Un Petit Voyage À Paris
Three days in Paris filled with beautiful art, design, and food
As the train approached Paris it became cloudier and grayer with each passing kilometer. I knew there would be rain, the forecast said so, and I packed appropriately. We (Kyle, the dogs, and myself) debarked the train and headed to Le Marais where a charming old apartment with tall ceilings and antique furniture waited for us. Kyle and I decided to count how many times we had been to Paris together, fives times since 2015, which was surprising. The only other place we’ve travelled to more frequently is Palm Springs, which I would consider a third home.
Some of you know that we almost moved to Paris instead of Barcelona, a decision I still don’t regret, because of weather like this. I grew up with horrible rainy days, flooding, terrible winds, which were all part of wanting to move to Los Angeles. Still, Paris is a place I never grow tired of. This time was a quick trip, 3 days and 4 nights, and we were visiting because of a new design salon called Matter and Shape. It felt like a good excuse as any for a trip, plus with the Olympics this summer (no thank you), it was now or much later in the fall. Still, it ended up being a wonderful time despite the rain. We saw good friends, experienced so much great design and art experiences (more on that below) and had some fantastic meals and drinks.
Taking place in the Jardin des Tuileries, the inaugural debut of Matter and Shape was a treat. The salon featured 32 exhibitors from many different worlds, including design brands, up-and-coming designers as well as big names like Rick Owens. There was a delightfully curated shop from the team at Apartamento, a pop-up restaurant serving lunch and dinner by ONA, as well as a small cafe from Paris-favorite DREAMIN MAN. Bringing it all together was the space which was designed by Willo Perron, who did such a wonderful job of making a temporary space feel like a warm and safe cocoon.
Other standouts include watery silverware from Griegest, this candy store of materials curated by Material Curator and RDAI, and stunning metallic sculptures from Charlotte Chesnais. So inspiring to wander amongst such beautiful objects and such fashionable individuals.
The unexpected highlight of the trip was Mise En Page at Le Bon Marché, a massive takeover of the space by Sarah Andelman (of Colette fame) and artist Jean Jullien. Sarah worked with many collaborators to turn the ground floor of the iconic store into a book store with publishers from around the world, plus the gift shop of your wildest dreams, with products from Thom Browne, Harry Nuriev, Louis Vuitton and so many more.
Jullien’s mark was found literally everywhere in and out of the store, and having been such a fan of his work for so long, it was such a joy to see the shear scale of his imagination. There were two massive figures that took up the space above the cosmetics counters, drawings all over the bookshop, custom hand-lettering on everything, and he even did the window displays outside. If you’re going to be in Paris anytime before 21 April you must stop by and see this incredible installation.
We managed to find some time to pop into the brand new Saint Laurent Babylone, a bookstore they describe as “a new cultural destination and bookstore in the heart of paris, dedicated to art, music & culture.” It was a scene! Like, honestly, it felt like we were at a bar where people were meeting to hang out for the afternoon, with lots of bonjour’ing and cheek kissing. The store design was minimal with lots of great textures, many odes to Serge Gainsbourg, and very cool old books and records everywhere. If they served wine I would have absolutely stayed for the people watching.
And if that wasn’t enough, we also stopped by the Iris van Herpen exhibit Sculpting the Senses at MAD Paris, aka the Musée des Arts décoratifs. van Herpen is one of the most phenomenal fashion designers of our time and it was astonishing to finally get to see her works in person. Seeing the artistry, the detail, her inspirations, all together like that was such a surreal experience. I must give major props to the curator Cloé Pitiot and assitant curator Louise Curtis for not only beautifully highlighting van Herpen’s work, but also bringing in other contemporary artists to show their work alongside the clothes. They created a world that felt cohesive and exciting around every turn.
The trip overall was so inspiring and extremely nourishing. I hope you enjoyed seeing these places through my eyes. I feel like this helped rekindle my love for photography a bit, I definitely want to include more of my photos in future newsletters.
Lastly, a few recommendations of places to eat and drink in Paris. I still haven’t had any experiences with rude Parisians, everyone has been so kind and thoughtful, and these spots are worth your time and money. First is Les Œillets in the 10th, a super cute restaurant and wine bar. For an amazing lunch, highly recommend Mesures, which is fashioned after Japanese Kissa bars. Super friendly staff with great music and cocktails. Le Clown Bar is a personal favorite, went and visited again after 5 years. Incredibly kind staff, don’t miss the veal brains and the pigeon and foie gras pie. Had a delicious seafood platter at L’ilot, and again, fantastic staff here. If you’re craving Italian stop by Racines, located in a charming indoor arcade. I was staying in the 3rd so Fringe was my go-to spot for coffee (for me) and chai tea (for Kyle) each morning. The brunch at Andre’s Hotel Grand Amour is an American’s dream as they serve a spot-on chicken and waffles. Finally, shoutout to Brother Sister for serving a breakfast burrito in Paris, tellement délicieux!
Thanks for sharing! So excited to visit Paris next month!
I'm going to send this post to all the TikTokers hating on Paris. This is how you do it, sounds lovely