L'Empereur Quincaillerie

This Marseille based hardware store drives me crazy. You can expect hardware oldies with a better design, surprising delicacies and some seriously handy items you forgot you needed. Check out the small blackboard made in Japan since 1937, that comes with dust free chalk made from scallop shell.

Haford Grange Paperweights

I love paperweights and bought just about all their botanical selection. 

"Haford Grange has been producing paperweights for over 30 years. Situated in the middle of in the Margam Forest, high in the mountains overlooking the Swansea in South Wales, Haford Grange used to be the summer grazing area for stock kept by the Cisterian monks of the now ruined Margam Abbey."

Smythson Bespoke Stationery

Just received my calling cards, sounds so Edith Wharton!

Canoe

The Portland-based store sells online a nice selection of objects such as:

-a Handmade Copper Grater, "know in Japan as "oroshigane", this traditional grater is used for ginger, garlic and small vegetables like radish"

-Pendleton National Park blankets in wool

-Locally sourced Eena Canvas Bags

-Heath Ceramics, "one of the few remaining mid-century American potteries still in existence"

Merci Mitre..

Better Living Through Design

A good interior design blog.
http://www.betterlivingthroughdesign.com/

Our view at 9:58 pm

I remember reading once that, when hiring someone to join his large staff at his Berlin studio, the artist Olafur Eliasson asked the candidate questions such as "how do light and weather affect you?". His studio employs people specially dedicated to observing and recording the sky, the changes in lights, as well as professional meteorologists. It's rare to find individuals who will attach such importance to light and weather, usually considered a shallow conversation topic. When you live in a large city, light is extremely important. It is to me, I've been nicknamed "weather girl" quite frequently. But it's like any mood sustaining drug, it has to remain private in order not to bore people. In any case, I couldn't do without the large piece of sky I see from my appartment, like a fourth wall. June through September, mornings and before sunsets, dozens of swifts fly at a crazy pace above the square in front of my place, screeching with pleasure when the sky is clear. It's quite a show.

Interiors

If I didn't have all these silly wall moldings representing flowers and fruits in my appartement, I would love to paint a room the "David Hicks way", blue with black bordering. I don't know what I like best, his interior design or the 70s deco photos!
(photos David Hicks archives)

Ode à la Seine

My father is a Parisian from birth and he never lived anywhere else. He despised people with "résidence secondaire" and was positive that living further than 5 kilometers from the Jeu de Paume and La Hune bookstore would drive him to a state of mental and intellectual meltdown. He revised his stance when he found an amazing piece of heaven in the Vexin Français. He didn't really cheat himself either because his garden basically ends on the bank of the river Seine where he goes cruising on a small wood boat, equiped with an new electric engine to ensure quiet spying on birds and animals.

Pilates

If you really want to have Joseph Pilates' body at 82, you need to be extra picky about who teaches you. After years of practice, I'm only starting to fully get the idea behind it and realized that you can easily think you had the postures right when you didn't. The main thing is, your teacher must constantly correct you until the posture is perfect, even if you spend 20 minutes on getting it right, because once you do, the move always feels right and smooth and easy. If not, you got it wrong.

Parisianism

Matthieu doesn't enjoy seeing old movies at home and much prefers heading to the Quartier Latin to ancient movie theatres. Traditionally, we will either lunch or share a renown chocolate éclair at the Balzar.