Paris’ other flea: Porte de Vanves

Yes, i’m back online.  I finally got our pictures together from two weekends ago when my boyfriend and I went to Paris’ other famous flea market, Porte de Vanves.

It’s not as “professional” as the Saint-Ouen (Clignancourt) flea market – there are no permanent stalls, vendors set up their stalls each Sunday along two residential streets just at the edge of the 14th arrondissement.  Accordingly, Porte de Vanves is MUCH smaller, and the items for sale tend to be “smalls” – antique silverware, door knockers, paintings, etc. The prices are, perhaps accordingly, quite a bit better than Saint-Ouen.

We spent an hour or two wandering through the tables.  I came away with a few old, bronze curtain pulley ornaments and my boyfriend got (surprise!) yet another map of the US from the early 1800s.  But here’s some of the other neat stuff we saw:

a quintessential Parisian flea market stand

can you see the mini rocking horse? (i know, there's a lot of visual interference!) so cool!

an early 20th century stained-glass lantern

love vintage posters!

i'm sucker for well-displayed stemware

colorful plaques

a wonderful display of randoms like hotel keys

one of my beloved sun mirrors. how i long to own one!

and a lovely wooden box in the shape of a butterfly.

Hey kids, keep digging’!

À bientôt,

k.

pickin’ paris!

So we’re back at it – treasure hunting, picking – whatever you want to call it, my boyfriend and I are busy looking for unique finds here in France.  This weekend we went to a brocante in a nearby neighborhood, in Paris’ 15th arrondissement.

In terms of quality, this was one of the better ones we’ve seen in our two years of hitting these events.  No new, mass-produced Chinese junk, and a good variety of traditional French items, as well as some pieces from across Europe.

piles of champagne flutes

champagne glasses and tea cups. gorgeous display arrangement.

crates full of brass fixtures

a real book press!

look at the cat bell!

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my dream - a pair of these huge glass suns. but at 800 euros plus shipping, I just couldn't....

And here’s what we came away with (“picked”):

a 1970s Hermès belt - with the vintage logo "H", for my boyfriend's mom

and my EPIAG Czechoslovakian art deco-style tea set. it was love at first sight!

We’re headed to Bordeaux later this week, so we’ll see what we come up with!

Happy Sunday!

À demain,

k.

création à Paris

It’s a chilly but partly-sunny Sunday in Paris….my boyfriend is out of town, stores are closed….what am I going to do?!

As you know, I LOVE local markets.  And there was one that I had seen signs for, but never visited, so I biked over to the nearby Marché de la Création, near Gare Montparnasse in Paris’ 14th arrondissement.  The market is open every Sunday – good to know if you’re looking for something to do on a quiet Sunday.  And a good place to buy handcrafted Parisian goods at affordable prices.

This is just a sampling of what I found:

I hopped on a Velib'...

...and 10 minutes later I was at the marché de la Création.

There were dancing horse statues.

A million hats to choose from.

Very cool art deco-style handmade stained glass panels.

Vibrant scarves.

More animal statues (this time closer to life-sized).

Some 'big' jewelry (sorry it's blurry!).

And plenty of paintings - these two are MY FAVES!!!

Next time you find yourself in Paris on a Sunday, swing by and check it out!

À bientôt,

k.

my walls are screaming

…for help, that is.  I’ve been trying really hard to get some personality into our apartment.  I’ve hesitated more than usual because we don’t know how much longer we’ll be living here.  Thus, no painting the walls.  Which is devastating to me.  In NYC, my living room was a desert rose color (yes, that’s a deep pink!), my hallway was an even deeper shade of pink and my bedroom was “Hawaiian Blue”.  Oh, those were the days.

So, instead of getting out my paint brush, I’ve been out scouring the markets of Europe (surprise, surprise) for goodies to put on the walls.

Over the last six months or so, I’ve developed an obsession with mirrors.  I’ve never been particularly taken with mirrors before, so the only explanation I can offer is that there are much cooler mirrors here in Europe.  Here’s what I’ve uncovered lately:

"soleil" mirror, in large

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220 euros for that tiny mirror - yikes!

As if one needed more proof that these mirrors were cool, note the stunner in one of this season’s LANVIN ads:

Lanvin F/W 2011-12 ad

The prices of the soleil mirrors at the Paris flea market (above) were a bit rich for me, but I was able to find some great pieces (for a lot less money) in Belgium:

my "porthole" mirror

dusty, but gorgeous

dusty, still has a sticker on it, but wait 'til I get it cleaned up!

While looking for (obsessing over) mirrors, I also came across a couple of paintings, which I bought:

lacking vibrant colors, this is definitely not my 'normal' style, but I decided a more dignified piece couldn't hurt the look of the room

again, subtle, but a calm reminder of my scavenging in Belgium

Meanwhile, I’ve been exploring a few interior design mags and found some inspiration:

Molteni & C ad in Casa Vogue Italia, Oct 2011.

Notice in the photo above not one, but I believe TWO of my beloved soleil (sun) mirrors (back wall and right-hand side wall). Obviously I’m not the only one with an obsession!  But in general, I like that the pic is a mélange of art and mirrors and what-not on the walls – LOVE IT!

Well, I’m off to hang my findings….

À bientôt,

k.

one fine bâtiment

As I was rushing from my new office to the métro, I caught sight of a gorgeous flower box on someone’s balcon.  As my eyes moved across the rest of the façade, I was a bit in awe.  This ‘average’ apartment bâtiment (building), constructed in 1911, has gorgeous ornamentation and statues embellishing many of the balconies throughout.  Take a look:

looking up...

the balcony that drew my attention

Close-up: an angry god to the left...

...and a pensive one to the right

a neighboring balcony (and notice the architect's "signature" to the right)

the two goddesses hanging out

goddess in a half-shell?

and her companion

the building entrance

a close-up of the pediment

 

I wouldn’t mind looking out my window and seeing this everyday, would you?

À bientôt,

k.

 

Paris is on sale!

The headline is a bit misleading.  What I mean is that the soldes season has arrived in France, the twice-yearly period during which retailers are permitted by law to reduce prices.  Although yesterday was the official (legal) kick-off of the sales, signs started going up last week around the city to announce their arrival.  I love seeing how each store communicates its solde:

Printemps ad in the métro

Le Bon Marché has also plastered the subways with ads

and online, a Galeries Lafayette call-out

And each boutique finds its own way to spread the word:

a banner covers an entrance to Gustav Eiffel-designed Le Bon Marché

more signage "on-site" at Le Bon Marché. i love it!

painted on the store's vitrine

en anglais (in english) at Et Vous

hand-painted, cut-out letters at a jeweler in Saint-Germain

a more banal display, using red shopping bags

and the more prosaic at the Gap

beautifully choreographed signage at Repetto

and my FAVORITE, at Kenzo, each letter an objet or "found art"

Yesterday was the first day, and all of the big stores opened at 8am (usually they open at 10am) and remained open until 10pm (vs. 7 or 8pm on a normal day).  I missed the line-up of people waiting outside Le Printemps Haussmann, as I was up too late the night before for Fête de la Musique, but did manage to scope out the entire store and retreat, without having purchased a single item (other than a venti latté at a nearby Starbucks), before 10am.  I’m still recovering.

For those of you in Paris, or who are coming to Paris in the next month, Happy Soldes!

À demain,

k.