Seeing France: Paris and Things

Unwinding back here in the slumbering countryside, I can unpack the sensory overload of two and a half days in Paris in the world of things, so many things my head spun. Ooooh, what delights and inspiration, everywhere.

I like looking at things, meeting the people who make them, who passionately study, or sell them. When I arrived in Paris, my friend, the brocante/antiques dealer whisked me to Hotel Drouot, a large auction house in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. On Thursday evening, interested buyers prowl through the displays of seventy different firms, examining items that will be on the block the next day. Women in poufy fur hats, dandies in tweed and cravats, and Japanese gentlemen with exceedingly elegant duds, swarm in currents through the rooms packed with everything from chandeliers, to old manuscripts, and dresses that were probably worn once to a fancy party. My friend honed in on items of interest, asked what the expected price range would be, and moved on. I was watching a hawk at work.

Then, oh la la… Because she is an expert in toile de jouy (19th century fabric depicting pastoral scenes), she’d been invited by the magazine World of Interiors to their party at the Eugene Delacroix Museum which was displaying these textiles. So, Delacroix, a Romantic painter, had been in the fashionable crowd in his day, and his atelier was still very much an IN place – no riff raff – my clothes gave me away - riff raff; the doorman’s eyes ran over me top to bottom, his lip curled slightly, and he let me pass only because my friend is brilliant and brazen. The paintings, the fabrics, the crowd, and the hors d’oeuvres displayed the same refined sensibilities.

The next morning, the energetic, enterprising antiques maven had me in her car off to the Marché St. Pierre, below the giant wedding cake basilica of Sacré Coeur. She was after a certain subdued shade of blue silk for the piping on an elegant chair. Now THAT is a special way to spend a morning. Layers and layers, row after row, of colors, textures, notions, buttons, and related trappings had me drooling. Still, this was my trip for inspiration. My restraint amazed me.

On my own the next day at the enormous Maison et Objet, the giant trade expo that caters to the professional design crowd from around the world, I’ll admit, I got a little giddy. Stretched throughout eight enormous buildings in an area the size of an airport, vendors of every imaginable decorative object arrayed their treasures. Experiencing such a concentration of material goods made me think how rare originality is. Most often, we sell and buy what we have already seen elsewhere. Of course, originality can be a financial risk. That explains a lot. Wouldn't it be great, thought I, Ms. Creative, to collaborate with these clever entrepreneurs who are so smart about how to get wares out into the world.

Okay, okay, show me stuff, says you. Below are some things that caught my eye, or appealed to my taste, not necessarily both.

This vignette is absolutely stunning with its sumptuous layers of lush colors.

The aesthetic of the Dutch company Household Hardware is fun, and its products are handmade.

The Portuguese TM Collection was perhaps the freshest look I saw, with emphasis on feminine silk, color, and flow.

Lavish table settings at the Sonja Quandt booth. Sense of humor is always a good thing.

Something entirely different to tickle your fancy.

The Turks can make you any kind of chandelier you like, in any color.

I loved this line of rubbery bike baskets from Yélo, made here in France, in La Rochelle. That one in front fits Monsieur Bean perfectly.

These "rocks" from OLA Collection are actually felt poufs - now that is creative!

Ahhh... I adore textiles, especially linen. The hand stitching on these covers from Baan is super homey.

I've hung up my gift bag, and am energized to get some things up for sale online.

If you need professional antiques advice in Paris, contact me, and I'll put you in touch with my friend, the expert.