Last weekend I met a beautiful person! I am always so full of admiration for passionate people who abandon their well-ordered life to make a living of their passion. Among these people there are Morgane Sézalory (Sézane) that I talked to you about here and also Solie, the designer of De Beaux Restes that I talked to you about here. Now I can add Usha Bora to this list of inspiring people.
Usha is the founder of Jamini Design, the brand that makes you travel to India, the land of the lotus.
She is the best person to tell you about the wonderful story of Jamini so I’m letting her tell you more about it.

Can you present yourself in a few words?

I’m from India but I’m French in my heart, I dream in French and in English. I like goat cheese as much as tandoori chicken! I wear APC as much as an Indian hand-embroidered Kurta. In a few words, I am a bicultural product that loves strongly these 2 countries and who tries to build a bridge full of grace and happiness between them.

What is your life path?

I was born in Assam in the north-east of India… Since I have done quite a lot… I got a diploma from a business school in India and then I completed my education with an MBA at ESSEC (French business school) in Paris… And most of all I fulfilled my dream to discover France. I have never left this beautiful country since this day. I worked for a few years at L’Oréal but my passion for India and fabrics became stronger so I created Jamini in 2009 after learning the ropes by doing sourcing for ideas and materials for major brands like Agnès B, Dior kids, Bonton, and BA&SH. Today, I feel so good in my boutique of the 10th arrondissement of Paris.

How was Jamini born?

After a few years in France, I missed India, its scents, its colors, and of course its fabrics. I loved working for other brands but something was missing. One day, I decided that I wanted to go back to source and be closer to home by working with East India weaving techniques. I founded Jamini to share through my creations the know-how of Assam weavers which fascinated me since I was a child. Jamini’s adventure began in 2009 and my first scarf collection was created with these weavers.

Where does the name Jamini come from and what are its values?

In India lotus flowers can be found by the thousand. Their bases are a unique radiant purple color called “jamini” in Hindi.

Jamini is based on strong values like sharing, family and know-how. My leitmotif for the creation of my collections is to promote India in Paris and around the world. I work a lot with my family, my brother is in charge of the production quality and we launched a partnership with my father’s company which manufactures paper 100% environmentally friendly for our notebooks. Finally, I work with locals who managed to preserve ancestral weaving know-how.

Where do the fabrics come from and where are the products manufactured?

I promise you to make you travel in all of my collections… The fabrics printed by wooden stamps come from Rajasthan while the woven products are from India, near the border with Burma.

What is the product you are the most proud of and why?

My hand woven cushion collection makes me dream. When I see it I also see all the work accomplished by these weaver women from my home region. I am so glad to be able to make a contribution towards the preservation of a wonderful craft and to help women modernize their work and learn about French fashion.

Do you have an anecdote to tell us?

Three years ago my father came to Paris and we strolled in Le Bon Marché that he found beautiful. He went to the stationery section (it goes with the job) and was absolutely blown away. My father manufactures paper made out of rhinoceros and elephant feces. We developed a range of notebooks made of this special paper. A few weeks ago, I announced to my father that soon, our notebooks will be sold at Le Bon Marché. He was so thrilled!

New projects soon?

My head is filled with projects and I am lucky enough to be extremely well supported. I am going to launch a new range of jewelry with the beautiful pearls that I found at the flea market in India but also bags to customize for Mother’s Day.

Soon, a selection of our products will be sold in several beautiful Parisian boutiques and why not open a new branded shop.

What can we wish for you for the future?

I would like to bring other aspects of India to Paris. I want Jamini to become the 1st Indian lifefestyle shop in Paris: everyday products, books, pictures, rugs, food… In short, I would like that this wonderful city continues to discover and to admire the beauties of India.

Thank you Usha! I have no doubt about your success!

Don’t hesitate to go discover her wonderful creations in her boutique 10 rue du Château d’Eau in Paris. You cand find jewelry, cushions, plaids, table linen, scarfs, bags, notebooks, rugs, pouches… You can also find the whole collection on their eshop here or in the several points of sale here.

I loved talking with Usha, you can immediatly feel how passionate she is and how attached she is to Jamini that she considers her baby.

I fell in love with this brand which conveys such important values and which invites us to travel to a fascinating country like India. The fabrics are beautiful and the products are handmade.

For example I had a crush on this wonderful scarf and its delicate patterns printed thanks to the block print technique. It is a traditional technique to print with a wooden stamp. To make this scarf, you need to spend 2 to 3 hours and make 200 to 300 stamp printings.

I also had a crush on this pair of shoes which was a collaboration between Jamini and Faguo. Here again the fabric is handmade and printed with the block print technique. Unfortunately for you, I’m afraid I bought one of the last pairs…

What about this tote bag, isn’t it amazing?

At any rate, I will come back often to this pretty boutique to talk more with Usha but also to buy presents for others and for me. :)

Did you know about Jamini and what product do you like the most?

I realize that I like more and more to meet designers like Usha and to talk with them. These people are ambitious but also dreamers, creative, generous, authentic which makes me want to try one day maybe to do the same. I hope anyway that you like to discover them as much as I do.

Jamini – 10 rue du Château d’Eau – 75010 PARIS

Have a nice weekend and see you next Friday!

Last year I invited you to visit the offices of My Little Paris (you can read again the post here). Since then, I had the opportunity to go back 3 times : the first time was for the launching of the box in collaboration with the French blogger Make My Lemonade, the 2nd for a super shooting for My Little Superbox (box of this month) and the 3rd one for a private dinner between friends. I never get tired of it, I fall in love with the place every time I go.

My Little Super Box :

For those who have subscribed to My Little Box, you might have recognized me in the My Little World of this month because I had the chance of being photographed with 9 other super Instagram girls. It’s time to show off! :)

It is so weird to see my face in a magazine but I am kind of proud. I like the result because it looks fun which is a good thing considering the fact that I am not comfortable at all in front of a camera. I would have never been able to be a fashion blogger… Anyway, it really was a fun experience, I’m happy I did it!

With our pictures, there were supposed to be short interviews but there was not enough space so they decided to cut it out. Here is mine:

Instagramer form:

Name: o_reilly_s

Her super power: showing us that strolling should be a national sport

Leitmotiv: « To err is human, to loaf is Parisian. » (Victor Hugo)

Her sworn enemy: lack of curiosity and boredom that she fights regularly by stopping at nothing to discover Paris and its hidden gems. Being reprimanded by the residents when she dares to venture in private courtyards doesn’t scare her!

Her kryptonite: her camera in hand, she is shooting faster than her shadow without even looking where she sets foot even if it means tearing up her pants by straddling the fence … Old Fiat 500 drive her crazy!

Follow her on: lesflaneriesdaurelie.com

****************************

I almost never post pictures of me, least of all close-up pictures like these ones but I had to get out my comfort zone to show you this fun photo shoot. Do you like it?

My Little Dinner:

Thanks to this picture I won a private dinner for 4 people in the My Little Paris offices cooked by their chef Marion Proust. She is not only the My Little Paris chef, she is also a home-based chef. For this special event, I invited Pauline (my childhood friend), Jasmine and Hana. We were greeted like princesses and ate divinely!

On the menu: we started with a purple artichoke, Parma ham, Parmesan and parsley.

We continued with cod-fish loin, lobster sauce and mashed potatoes, so delicious!

To bring the evening to a wonderful close, we had a citrus millefeuille.

In a few words, we had a wonderful evening in the company of the adorable Marion!

My Little office:

And of course like I told you even though it was not the first time I came, I couldn’t prevent myself from taking pictures of these inspiring offices again. I know, everyone would like to work or even live in a place like this but let’s be more realistic and let’s just get inspired by this amazing interior decoration!

My Little adventure is not over because Anne and I are leaving soon for a weekend thanks to My Little Paris! To be continued…

Tadam welcome to the new design of Les flâneries d’Aurélie !!!

When I opened this blog more than 1 year ago, I was quite proud of the design even if it had a lot of imperfections because, even though I didn’t know anything about IT, I managed to do something decent (RIP to my poor hair that I pulled out for 2 weeks).

however, over the last few months I couldn’t bear it anymore, I was focusing too much on its defects and I wanted a blog more harmonious and easier to navigate. I hope the targets were met and that you’ll like this new design as much as I do. Don’t hesitate to tell me what you think about it in the comments and to mention if there’s something that is not working properly. A big thank you to Juliette Lebreton who did a fantastic job! If you’re looking to change the design of your blog, you can count on her. ;)

To celebrate this great change I’m offering you today a contest. It’s true that I don’t organize a lot of contests on the blog. Maybe I’m wrong but personally I’m annoyed when there are too many contests proposed on a blog. I know that contests help increase the visibility of a blog but for now I don’t want to give priority to popularity at the expense of the editorial line.

In a few words, I’m very (too) selective about the contests I accept to publish here, I only choose the ones corresponding to the blog universe. I hope that reading this you won’t think that I’m an hypocrite who pretends not to care about popularity.  :)

Anyway, I’m very happy today to propose to you this contest because i couldn’t find one that’s more appropriate to this blog. You know how much I love Paris and my growing love for vintage so if you mix the 2 you get this wonderful vintage Paris map reproduction!

I love it so much, it looks perfect in our appartement and it is from the wonderful Le Petit Florilège e-shop. I’ve been following for while now Le Petit Florilège on IG and do you know what, I pinned this poster in my interior wish list board on Pinterest almost 1 year ago !

Today Le Petit Florilège is offering to one of you this beautiful vintage spirit Paris map ( 50X70 cm).

Its vintage spirit made me want to play like I’m in school in the olden times. I must say that I had a lot of fun…please don’t be scared. :p

Jimmy Fairly glasses

Bleu de chauffe satchel

To participate :

• Leave a comment where you tell me what is your favorite object in Le Petit Florilège e-shop  + your email address
• Like Le Petit Florilège facebook’s page and the one of Les Flâneries d’Aurélie
• Live in Europe

And don’t hesitate to share the contest in social medias if you feel like it. :)

The contest ends at midnight on Friday 12 of February  – Results by random draw the next day.

Good luck kids !

And the winner is… Allison ! Congratulations to you and thanks to all of you who participated. Don’t worry other suprises are waiting for you… :)

I had the great honor of being invited to the Maison & Objet fair, this biggest international fair dedicated to household goods and reserved only for professionals.

I have been wanting to go there since a long time and this year it has finally happened because I was chosen to be part of the jury « Les Découvertes » composed exclusively of bloggers and web editorial writers.  I had to choose my design crush in the “fragrance & spa” area. I must say that at the beginning I was a bit disappointed because it was not my favorite area but I was so excited by my mission that I soon got over it. I ran across the area up, down and sideways and I can say that I was very proud with my press badge round my neck (as editor of lesflaneriesdaurelie.com) and a written permission to take pictures.

This gave me the opportunity to go through fruits and flower fragrances and to discover appetizing candles, some others with original fragrance like the tonka candle of Geodesis and all kinds of soaps.

I particularly liked the vintage packaging of La Savonnerie de Nyons, the appetizing sweets for the bath by Autour du bain, the candles religieuse-style of Atelier Catherine Masson and the chic candles of Made in Paris… Made in ParisLa Savonnerie de Nyons Autour du bainL’atelier Catherine Masson

My attention has been drawn to a particular stand held by English people, very different from the others : Men’s Society. You had the impression to enter a vintage American garage stuffed with gift ideas for men.

What I liked the most was its off-beat style because on a lot of items there’s a funny sentence like on this flask “Don’t drink and ride” or these shoe-horns « Nobody can fit my father’s shoes ».

Men’s Society is a true goldmine for gift ideas for men, especially since this is usually such a brainteaser. In short, I had a crush on this stand, this is why I’ve decided to give my “Découvertes” prize to them. Unfortunately I couldn’t be there to give them their reward but it seems on this picture that they were happy (you have to trust me when I say that I didn’t choose because he’s good looking ah ah, but don’t you think he kinda looks like the singer of Passenger ?

You can see all the prizes of “Les Découvertes” jury here.

Once I went thrigh the whole Fragrance & Spa sector, I strolled freely in the other sectors of the fair and discover a lot of nice stands all the more tempting than the others.

I don’t have a child but I fell in love with this kid Spanish brand: Nobodinoz. They are specialized in furniture, toys and fashion for kids. And they have a good sense of humor “Nobody knows us, that’s why our name is Nobodinoz”. Nobodinoz

I also fell in love with Les Gambettes who sells 50’s style furnitures. Les Gambettes

And this table Reine Mère caught my eye as these retro patterns of Atelier LZC.Table Reine Mère Atelier LZC

I also discovered the French contemporary design brand Adonde (one of the designers is from Nicaragua which explains the name).  At Adonde, you can find simple but multiple use objects like these stackable vases in wood and ceramic and these adjustable shelves that I find very clever. VasesShelves Adonde

Let’s continue with the Dutch brand Kersten, absolutely amazing with everything you need for your house. Kersten

Finally, let’s finish with my discoveries with Anorak, an English brand with adorable patterns. Anorak(Don’t remember the brand)

I also had the opportunity  to meet people I have emailed with in person, this is how I finally met who’s behind La Cerise sur le Gâteau. Love the new collection ! La Cerise sur le Gâteau

By sheer coincidence I stumbled upon Big Tomato Company (the mug I showed you here was from them) so I talked a bit with Gloria the adorable designer.As you can guess, I’m so in love with these mugs !Big Tomato Company

This is what I liked the most this day, being able to meet and to talk to the designers. I realize that I’m less shy since I opened this blog.

I also had the pleasure to see some of my favorite brands like Ferm Living, Atomic Soda, Papier Tigre et Serax.Ferm Living Atomic Soda Papier Tigre Aren’t these vases beautiful ?Serax

I came out of this fair a little bit frustrated because it was so big that I didn’t have the time to see everything I wanted. Once I was home, I started mumbling and moving everything around saying : “We need to change everything here !”. This is the thing, Maison & Objet is such an inspiring fair that you want to change everything at your home after that ! Can’t wait to finish arranging my place so I can finally show it to you. :)

Bisous

Push a building door in barbès, cross a green small courtyard, take the stairs, push another door and discover a beautiful artist workshop//loft : welcome to MLP’s !

Dive into the poetic world of MLP with a industrial, vintage and girly design and admire the now famous drawings of Kanako on doors, on coat racks, on walls…  

Enjoy the terrace on the rooftops of Paris with an amazing view of the Sacré Coeur, this is  MLP’s magic (well, when it’s not raining cats and dogs) ! For the occasion, the offices were decorated to make us forget the continuous rain and satiate our hunger for summer, and a nice exotic buffet was served. This party featured : a photo call, coktails made with Borderline drinks (they were really delicious), a tasting of Kalios products (Greek olive oil and delicatessen products) a lacquering workshop with the Nailmatic nail polish, a tattoo workshop with Dcer tattoos and a tombola. Médecine Douce jewels were part of the many prizes to be won at the tombola.

Then, we were lucky to have a tour of the rest of the offices  : wabsolute dream ! Who wouldn’t dream of working here ? Let’s all submit complaints to our bosses to have the same offices or let’s send them our CVs, they say they reward the most original applications ! :)

This party was very friendly but also very generous, look at all the things they’ve offered me : a bouquet of flowers, an Etam swimsuit, beauty products, a makeup bag and I won the 3 Nailmatic nail polish sets on sale right now on My Little Corner in limited edition. And that’s not all, I also got a pair of Havaianas flip flops, one coupon for an aqua gym session for 2 and a Dcer tattoo !  A huge thanks to My Little Paris for having spoiled me and for inviting me to such a wonderful party which allowed me to meet my friends Amélia, Marion, Daphné, Morgane and to finally meet Tiboudnez and Allée des roses.

Finally, you can have a look at some pictures taken by the MLP team here and MLP don’t forget to think of me when you’ll looking for a legal counsel, I’ve already found my office. :)Picture taken by Allée des roses

Today I only want to talk to you about vintage spots for some shopping in Le Marais that I’ve recently discovered. 

Jérôme LEPERT :

If you like industrial design, you will love the boutique Jérôme LEPERT. This old furniture archeologist sells very nice things like these old workshop seats or these old factory lamps. From the 1st floor, you can catch a glimpse on this amazingly beautiful private courtyard ! A very nice store to explore !JEROME LEPERT – 106 rue Vieille du Temple – 75003 PARIS 

Les Fées Mélanc(h)olia :

Lovers of vintage will be delighted by the store Les Fées Mélanc(h)ilia. It’s full of vintage objects, lamps and furnitures from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. The owner, Sylvie Aubry is the founder of the boutique Les Fées d’Herbes (rue Faidherbe) and the official florist of the hotel Le Meurice and the hotel Crillon. This store made me think a lot of La Maison Nordik that I’ve talked you about  here.

Les Fées Mélanc(h)olia – 19 rue Charlot – 75003 PARIS

I also like a lot this small shop where you can find antique objects, furnitures and old mechanical tin toys . Hier, Aujourd’hui, Demain – 14 rue de Bretagne – 75003 PARIS

I can’t forget to mention Home Autour du Monde where I always find something I want like this chair.Home autour du monde (Bensimon) – 12 rue des Francs Bourgeois – 75003 PARIS

Nice Things :

A few weeks ago I discovered the new Nice Things shop for the inauguration where I was lucky enough to be invited. I spent a great evening discussing with the adorable girls of Nice Things (the designer included) that came directly from Barcelona for the occasion. We were welcomed by a delicious Iberic ham and a watermelon gaspacho to die for ! A very nice boutique as colorful, vintage and friendly as the brand.

Nice Things - 119 rue Vieille du Temple – 75003 PARIS 

Worth mentioning : the nice rustic set up of the Gant shop. Gant - 116 rue Vieille du Temple – 75003 PARIS

Finally, impossible to talk about “vintage” in Le Marais without showing you these vintage “vehicles”.

Voilà, anyway, I hope you like Le Marais because I’m not done talking about it, it’s my favorite area of Paris. Next : parks and gardens of Le Marais. Have a good week !

P.S. Every year during a weekend in May there’s a big flea market on rue de Bretagne that you don’t want to miss !

I’m starting to really appreciate plants even if I don’t have a green thumb but I’m learning, my succulents are not dead (yet).

So I was thrilled to be invited to the Tropical party organized by Truffaut and Paulette magazine at the amazing Zazou studio !

It’s an old factory/luggage workshop based on the hills of Ménilmontant, transformed into a photo studio/film set. Under the floor planks where we were, there’s also a swimming pool ! I really liked the inspiring decoration which harmoniously combines industrial and ethnic design with objects brought back from several trips abroad. The place was perfect for the tropical theme of the party specially decorated for the occasion by Truffaut. During the party, various green DIY workshops were proposed : how to make a floral boater, a suspended pot holder in macramé, bracelets (that I didn’t have time to do), a nest box and decorated flower pots. A tropical buffet was served with tropical salads and fruits, colorful cocktails… I love so much these events that help me to develop my creativity (and there’s a lot to do) and to overcome my shyness by meeting new people. Unfortunately, this evening I wasn’t too chatty because I’m so bad at manual work that I had to be very focused on what I was doing (I know that considering the fact that I’m a woman, I’m supposed to be able to do several things at the same time but well…).

I was quite happy to go back home with the new Paulette.Here are the result of the DIY workshops.Now I only need a plant.  A few months ago, I already had the opportunity to participate to a DIY floral workshop organized this time by Sia Home Fashion in their boutique in Madeleine (5 boulevard Malesherbes 75008 PARIS).We made a flower crown with Sia’s flowers (the flowers are artificial but so well imitated !). We also had a presentation on the manufacturing process of these flowers by a Norwegian flower expert, who explained to us the different steps.

You easily understand why artificial flowers can be so expensive when you know that each petal is cut out, colored, glued and put together by hand, it’s a real art ! The similarity with real flowers is incredible no ?

I enjoyed so much this workshop, the whole team was so nice with us and we were in a small group (we were only 4). This gave me the opportunity to see again Tahiana from the Blog d’Olive and to meet  Anne-Sophie from the blog Hëllø Blogzine). I really had an amazing time !

Here is the flower crown that I made, isn’t it nice ? I love it so much that it is now part of my interior decoration.Since we are talking green, let me show you the bucolic experience created by the landscapers Les Mauvaises Graines at Merci shop last April (yes it’s not so fresh anymore).

In the main entrance courtyard, the famous red Fiat 500 had been replaced by a yellow truck invaded by a forest of wild plants, where there was also a small farm occupied by rabbits and chickens. Inside the shop there was a huge fishing hut with vegetable gardens and orchards for residents. Gardening can be rock’n roll ! Merci – 111 boulevard Beaumarchais – 75003 PARIS

If you’re interested in reproducing these DIY projects at home, don’t hesitate to leave me a message with your email address so I can send you the tutorials (in French).

Have a green day my friends !

Let’s talk again about the nordic touch in Paris for a 2nd post about Scandinavian design interior shops. This time I’ll show you less famous shops than last time because most of them are brand new but I’m sure they are soon going to be the place to be !

NORDBO :

Let’s start with a recent one which opened last December : nordBØ, a contemporary concept store for decoration, fashion and accessories. This shop makes you travel to a bright white world where crafts is king because most of the items are handmade. The inspiration is clearly Scandinavian but the objects are manufactured all around the world ! Here, each object has its own story.   Even if everything in the shop makes you think you’re in a cold country, the atmosphere is far from being cold thanks to the two lovely sisters Alice and Stéphanie. I asked them some questions and they kindly accepted to answer them.

How did nordBØ adventure begin ?

“nordBØ is born from our passion for nordic countries. After a few trips (in Finland, Island, Denmark and Holland) we discovered a certain quality of life reflecting on interiors. We wanted to share this elegant and simple lifestyle.”

Why “nordBØ” ?

“We quickly had nordBØ in mind first of all because “le nord est beau (= north is beautiful) but also because this is a Norwegian word which means “people from the north”. It is also the name of a small village in Norway.”

Where are the products from ?

“The selection is very wide. Inspiration is nordic of course but for example, the clay chandelier, like the tableware, has been made in South Africa. We are working with a Dutch designer who had these big knit footstools manufactured in Nepal by a local women association. You can also find big recycled glass bottles handmade in Spain, rag dolls from a French designer in Montmartre, Kinfolk magazine made by a group of Americans which proposes delicious recipes and reports on a different way of life and to use your time. “Footstool made with wool from New Zealand and hand knitted in NepalStool made with birch trunk and the seat has been knitted by an artisan couple rag dolls made in MontmartreThe chandelier made in South Africa

Aside from Kinfolk magazine you can also find the French lifestyle magazine : SLØ that I completely fell in love with ! I bought these magazines that you probably saw on my IG.  nordBØ glorifies a universe of simplicity and softness, it is a true invitation to travel. nordBØ – 96 rue des Archives – 75003 PARIS

SENGTAI :

Sengtai is probably the less Scandinavian of these stores : it is a French company with a workshop in China in a region where there is the biggest bamboo plantation (most of the furnitures are made in bamboo). It also allow Sengtai to control all the stages of productions from the drawing of the furniture by the designers, the manufacture in the workshop to the delivery. Anyway, Sengtai truly deserves its place in this post because it is highly influenced by Scandinavian design.

Mostly present on internet, it also exists a showroom in Paris of 75 m2 where the whole collection is exposed in different colors.  I really love their furniture and especially these ones : this console table called Naothe chest of drawers Miyothis cute little bed table and the famous Wasabi TV furniture (here this is the Wasabi Ming)At Sengtai you can find good quality furniture in solid bamboo with graphic and refined lines in a large variety of colors.

Sengtai – 6 rue du Pont aux Choux – 75003 PARIS

LA TRESORERIE :

La Trésorerie is a new concept store that just opened 1 month ago and I can guarantee you that this is gonna be a big hit ! Established in an old public revenue office (“trésorerie” in French) topped with a big glass roof, this store is a modern-day hardware shop. There is a wide selection of objects for the house (furnitures, lamps, cushions…), the kitchen, the bathroom and even the garden.   Objects are carefully selected : renewable and recyclable materials are favored as for the manufacturers who incorporate approach to environnement protection in their production process.  in addition, 90% of the products are made in Europe (at least 30% in France).

In the kitchen area you can buy tableware, pans, kitchen utensils… In the hardware shop corner you have the choice between different kinds of ecological paintings, household products for wood treatment, brooms, brushes, products for the garden… 

In the bathroom corner you have bath sheets, brushes… And upstairs you have coffee tables in all the colors that you want !And it’s not all ! You also have a Swedish coffee shop adjoining the shop called Café Smörgås (name of Swedish sandwich). You can have nice rye-bred sandwichs, fresh salads, homemade apple compote and fresh fruit juice (everything is bio of course) and the staff is very friendly ! So what are you waiting for to go there ? :)

La Trésorerie - 11 rue du Château d’eau – 75010 PARIS

MAISON NORDIK :

Going inside Maison Nordik is like getting into a 100% scandinavian home where almost everything comes from flea markets in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland.  I love so much these 2 W Germany ceramic vases !and these colorful wooden candlesticks

I also love the child corner downstairs  with the tiger cushion, the other small Ferm Living cushions and this cute little Lucky Boy Sunday plush toy.Without forgetting the adorable Going Danish and Michelle Carlslund prints.

And how cute is this little wooden toy ? A beautiful shop where you will be well advised in case you don’t know exactly what you are looking for and if you cannot come to the shop, you can order on the website.

Maison Nordik – 159 rue Marcadet – 75018 PARIS

LA MANUFACTURE PARISIENNE :

Let’s finish with a shop I discovered completely by chance on my way to Maison Nordik. I fell in love with all the shops I’ve talked you about but this ons is on top of my list because it made me enter in a magical world full of fantasy : La manufacture parisienne ! Herveline the owner welcomes you to a wild and poetic world where you can find useful and playful objects for young and old. A happy mess mixing decoration, tableware, pieces of art and toys of Scandinavian, vintage and industrial inspiration. Some of the items have been found in flea markets, others are from young designer from all around the world. And do you know what ? The presentation of the shop changes every month ! I was completely under the spell and fascinated by this oneiric world.  I loved talking with Herveline, a curious, passionate and sweet person.

I fell in love with these vintage plates that would look perfect on my kitchen walls and with this wonderful lamp ! Are you also under the charm of this atypic shop ?

La Manufacture Parisienne – 93 rue Marcadet – 75018 PARIS

I hope you liked this 2nd post about Scandinavian interior shops in Paris. I really love these shops because they are all so beautiful of course but also because they have values that they cherish : they are concerned about good quality materials, they care about the environnement, they respect cultural diversity and they promote handicraft.

I’m off to Milan for a new cosy weekend in Italy with the family (it’s bank holiday in France on Thursday). When i’ll get back, i’ll try to finally write the Milan city guide I’ve talked you about a few months ago. Ciao !

De Beaux Restes ? What a strange name, what is it ? It’s a French brand that brings back to life vintage fabrics by making pillows out of them. The brand pillars are : salvage, recycling and create. No need to say more, Solie the designer will talk to you about it a lot better than me.  

Can you present yourself in a few words ?

« It’s not easy to talk about yourself… but let’s go ! I am very curious, I’m a foodie (but we don’t really care about that !), a creative person (a bit crazy), a sensitive soul (I cry easily). I’m very discreet, I like to hide behind nicknames and behind a brand rather than to be put in the limelight. ;)

I have an artistic background but what matters the most is not me or my desires but the objects and fabrics that we are trying to bring back to life. 

The idea comes from an anecdote that sparked my creativity : I was taking a walk when suddenly I saw on the sidewalk an old wobbly but absolutely charming chair. I decided to put this object – which apparently didn’t deserve anything anymore – to good use. 

Traditional fabrics, old-fashioned tablecloths, objects that are apparently useless… There are so many things that deserve our attention. Today’s idea is to manufacture and to develop mini-exclusive small collections entirely remade in France. 

We salvage our fabrics during our researches (Relais, Emmaüs, old factory stocks , workshops…) We select with a lot of rigor and refabricate them with the same philosophy in a French workshop. We have high quality products with meticulous attention to details. 

Do you intend to expand the range of De Beaux Restes and salvage other objects ?

Yes, I have other ideas for new exclusive small collections. The main idea is to get inspired by fabrics, old objects that seem to be disposable but in the end turn out to be authentic treasures. »

I recommend you to have a look at De Beaux Restes’ blog, a real ode to salvage and an inspiration for those who want to try it.

What a beautiful idea when salvage becomes an inspiration in our consumer society in which waste is king.

Here are some pictures from the online collections : graphic, flower patterns and pastel with always a touch of fluo to give a little bit of zest… in short, everything I love !

I personally fell in love with the mini Pimprenelle. Its springtime look which makes me want to run bare feet in the fresh grass.  :)

Do you love them too ? Well that’s good, De Beaux Restes offers to one of you one of its small cushions from mini-série n°1 or from mini-série n°2.

To participate :

• You have to leave a comment below telling me what small cushion you’d like to win (you have the choice between these or these + your email address (it’s very important)
• like the facebook’s page of De Beaux Restes and my facebook’s page Les Flâneries d’Aurélie
• live in metropolitan France (sorry for my foreign friends)

End of the contest the 20th of March 2014 at midnight – results by random draw the 22th of March 2014. Good luck my strolling friends !

De Beaux Restes, for the nostalgics of the old days and for the dreamers of today.

I couldn’t resist talking to you about the girly tea party I had last weekend. Most of you have probably already read Daphné’s article about this event. This sweet moment of conviviality combining decoration and bakery was totally in line with this blog spirit.

As you know I’m a big Instagram addict. I’ve always taking pictures of everything so this app was made for me.Like I told you in my last post, I would have never guessed that I would have met people thanks to IG. However I keep meeting new people thanks to it, which impresses me because I’m a shy person usually.

Last Sunday we had a big instameet with Angéline, Anne, Morgane, Alice and Daphné at Amélia’s and Paul‘s. We had a tea party (worthy of Alice in Wonderland) to meet in person after writing to each other on IG for a long time.

You’re not dreaming, this place is real and decorated entirely by Amélia and Paul.
Let’s not forget the famous ceiling made of paper flowers.

On the menu :

No need to tell you how delicious everything was and it was the 1st time I had the opportunity to try handmade calissons !

In short, decoration, baking and a welcome that reflect well the generosity and creativity of Amélia and Paul (if you organize an event, you can contact them, they are wedding planners, caterers…).

A great afternoon spent with lovely people, setting the world to rights a cup of coffee in one hand, a piece of cake in the other.

Who said internet couldn’t bring people together ? :)