Paris fly by
I just didn’t turn 40 yesterday (only 39) and in celebration of this, spent the weekend in Paris avec ma famille. Totally forgetting that Paris is shut on sundays, this meant a whizz around some choice things on saturday followed by a slow sunday at the Notre Dame and Shakespeare and Company. I have several designy things to share, beginning with a restaurant we went to in which was a decorating idea to steal for if you ever find yourself in possession of a stunning old building with cracked tiling on the walls.
Anahi, an Argenitnian, is in an old charcuterie in the Marais district that could have been serving sandwiches and we’d have been happy. The mood of the place, set in part by super-dim lighting, was what you always hope you’ll find when you’re on holiday. The room was – refreshingly – white mainly, with gold details and an Art Deco ceiling I couldn’t stop staring at all night. Any cracks in the tiled walls had been filled in with copper leaf, making for a glamorous crazy-paving effect all around that toned excellently with the gold chairs. Find more photos on Yatzer.
The Paris I saw this time with four shorter legs in tow, wasn’t as much Paris as I managed to see seven years ago, but was just as pretty. We managed to tick off from an ambitious and barely touched to do list, Atelier Brancusi by the Pompidou centre. This is the Romanian sculptor and artist Constantin Brancusi’s studio recreated in a Renzo Piano-designed cube – a beautiful contained place to float around or sit and stare at monochrome workshop spaces and massive Modernist scultpures.
What those two photos – and also other people’s instagrams – don’t tell you is that each zone is behind glass, which is a good thing for clumsy clots.
One of the few shops that we visited, Astier de Villate on Rue Saint Honore, had no such protective glass between visitor and breakables. But we made it in and out with nothing more eventful than a cemented desire to buy a 152 Euros cup (the one from here as it happens).
The building is a lovely wreck and also pretty dimly lit, with some walls left unfinished and some painted in mint green or chocolate brown.
I have no idea why I left without one of those plates (not 152 Euros).
You’ve probably all seen or been to the famous book shop Shakespeare and Company, but indulge me, it’s so lovely and the flooring was another crazy-paving highlight of the weekend.
This time I did leave with something, finding it too hard to resist the promise of “beautiful books, terrible times.”
Ooh! Lovely. I’m putting your visits on my to do list for next time I go to Paris.
We too were in Le Marais on Sunday! If you saw 2 screaming children in tow that was us! We went to Amici Miei for Italian dinner, Rose Bakery, and also a quick wander round Marche des Enfants Rouges, Notre Dame & the exterior of Centre Pompidou. Going to add your places to my Le Marais list for next time!
Ah how funny – I will list yours too. I think I’ve been to Rose Bakery a long time ago, but might be confused. Paris Match (above), there was another nice restaurant called Bistro Paul Bert in the 11th – so not very central, but lovely atmosphere and food.
Probably not the most fun thing to do with small children but on Sunday the flea markets are buzzing; Porte de Montreuil and Porte de Clignancourt are great (Porte de Vanves I only went to once and found it posher and pricier so not really my thing) so if they do like looking for treasures you could dip in to some of that next time.
….you left without the plates?
YOU LEFT, WITHOUT THE PLATES?????