So this has been a long time coming – a Paris design guide with all my favourite tips for cute little cafes, artisan bakeries, beautifully-designed coffee shops, utilitarian homeware stores, design museums, cool, contemporary art galleries and hidden architectural masterpieces, all in once place here on the blog.
It’s been seven years since I fell for my handsome Parisian man and I feel lucky to call the most romantic of cities my second home. The charm and excitement has never really worn off – sometimes we’ll be rushing around between seeing friends and family and I’ll have to stop a moment to take a photo and think wow, it really is like stepping into a picture-perfect postcard (a little like the first image below, when we glimpsed a stylish couple on the way to their wedding in an Instagrammable, vintage blue car).
I’ve been to Paris in all seasons; in sweltering summer heat, in warm, sunny September, in freezing cold winter and in Spring; the prettiest of all, when the trees are in full bloom and the sunshine brings people out onto pavement cafes and along the canal. So that’s why the pictures you see here span about five years worth of trips to the French capital. Each time, I go armed with a list the length of my arm – there always seems to be new places opening and cafes to try. And even after all these years there’s still a few places we haven’t got round to visiting, either because they’ve been fully booked or because we just haven’t had the time over a quick weekend trip.
I don’t need to tell you the obvious things about Paris. For me, more than it’s romantic connotations, it’s a city brimming with architectural history and a rich culture. I’m as happy seeing the latest art exhibition as exploring the quieter arrondissements or districts. I love looking up at the grey, quintessentially Parisian rooftops, the bistro chairs that line the streets and decorative doors that lead to discreet hotel particuliers and concealed courtyards.
So in this Paris design guide, I’m giving you more of a local’s insight than a compilation of all the tourist hot spots. Yes sure, you can go and see the Mona Lisa in the Louvre, but you can also stroll the tiny back streets of the Marais, or find a hidden away bakery and sample the best cinnamon buns straight out of the oven, or head to the outskirts of the city and visit a historical gem that you won’t find listed in the guidebooks.
Many of my favourite finds have come from scrolling through Instagram or stumbling across something on the street, but there’s also friends and followers on Instagram that have provided endless tips, so thank you to all of you – word of mouth really is the best recommendation.
I’m listing my tips for my Paris design guide in quick bullet points to make it a little easier to read as there’s a lot! Hope you enjoy this whistle-stop tour..
My favourite coffee shops and cafes (in no particular order)
– Telescope, 5 Rue Villedo – one of the best for proper coffee connoisseurs; small with just a couple of tables and no wi-fi to distract from that perfect cup
– Fragments, 76 Rue des Tournelles – another for you coffee lovers; there’s always a bun fight for the prettiest table by the window – Instagram gold if you get it
– Circus Bakery, 63 Rue Galande – your nose will lead you to this bakery, hidden away on a back street behind the Seine; try their cinnamon buns straight out of the oven, they go like hot cakes!
– Boot Cafe, 19 Rue du Pont aux Choux – a small but perfectly formed place for a very good cup of coffee
– Peonies Paris, 81 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis – the prettiest coffee shop decorated with green tiles, pink terrazzo and big bunches of fresh blooms
– Cafe Kitsune, Jardin du Palais Royal, 51 Galerie de Montpensier – a fashionable coffee shop in the most Parisian of settings
– Lily of the valley, 12 Rue Dupetit-Thouars – not everyone loves coffee so this charming, feminine cafe is one for the tea drinkers
– Liberté patisserie, 39 Rue des Vinaigriers – a contemporary take on the Parisian patisserie; exquisite pastries and cakes in a minimal, pared-back setting
– Du pain et des idées, 34 Rue Yves Toudic – the place to pick up a pain au chocolat, escargot, or croissant or two!
– Shakespeare & Company bookshop and cafe, 37 Rue de la Bûcherie – a literary institution on Paris’s Left Bank, they opened a cafe next door in 2015
– Wild and the Moon, various locations – a chain with a local, healthy, ethically-sourced plant-based menu; go to the Rue Charlot branch for the plant-filled interior
– Season, 1 Rue Charles-François Dupuis – A cafe and restaurant that’s good for a healthy-ish brunch; a beautiful interior but it gets a very busy due the hype
– Dersou, 21 Rue Saint-Nicolas – fresh, Asian fusion food served in a raw, industrial setting with rough, distressed walls
– Nanashi, 57 Rue Charlot – healthy Asian bento boxes, perfect for a quick lunch stop in a cool, retro interior in the Marais
– Rose bakery, 46 Rue des Martyrs – a simple cafe (the same as the one above Dover Street Market in London, dishing up English breakfasts, honest lunches and cakes. Worth going for the foodie heaven that is rue des Martyrs
– The Broken Arm cafe, 12 Rue Perrée – the lovely coffee shop next to the concept store of the same name
– Racines, 8 Passage des Panoramas – a charming, small and intimate bistro in a picturesque passage serving simple Italian dishes
– Holybelly, 5 Rue Lucien Sampaix – a hugely popular cafe that has influences from American diners and Australian coffee shops serving brunch. They’ve just opened a bigger premises and now have two places on the same street. Try the American style pancakes – so good!
– Hotel Particulier, Pavillon D, 23 Avenue Junot – head to this boutique hotel hidden away in Montmartre for a cocktail in their conservatory
Next time I also want to try:
– Septime
– Dilia
– Clamato
– Alcazar
– La Buvette
– Ellsworth
– Frenchie
– Popolare
– Saturne
– Derriere
– Institut Finlandais cafe
My favourite design and interior shops
– L’Appartement Sézane, 1 Rue Saint-Fiacre – the boutique of popular French label Sézane; the place to go if you want to dress like a Parisian
– Merci, 111 Boulevard Beaumarchais – this iconic interiors and lifestyle store is a must visit, it’s my favourite place! Browse three storeys worth of fashion, beautiful linen, designer furniture and utilitarian homeware. Don’t forget the book-lined cafe too!
– La Trésorerie, 11 Rue du Château d’Eau – a lovely concept store with almost everything you need for the home, from knives and kitchenware to ceramics and bath towels
– Maison Labiche, 105 Rue Vieille du Temple – if you fancy picking up a Breton top, this is the place to go; you can get tops personalised with written embroidery, très chic!
– Empreintes, 5 Rue de Picardie – another concept store-cum-gallery space, showcasing the best of French craft and making
– APC Surplus Store, 20 Rue André del Sarte – an outlet store for French label APC, with up to 70% off past collections
– French Trotters, 30 Rue de Charonne – a cool mix of womenswear and menswear, with labels such as Acne, APC and Filippa K
– OFR, 20 Rue Dupetit-Thouars – a great bookshop for arty coffee table books and independent magazines
– À Rebours, 46 Rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie – a shop run by the Fondation d’entreprise Galeries Lafayette with a curated selection of useful and quirky objects and contemporary design
Next time I also want to visit:
– Fleux shop
– Slowey’s
– O/HP/E
My favourite things to do – museums, art galleries and historical gems
– Atelier Brancusi, Place Georges Pompidou – An inspiring, little museum with an exact replica of sculptor Constantin Brancusi’s studio that he left to the state on his death in 1957. It’s also free entry!
– Maison La Roche, 10 Square du Dr Blanche – one for the architecture lovers; tour this modernist house designed by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret in 1923–1925
– L’appartement-atelier de Le Corbusier, 24 Rue Nungesser et Coli – the top floor studio-apartment where the famous architect lived from 1934 to 1965
– Musée Picasso, 5 Rue de Thorigny – a museum dedicated to the art of Pablo Picasso, free on the first Sunday of each month
– Musée Rodin, 77 Rue de Varenne – another museum dedicated to its namesake – sculptor Auguste Rodin – housed in a stunning mansion house with manicured gardens
– Musée Bourdelle, 18 Rue Antoine Bourdelle – a magical place; an art and sculpture museum that has preserved the atmospheric studio of sculptor Antoine Bourdelle
– Père Lachaise Cemetery, 16 Rue du Repos – a visit to a cemetery may sound a bit morbid but this is the largest in Paris and the most visited necropolis in the world! Famous residents (if that’s the right word?) include Chopin, Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison and Marcel Proust. It transported me straight to a filmset
– Foundation Louis Vuitton, 8 Avenue du Mahatma Gandhi – go to this cultural museum to the west of the city just for the Frank Gehry architecture
– Then the more obvious, more classic art galleries (depending on what exhibition is on) such as Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Musée de l’Orangerie, Jeu de Paume, the Centre Pompidou, Musée d’Orsay, Petit Palais, etc.
Next time I also want to go to:
– Musée Yves Saint Laurent, opened in 2017
– The new Fondation Giacometti, opened in 2018
Where to stay (we always stay with friends or family, but I’ve heard good things about these boutique hotels)
– Hotel Henriette
– Hoxton Hotel
– Grand Pigalle Hotel
– Hotel des Grands Boulevards
– Hotel Panache
– Hotel National des Arts et Métiers (read my review here)
I hope my little black book of favourite Parisian addresses helps if you’re ever planning a trip there yourself. I think you’d need a week to get through it all! There’s just so many lovely cafes and places to get your cultural or design fix. I’ll keep adding to it and editing my Paris design guide each time we visit this beautiful capital, so please do keep coming back. Bon Voyage! Have you got any tips of your own that I shouldn’t miss?
All images: Cate St Hill
