous Paris blog post and on twitter...much appreciated. Thanks to you and some famille, we have a (very) loose itinerary and even looser dinner reservations, other than that we're just going to soak it all up and in the immortal words of Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, 'fly by the seat of our pants'.
No doubt I'll take beaucoup de photos, tweet a lot and then post a little something upon our return...

...but for now, au revoir mes amis x

photography by Irene Suchoki

Paris

I'm asking a little favour...

For our 1st anniversary my husband and I have booked a (very) short trip to Paris this summer. Time is tight and eating times and shopping slots are filling up quickly, as we plan our trip. I have been a couple of times before but it will be my husband's 1st visit (apart from the Paris Bar show) and we are also meeting my father-in-law, who will be visiting Europe from Australia.

We're already looking forward to Sunday brunch at Le Fumoir, bellini's at Harry's bar and checking out Jean Paul Gaultier's apartment design for Elle Decoration as well as the usual Eiffel Tower and Louvre visits etc...

Any suggestions for bars, markets, shops & galleries, off the beaten track would be massively appreciated. My husband is a massive comic book fan, so any cool french comic stores would earn me extra brownie points!

Please leave a comment or drop me an email...thank yoooou x

Image credit

ETAC?

Paul Smith designed these bright, Bauhaus inspired, silk scarves to coincide with the Milan furniture fair. They're hand numbered and hand stitched and available here.
The scarves, were infact a consequence of my forage for these awesome camera cases, but then i noticed what a perfect 'Essential Travel Accessory Combination' they make together (if I was one for matching such things)?!
Perfect for a little European city break in the summer, being booked this week, for a certain anniversary...now I just have to practice wearing silk scarves without looking like a 1970's trolly dolly...hmm...impossible?!

Like for Like?

I know I keep going on about holidays but I'd love to live in a European city, not as a tourist, just live there.
Well, It seems when you no longer have the freedom to go off and 'live' somewhere exotic for a year or so there is a 'grown up with business, partners, responsibilties' option. You can go on holiday and 'swap homes' for a couple of weeks.
The concept was made more popular by the film The Holiday a couple of years back, in which Kate Winslet swapped her stereotypical 'middle of nowhere' chintz English cottage:

for Cameron Diaz's stereotypical LA over-designed super gaff:

Great idea huh? Apart from the fact i'd have to move most of my junk out and get industrial cleaners in, it's supposed to save you the cost of accomodation and you get to live as a local.
I, however, can't help but feel my swapee would be extremely disappointed, to arrive in damp Edinburgh, with keys to a one and a half bedroom flat above a Mexican restaurant, while I lorded it up in their '18th Century Mansion just 15 minutes from Paris.'
Check this place out!







Available to swap at Luxe Home Swap

The Holiday set images found on Discover: Interior Design