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The Smoking Museum: for Les Fumeurs and Les Non-Fumeurs alike

Text and photos: Sara Waldron

At first glance, the Musée du Fumeur, a tiny museum near Père Lachaise, has a bit of a head shop feel - with cigarettes, lighters, and all manner of smoking contraptions for whatever your choice of poison on sale in the boutique.  But I was pleasantly surprised to find that it also boasts an interesting little collection, appealling to les fumeurs and les non-fumeurs alike.

After the passage of the Loi Évin in 1991, the French government curbed tobacco advertising and began progressively restricting smoking in public spaces. The changing societal views of smoking behind these policy changes is what inspired Tigrane Hadengue and Mishka Seeliger, long-time collectors of smoking paraphernalia and memorabilia, to share their collection with the public.

Atelier Boba : Photo Prints ´sur mesure´

Image: Ryan Boatright in Atelier Boba

Text: Philip Tonda

The new Paris-based photo studio Atelier Boba does not only offer printing and technical advice on a high, professional level; they are also, unlike most printing places, very competent in giving artistic advise on your art project and photo work.

Owner Ryan Boatright, an artist himself, has long worked intensely with photography in various ways. When moving to Paris two years ago, he knew exactly how to proceed. He and his wife the conservator Caroline Barcella, found an old shop in Montmartre, renovated it, and gave birth to Atelier Boba. Since it's conception in 2010 they've put all their effort into making this a well-functioning, professional printing studio, working closely with artists, photographers and other people interested in photography. 

Who comes to Atelier Boba? 
It varies. We have recently worked on print projects for a contemporary artist, commercial photographer, and a documentary photographer. We've also had people coming to receive feedback and critique on their photo work, and some just come to talk about art over a coffee. Furthermore we're currently engaged in a scanning project for an individual who has a large collection of glass plate negatives that he wants digitized so he can share the images with his family on the Internet.

E. Dehillerin

Text and image: Carly DeFilippo

If E. Dehillerin is not the most practical place to shop for kitchen equipment in Paris, it’s certainly the most nostalgic.  The vintage, forest-green storefront spans the corner of rue Coquillière and rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau, windows brimming with gleaming copper and stainless steel (as they have for nearly two centuries).  Opened in 1820, in the heart of the renowned Les Halles food district, this family-run business was a favorite spot of the Cordon Bleu-trained Julia Child; today, its old-school charm and friendly service continue to attract top French chefs, from Bocuse to Rebuchon. 

Fortunately, one doesn’t have to be a professional chef to appreciate the offerings at Dehillerin.  The first time I visited, the wall of whisks caught my eye: various volumes and weights of froth-forming curved wire, just waiting to aid in my amateur experiments.  If whisks aren’t your thing, perhaps French copper pots will do.  E. Dehillerin has every shape and size possible, and as a recent purchaser of these gleaming stovetop wonders, I can confirm they’ve made my cooking more fun.  Maybe you’re in the market for a deli-meat slicer?  Spatula lover? Knife connoisseur?  You name it; they’ve got it.  Even the most confirmed food aficionado will have a hard time identifying all the gadgets one finds hiding in the wooden shelves of Dehillerin.  And that’s only a description of the first floor.

Musée des Arts Décoratifs

Text: Tiffany Tang
Photo: Bathroom designed by Armand Albert Rateau

Situated in Louvre’s nineteenth-century Rohan and Marsan wings is the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, a museum of decorative art and design that houses over 150,000 objects, showcasing collections of antiquities and modern designs from the Middle Ages to the present day. The collections encompass a vast diversity of decorative objects including furniture, tableware, carpets, stained glass, wallpaper and porcelain.   This diversity is a testament to the quintessence of the French art of living from the ancient times, as well as sophistication in craftsmanship and creativity.

Maison et Objet: Italy 1- Belgium 1

Text: Christiana Konstantinou
Image: Aerodynamic Library, Morph in Design

This season's Maison et Objet - the largest home furnishing fair in France - closed its doors this Tuesday, January 26th. While the general mood was in theory "crisis", the show was in reality rather successful. True, less smaller designers could afford the trip, but those who were there gave a good lesson to the French design industry. Hall # 7, titled "NOW!" was a beautiful display of fresh, new ideas, with the Italians dominating once again. Contemporary furniture from the neighboring country literally stole the show, proving once again their superiority in European design. On the opposite side, the "real Parisian" contemporary style - a mix of real/fake antiques and white-washed/grey tones is no longer the unique privilege of Blanc d'Ivoire.  Numerous Belgian brands like Flamant and Chehoma seem to have taken over the market, competing both in price and quality with the "Parisians". Beware!

The first "bric-à-brac de quartier" at 104

Text: Joanna Bronowicka

As part of the agreement signed with the City of Paris, the association Emmaüs Défi will create ten "bric-à-brac de quartier" in the capital. The first one of them opens on Wednesday, January 13 at 3pm at CENTQUATRE. Not only does it sell the most useful objects for best prices, but it is also a great place for people who like bargain-hunting. The inhabitants of a given neighborhood can bring their donations, such as furniture, dishes, household appliances, clothing or trinkets. By buying at Emmaüs Défi you are helping people in great difficulty to get back into the work market.

CENTQUATRE
104 rue d'Aubervilliers
75019 Paris
Open Wednesday to Saturday, 3pm to 6pm
Donations accepted Wedensday to Saturday 11am to 6pm