“I’ve just been offered a job in Paris,” my boyfriend of one year announced. “I won’t even consider it if you’re going to rule out coming with me…”

Huh? Definitely an invitation, not quite a proposal. So what’s a young, gainfully employed, woman-in-love to do?

Quit her job, pack her bags and move to Paris, of course!

Fast forward six months. Newly engaged and living in the Marais, we spend weekends scouring flea markets for second-hand furniture and sipping cheap red wine on our sixth-floor terrace. It’s great. But with Greg off at work and a scant hour of French per week on my calendar, it quickly becomes clear: I need a project.

I decide to get serious about planning our wedding.

Le chateau: I spot the photo in the back of a French bridal magazine; Chateau des Conde, in the village of Vallery about 90 minutes south of Paris. We call ahead and arrange to visit. The village is French country perfection: a sleepy town center with a church, boulangerie, one restaurant, a bar/tabac and a post office. Summer vines climb stone walls and window boxes spill with blooms. We haven’t even laid eyes on the chateau yet but I’m already falling hard.

Chateau owner, architect Patrice Vansteenberghe, welcomes us with champagne that we sip as we tour the grounds. The chateau dates back to the 12th century, boasts 22 rooms to host our future guests and a reception salon designed by the architect responsible for the Cour Carree at the Louvre. By the time we see the room where Lenny Kravitz and Vanessa Paradis holed up for a month scribbling lyrics, we’re more than ready to let love rule (and hand over the hefty deposit). After several more glasses of champagne, dinner with Patrice’s chic weekend guests, and an impromptu overnight in the Kravitz suite, visions of a wedding bash are dancing in my head.

Le menu: Supreme de volaille or blanquette de veau? Brouilly, Beaujoulais or Bordeaux? So many choices, so much free time. It’s enough to push a budding Bridezilla completely over the edge. Enter Olivier Casanovas, caterer extraordinaire. Our menu degustation at his fab Neuilly apartment is as lovely as a wedding soiree, complete with crystal goblets, endless dishes to sample and even a fluffy bichon to nibble the scraps. We’re in good hands; the wedding feast will more than uphold its country’s gastronomic rep. But will I?

La robe: A three-day wedding celebration complete with wine tasting in a medieval cave and a poolside cocktail reception. At a chateau. In France. Perhaps this is all getting to be the teensiest bit too much? No turning back now. Guests had been alerted, plane tickets purchased. It was high time I found a dress. After failed visits to Paris bridal outposts Pronuptia and Galleries Lafayette, I find My Dress in a tucked away shop in the 4eme chez designer Suzanne Ermann. One custom dress, a floor-sweeping veil, satin heels, a wrap, hand-beaded necklace, and a pair of elbow length satin gloves later, I was ready. Well, almost.

With our May date fast approaching, my wedding planning book is beginning to resemble the King James Bible (and is, of course, no less sacred). And yet, critical details remain: civil ceremony, music, flowers, officiant, vows, and seating plans — not to mention my horse-drawn carriage.

Can I pull it all together before our (one hundred plus) guests arrive?

Stay tuned for Paige’s follow up post to hear all about the big day!

Related Links:

• Are you planning a wedding in France? Rendez-vous in Paris can help you plan your perfect French wedding.
• Kim from Parisian Party, a fabulous wedding planner herself, comments on how to choose a wedding planner in France.
• For gorgeous wedding photography or Paris engagement shots, check out One & Only Paris Photography

Written by Paige Bradley Frost for the HiP Paris Blog. All images by One and Only Paris Photography. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, London, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.

You’re about to realize your dream: living in Paris for a month. You found an apartment, booked your flight, and learned how to ask for les toilettes.

You imagine strolling through the city, taking in the sights, hanging out at cafés, and being…Parisian.  Of course, part of the fun of travel is making new friends. As much as we love French hospitality, local Parisians and expats aren’t always hanging out in cafés looking for tourists to befriend. If your plan was to strike up conversation with the local artists over espresso at your neighborhood bistrot, you might want to think up a slightly more elaborate back-up plan. Just in case.

Michel NGUYEN; Yuwen Teo

Plus, maybe your idea of Paris includes escaping the tourist traps and discovering truly local haunts – great live music at an otherwise unassuming dive bar, or a fantastic meal at your neighborhood restaurant. With a dash of creativity, there are plenty of original ways to meet people and experience a little of the true Paris. Here are a few ideas:

Gael Sagueton

• Jim Haynes’ Sunday dinners. Jim Haynes, an American ex-pat, has been holding Sunday dinner at his apartment in the 14^th arrondissement for 30 years. You will meet plenty of Americans, but also people from France and other countries. Make your reservation early, as Jim’s apartment is small and can only hold about 50 people. If it’s a warm and clear night, he’ll accept more people as the crowd spills outside. After making a reservation, contact Jim on Sunday morning to get his building code and plan to arrive at 8 pm sharp. A donation is suggested, but you don’t need to bring anything else.
• CouchSurfing. This organization connects locals who have a little extra sleeping space with travelers looking for a place to stay for free. Beyond finding a cheap place to rest your head, it’s also a great way to meet locals and see a city through their eyes. CouchSurfing has groups in most major cities; the Paris group is very active, with over 60,000 members. Every Monday night, Parisian members meet at The Lions pub for trivia night and in the summertime, picnics are organized in parks all over the city. On any given day, you can find half dozen things to do: meet someone to go sightseeing, attend a party at someone’s home, join a vegetarian brunch… Once you sign up, go to the Paris group page to connect with locals and travelers looking for things to do in Paris.

Christophe Verdier

• Practice your Franglish. Franglish (it’s actually called that) is a group of French and English speakers that meets every week in Paris. The concept is kind of like speed-dating-meets-language-lessons over drinks, but rather than dating, it’s a way to make friends. You first chat with one person for 7 minutes in French, followed by 7 minutes in English. You switch partners and languages several times and recent transplants will be happy to know that your French doesn’t have to be perfect.
• Join organizations or volunteer. The American Library in Paris, the largest English-language library in Europe, puts together a number of events and opportunities for expats to mingle, including author readings, discussions, art and photography exhibits, and a book club that meets monthly. They’re also always on the lookout for volunteers. Whether or not you attend worship services at the American Church in Paris, you’re welcome to partake in the yoga, karate, or Scottish dancing classes they offer, among others.

Gael Sagueton

• If you’re in Paris to get away from your fellow Americans, try the Expatriate Party – a social group for ex-pats from all over the world. They put together events such as Cinema Night, Zoo Day, Karaoke and a Sunday morning run.
• For more ideas, check out other ex-pat sites like AngloInfo Paris.

Gael Sagueton

Clearly, opportunities for mixing and mingling with locals and expats abound in Paris. If this list just filled your Paris agenda with a little too much activity, remember that there’s also nothing more Parisian than leaving room for the unexpected, as you sip an espresso on your local café terrace… Who knows what might happen!

Related Links:

• La Mom comments on the strange expat slang time warp
• Jennyphoria on the highs and lows of visa trouble in France
• Meetup.com also organizes lots of getogethers for American expats in Paris

Written by Nicole Gustin for the HiP Paris Blog. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.

Years into my love affair with Paris, I’m still making ridiculous rookie mistakes. I suppose it’s time to accept that France will always have the upper hand, but it still stings.

My most recent humiliation is horse-related. Or at least, I thought it was.

Please note that I was a horse-obsessed child, so equine-related topics are particularly touchy for me. As a child, I would sometimes dress in riding garb for no reason at all. And while I was waiting for my parents to break down and buy me a real horse (never happened), I would drag garbage cans into the backyard and ride them, periodically switching from one member of the “herd” to the next. On any given afternoon, people in the house could gaze out and see me whipping a particularly stubborn garbage can with my riding crop.

Steak à Cheval (L. Richarz)

So when I first moved to Paris and started noticing “steak à cheval” on menus around town, I was wary. I knew there was a historical precedent of eating horse meat in France, but it seemed quite inhumane in this day and age. Nonetheless,  I assumed it was some kind of trendy gastronomic revival, and who was I to question the local gourmands? So I kept my mouth shut and simply avoided the dreaded horse steak when confronted with it.

Recently, I was visiting my boyfriend’s family in Brazil. One night, we sat down to dinner and I was presented with a traditional dish called bife a cavalo (in Portuguese), which translates to “horse-riding steak” or “steak à la horse.”

“Horse?” I asked, panic rapidly setting in.

“No, it’s like steak à cheval in France,” G explained.

“Sooo….. horse?” I wondered again.

It was at this point that I realized I’d been operating under a serious misapprehension, and it took the collision of three cultures for the truth to surface.

Tyrolian Andy

No wonder the French had seemed so lax about all that presumed “horse-eating”—they weren’t eating horse at all. It turns out that steak à cheval (or bife a cavalo) is merely a cut of beef with a fried egg on top. It turns out the French aren’t as barbaric as I thought! And it turns out I’m kind of an idiot.

I shudder to think what other misconceptions I’ve been carrying around all this time, but I have a feeling the truth will win out. Paris will see to that.

Related Links:

• Mark Bittman has his ideas about the best steaks in Paris
• Looking for non-steak options in Paris? Check out David Lebovitz’s handy guide (and the useful links below!)
• If you’re in the mood for a burger in Paris, check out Lindsey’s (Lost in Cheeseland) review of Blend

Written by Tory Hoen for the HiP Paris Blog. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.

Paris is known for many things: its light, its bistros and, of course, its fashionably chic women. But what about its men? Do les hommes parisiens share that certain je ne sais quoi for which their female counterparts are so admired?

Alas, in a word, non.

Parisian men do, however, have distinctive style that manages to marry the rakish allure of Vincent Cassel or Olivier Martinez with the more bourgeois appeal of, say, Francois Cluzet. In short, his cool charm derives from an unstudied, imperfect look that works without looking overworked. Matchy-matchy, perfectly pressed and impeccably coordinated is just un-Parisian.

Annelie Willemijn

Here are some hallmarks of Parisian style pour homme, as seen on the city’s streets this chilly season.

Le foulard: There may be no look more “French” than an artfully tied scarf. Men are rarely seen in Paris without stylish neck wear — rain or shine. From the classic Burberry check to sumptuous cashmere or printed cotton, a casually wrapped neck is simply a must.

Les chaussures: Men’s shoes have gone narrow and pointy; classics like leather oxfords and sporty suede bucks have seemingly been stretched. A gently pointed toe is the only shoe shape that looks right right now. For weekends en ville, swap out the dress shoes for a well-worn pair of tennis — Puma or Adidas, please.

Annelie Willemijn

Les pantalons: Athletes with ample quads, beware: Modern Parisian trousers are très slim cut. Like those spotted on fashionable Parisiennes, slim-cut dark wash jeans for men can go almost anywhere in Paris these days. Worn with a tailored blazer or fine-knit sweater (think body-hugging), un jean works just as well for a stroll through the Centre Pompidou as it does for a dinner at a swank bistro. Whether it’s jeans, chinos or wool trousers, keep the cut close; a flared leg or tailored cuff is a definite style don’t.

La coiffure: For that perfectly tousled Parisian guy look, follow these simple instructions. Grab a black motorcycle helmet and fasten the chin strap (or don’t). Hop on a Vespa and speed across Paris, lighting and re-lighting a Gauloise at each traffic stop. Once the desired destination is reached, remove said helmet, rake fingers though the hair and shake vigorously. Bit of a windblown, tobacco-soaked mess? Parfait! And for men of a certain age (or hair line), offset a close-cropped ‘do and well-trimmed stubble with hipster plastic-framed lunettes. Complete the look with a fitted blazer in dark velvet or narrow corduroy for that exec-meets-Oberkampf look.

Dave Bloom; Annelie Willemijn

Les No-No’s: There are some looks that just won’t fly in Paris, no matter the season. No big surprises here: Baggy cargo shorts, baseball caps, athletic team paraphernalia in any guise, white tennis shoes (unless they’re ironically worn retro K-Swiss), white socks (but you knew that), and outdoors-y gear (think Patagonia and North Face) are all better left at home or stowed for that weekend à la campagne.

Ultimately, a Parisian man’s recipe for great style is simple: Don’t fret an extra day sans douche; a tousled confidence that says, “I just rolled out of bed,” is a key to Gallic cool.

Related Links:

• Are French men really irresistible?
• Have questions for French men? Ask a Frenchman!
• For more “typical” qualities of French men, check out Stuff Parisians Like

Written by Paige Bradley Frost for the HiP Paris Blog. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.

To do une soirée or not to do une soirée?

What exactly is this rather elegant and mysterious sounding soirée? And, how should it be approached by mere Anglophone mortals?

Definition

Noun: soirée: party or gathering, with a sophisticated name to impress  the uninitiated, taking place in apartments across the glimmering city of lights (usually accompanied by beaucoup de alcohol,  yummy food and much merriment).

Still all rather vague? I’ve tried to break down the process into nice easy steps and here’s what I came up with…

Step 1: Getting there

There are several key points to bear in mind. Under no circumstances should you arrive on time – keep it carefree by arriving fashionably late.

Watch out for complex digicode systems designed to keep guests out and lift-less 6^th floor apartments in distant Parisian destinations.

Step 2: La Bise

Remember the essentials:

• Smile (not too much in order to remain mysterious)
• Perch two dainty kisses one on each cheek
• Compliment the host (it always goes down a treat)

I recommend arriving bearing wine. Don’t worry about breaking the bank – surprisingly, even inexpensive supermarket plonk is still very drinkable.

Step 3:  Chit Chat

Eek! Now that the introductions are out of the way, it’s time to mingle!

After much trial, a little terror and plenty awkward silence, I’ve concluded that Parisian small talk is… well, in fact, rather what it isn’t. It isn’t all that different from our own Anglophone variety. Conversations boil down to the following questions which are designed to place you within the rich and varied Parisian tapestry.

• Where do you live? Which arrondissement? (Bourgeois St Germain? Trendy Canal St Martin? Cosmopolitan Belleville?)
• What do you do? (A typically anglophone teacher job? A student? This is natural curiosity: why exactly have you ventured beyond the anglophone bubble to the French argot*loving whirlwind of Paris?)
• What/ where did you study?  (Background info that’s helpful to establish common ground).

Final words of wisdom?

When in Paris do as the Parisians do.

Borrowed proverbs aside, I can but sing the virtues of Parisian soirées – give one a go if you have the chance. Who can say no to pungent cheese, fine wine and lively conversation? Don’t worry if your French isn’t great, it’s all about taking part. I can assure you that grammar gets forgotten once the Bordeaux starts flowing!

Simply be yourself and bonne soirée!

Related links:

• Victoria’s tips on making small talk like a parisienne
• Some do’s and don’t's of hosting a dinner party in Paris
• Learn a bit more about champagne before picking out your next hostess gift

*French slang

Written by Victoria Wall for the HiP Paris Blog. All photos by Making Magique. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.

Related links:

• Badaude has also shown us how the Parisiennes dress for snow
• Our Abbesses, Houdon, Livingstone, and Pilleux apartments are all in Montmartre
• Do It in Paris’ guide to everything trendy in Monmartre.

Written by Badaude for the HiP Paris Blog. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.

Fresh off the plane and bleary-eyed with two kids in tow, we set out for our first family meal in Paris. Surely in this city of more than 8,000 restaurants, finding a suitable spot would be simple enough, non?

After passing snug bistros and lively brasseries, we spotted a red neon sign that seemed to scream, “Kids Welcome Here!” We made a beeline for Hippopotamus, the kid-friendly chain with outposts all over the city. Without dwelling on the gastronomic disappointment (and pricey menu) of that evening, we learned some early lessons about eating out with kids in Paris. Number one? Don’t eat at Hippopotamus.

Ready for a fancy French meal (Juliet)

In the months since, we’ve tried many restaurants with our children (ages four and six). Here are some tips and sure-fire hits when you venture out to eat en famille.

Not where but when: Successful family dining is about knowing when to go. Many wonderful restaurants will welcome kids if you go at off-peak times. Sunday déjeuner is a big one for family meals in Paris. Friday and Saturday nights? Not so much. For mid-week lunches, go earlier or later than the business crowd and you’ll likely be met with a smile. Bustling brasseries and service continu restos will suit you better than dinner at 9:00 at the cozy corner bistro.

Picnic-ing and playing on the Champs de Mars (Markus Bollingmo)

Know your kids. Know the French: French children are trained to sit quietly and eat like little adults. French parents are strict and never more so than around the table. Crying, screaming and crawling under the table are not tolerated and will prompt vocal disapproval and the not-so-subtle “oh la la.” Adjust your restaurant choices accordingly to avoid a miserable meal for all.

Picky preschooler or gamin gourmand? What foods kids enjoy varies widely. After being weaned off hot dogs and mac n’ cheese, mine now love escargot and Epoisses. Many restaurants offer a Menu Enfant including a plat, boisson and dessert for under 10 euros. And even if they don’t, most will do a simple steak haché (bunless burger), pasta with marinara or omelet for your little one.

Emmanuel Avetta

With these tips in mind, here are some of our family favorites. Bon appetit!

Le Comptoir du Relais: After our early mishap at Hippopatamus, we decided that eating out with the kids wasn’t worth it unless we could eat in real Paris restaurants. A favorite (en famille or à deux) is Le Comptoir, headed by bistro maestro Yves Camdeborde. The food is delicious, the atmosphere lively. They don’t take reservations (hence the queue out front) but take the family around 6:00pm and you’ll have no problem nabbing a table. The servers are kid-friendly and their croque-monsieur with vache qui rit is a no-brainer for the tots.

Le Relais de l’Entrecote: The formula at this Paris classic is simple: juicy steak grilled to order with their signature sauce, a salade verte and mound of crispy frites. That’s it. That’s all they serve. And when it’s this good, who needs anything else?

The steak frites at Relais de L’Entrecote (Marko)

Café de Flore / Brasserie Lipp: Head to Flore for a surprisingly warm welcome for all. It’s loud and the waiters are friendly, a strong combination for happy eating with kids. They’ll do omelets, pasta or an ever-reliable croque-monsieur to please any pint-sized palate while you take in the beau monde. Feeling a bit braver? Try Brasserie Lipp across the boulevard. This art deco gem offers service continu so come early to beat the Parisian dinner crowd who flocks here for their classic Alsatian dishes like choucroute.

Les 400 Coups: When you’re looking for a place that truly caters to the under four-foot set, Les 400 Coups, near the park Les Buttes-Chaumont, has something for everyone. It offers a seasonal menu with veggie options plus play spaces for kids. It even has scheduled story times and special kids’ ateliers.

Pique-nique, Crepes & Berthillon: You’ll never go wrong with an outdoor picnic or warm crepes made to order. My family has picnicked all over the city from the banks of the Seine to Pere la Chaise cemetery. Grab gourmet provisions at the Grande Epicerie de Paris or simple sandwiches from any boulangerie. For dessert, no child (or parent) can resist Paris’ beloved Berthillon ice cream on the ever-charming Ile St. Louis.

What’s better than a hot crepe on a cold day? (Henrik Berger Jørgensen)

Related Links:

• More kid-friendly restaurants over on Babyccino
• What to do with kids while you’re here that everyone will enjoy
• Jenny at Dinner A Love Story shares her list of where to eat and what to do
• Hilarious stories of living in Paris with kids over at La Mom

Written by Paige Bradley Frost for the HiP Paris Blog. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.

As this wonderful year draws to a close, we can’t help but be grateful for all the amazing things we experienced in 2011:

• We finally got the 10 never-ending trends of Paris fashion straight - phew, no more fashion no-nos for us!
• We got savvy to dining etiquette in France
• We unearthed Paris’ best coffee spots…
• … and bike shops
• … and underground restaurants and dining clubs
• We pondered what it is that makes French women so fabulous
• And we ate, and ate, and ate at our favorite new Paris restaurants

All of this, thanks to you dear readers! Is there something you would like to see more of in 2012? Drop us a line to let us know!

On behalf of the HiP Paris team and our gloriously talented contributors, we wish you warm and happy holidays, and a fantastic new year full of love and success.

All photos Courtesy of Carams. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris,  London, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.

What can I add to this week’s hundreds of tributes to the legendary proprietor of Paris’s Shakespeare and Company bookshop, George Whitman, including one by the writer, Jeanette Winterson?

Why was she impelled to remember him in print? Because, like so many others, she had stayed at Shakespeare and Company. George Whitman started a tradition of hosting writers, most famously members of the Beat generation, and the bookshop’s ‘Tumbleweed Hotel’ is still a place where literary dreamers can exchange a few hours’ work in the shop for a bed on a bench amongst the books of George’s personal open library on the first floor.

When I came to Shakespeare and Company a couple of years ago, it was a while before I actually met George. Already in his mid-90s, he spent his days in the apartment on the top floor.

He still owned the shop downstairs, now run expertly by his daughter Sylvia and her team, its ‘Tumbleweed Hotel’ principles intact.

When they arrive, Tumbleweeds are required to write a brief biography for the shop’s records. Employed by the shop to create stair murals, I decided I would do this later. Anyway I was here to draw, not write. I wasn’t a Tumbleweed.

Was I?

The next time I stayed I didn’t write it either, but I did spend my time writing. I’d do it on the next visit.

Or the next…

The last time I visited the shop in October 2011 , Paris was cold. George had just suffered a stroke and was in hospital, ‘recovering well’. The writers’ room, with its tiny electric radiator, was warm. Under my window, tourists snapped continually; Tumbleweeds lunched at the little round table by the door; drunks gathered at the fountain; a busker turned up and performed Shakespeare’s most famous speeches in rotation. Later on, the drummers took over outside the cathedral.

I stopped writing to eat at the café across the road. The man at the next table was telling his teenage daughter – her first trip to Paris – about how he’d been to one of George’s famous Sunday teas and heard the bookseller relate how he had set off to walk from North to South America but had been forced to turn back in the impassible Central American jungle. He was like a child, the man said. It was like he didn’t understand why he just couldn’t go as far as he wanted to go.

But after opening Le Mistral in 1951, which became Shakespeare and Company in 1964, the traveler largely stayed put in Paris, dying peacefully last Wednesday in his apartment above the shop, two days after his 98th birthday.

I walked back from the café to the bookshop and got back to work.

I wrote. Notre Dame chimed ‘Three Blind Mice’ on the hour: the light went.

I thought about space: Kilometer Zero in front of Notre Dame; Place René Viviani  next to the shop where the 2010 Shakespeare and Company Literary Festival was held – a free event into which the public could wander. That was the last time I had seen George downstairs; wearing an extravagant paisley jacket, he was carried in triumph through the shop on a sofa held shoulder-high by Tumbleweeds.

And then there is that other space, George’s library above the shop, also open to anyone who wants to come in and use it.

I stopped work. Downstairs I heard the rumble of Tumbleweeds pulling the carts of books into the shop as they begun shutting up for the night.

The moon rose over Paris.

All these things I noticed only courtesy of the man upstairs : by staying where he was, Whitman allowed others to travel.

Thank you, George.

Written by Badaude for the HiP Paris Blog. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.

As soon as our timetable lets us go, my husband and I move from our base in Amsterdam to our tiny apartment in Paris.

We’ve lived here in Paris part time for more than 4 years now, but I still discover new places, neighborhoods, and restaurants every single time we go on a stroll. Paris is inexhaustible when it comes to surprising me in any unexpected ways.

My dear friend, stylist, photographer and author Pia Jane Bijkerk, used to live here too, and she wrote a wonderful guide that everyone should have when they go to Paris. It’s a little book that takes you on a tour of Paris’ best shops and ateliers for handmade goods. So that’s right up my alley, of course.

One of the places she lists is Le Petit Atelier de Paris, so of course I went.

I fell in love with the shop instantly. Just standing outside, even the façade is charming. Inside, eyes and hands are drawn to the tables filled with handmade ceramics, all unique pieces. I’d love to work in this atelier in another life — I have secretly always wanted to be a ceramist!

They also organize small exhibits for artists from all over the world, so there is always something new and delightful to discover every time I go.  They also make small, beautifully packaged pieces that are perfect gifts to send off to family and friends. It’s a shame to even open them! Go and have a look for yourself – you won’t regret it.

Le Petit Atelier de Paris, 31 Rue de Montmerency, 75003  Paris, open from Thursday to Saturday from 13:00 – 20:00 hrs.

Related Links:

• To see more from Yvette Van Boven, including her cookbooks, illustrations and info on her restaurant in Amsterdam, check out her website
• Check out Le Petit Atelier’s website here for upcoming exhibits and information on current collections
• View Le Petit Atelier’s most recent items on their blog, here
• Read up on Pia’s fantastic book, Paris Made by Hand, in our 2009 review here.
• Can’t get to Paris to shop at Le Petit Atelier? We think Pia’s Paris Made by Hand book would make a great gift for any francophile…

Written by Yvette Van Boven for the HiP Paris Blog. All images by Patricia, aka, Memi the Rainbow; Patricia is an Italian girl who lives in Paris to study art. She is passionate about hand-carved rubber stamps, photography, and long walks through Paris, her muse; check out her fab home-made gifts at her Etsy shop. Also check out her wonderful blog here. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in London, Paris, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.