I Prefer Paris

Door of the Month: July 2022

It’s been a while since I’ve posted my Parisian doors. I’ve been collecting a new series for a few months now, so enjoy!

CLICK HERE to view my past Door of the Month series.

You can also find doors on my Instagram https://www.instagram.com/parisian_doors/

Eye Prefer Paris Postcards with the Doors of Paris. 

I am excited to launch a new series of Eye Prefer Paris Postcards with the Doors of Paris. 

The limited-edition series of Eye Prefer Paris Door Collection Postcards are available three different ways.

18 cards: 3 Red Doors, 3 Blue Doors, 3 Green Doors, 3 Wood Doors, 3 Iron Doors, and 3 Door Knockers. 

Cost: $65- Free shipping 

9 postcards: 3 Red Doors, 3 Blue Doors, 3 Green Doors.

Cost: $35 plus $5 shipping 

9 postcards: 3 Wood Doors, 3 Iron Doors, and 3 Door Knockers

Cost: $35 plus $5 shipping 

Each postcard is printed on thick matte coated card stock, similar to traditional vintage postcard stock, that enhances the vibrancy of each image. Eye Prefer Paris Postcards come in classic postcard size (6”x 4.25”), perfect for collecting, framing, or sending to that special someone. 

Each order is specially hand wrapped with love from Paris and mailed in an elegant, French blue envelope. Postcards take about 4- 7 days to arrive in the U.S. 

Just in time for the holidays, the Eye Prefer Paris-Paris Door Collection make a perfect gift for your Francophile friends and family, and I can write a handwritten note for you and include it in the envelope. 

CLICK HERE to order 18 cards: 3 Red Doors, 3 Blue Doors, 3 Green Doors, 3 Wood Doors, 3 Iron Doors, and 3 Door Knockers. 

Cost: $65- Free shipping 

CLICK HERE to order 9 postcards: 3 Red Doors, 3 Blue Doors, 3 Green Doors.

Cost: $35 plus $5 shipping 

CLICK HERE to order 9 postcards: 3 Wood Doors, 3 Iron Doors, and 3 Door Knockers

Cost: $35 plus $5 shipping 

Green Doors

Blue Doors

Metal Doors

Paris Window Boxes 2022- Series Two

I received such an overwhelming and positive response to my Paris Window Boxes 2022, that I decided to post a series two today. Do you have some favorites?

CLICK HERE to view Paris Window Boxes 2022 -Series 1 in case you missed it.

Thirty-Seven Paris Ceramics Boutique

A few weeks ago, walking down the rue Saint-Peres in Saint Germain, which always has the chicest boutiques, I stumbled upon Thirty-Seven, which manufactures artisanal, tabletop ceramics on sight in an atelier in the rear.

The collection of white plates, vases, paper weights, bowls, mugs, cups, and serving dishes are beautifully executed with hand painted geometric and print patterns painted on them. I wanted to buy one of everything but luckily discipline took a firm hold of me. The terracotta walls and shelves across the shop were the perfect backdrop to show off the collection, giving it an organic feel, along with the cement poured floors.

All of the ceramics are handmade on the premises in the pristine, white workshop and I snapped a photo of one of the craftsmen, who had a sweet smile.

Although the pieces appear to be simple, there’s an elaborate and time-consuming timetable which takes approximately two weeks for each item. It starts with the traditional casting process and a mixture of earth and water is poured into molds specifically designed for Thirty-Seven. Afterwards, the drying process can take anywhere between 72 hours and a week, depending on the size of the piece, and it is then fired in a thousand degree and baked for 48 hours. The next step is the painting and illustration process, which sometimes requires up to three hours and the final finishing process is coating the outside with the enamel and then it’s fired again for 36 hours at 1000°C.

The result is truly unique pieces which are also practical because you can put them in the dishwasher. They also make beautiful gifts and a fabulous Paris souvenir and keepsake.

In case you can’t get to Paris, you can order online, and they can also customize pieces for you.

Thirty-Seven

27 rue Saint Peres, 75006

https://threesevenparis.com/

Chaumet Vegetal Exhibition

Maison Chaumet is one of the most prestigious of the French fine jewelry houses, dating back from 1780. One of their biggest inspirations for their jewelry has been the world of plants and botany. A new exhibition, Vegetal L’Ecole de Beauté, sponsored by Chaumet, explores, and displays art pieces including paintings, drawings, sculptures and furniture all related to flora and fauna, interspersed with Chaumet’s exquisitely crafted jewelry also relating to the subject. The exhibit is divided into several categories including forest, reeds, seaweed, hortus and flowers, laid on two floors of the stunning Beaux Arts school exhibition space.

The result is a mixed bag, and although there were some impressive pieces of art, my eye was drawn to the dazzling jewelry pieces, brilliantly shimmering in the glass vitrines, which was absolutely worth the visit.

Vegetal L’Ecole de Beauté

Until September 4, 2022

Beaux de Paris

13 Quai de Malaquais, 75006

https://beauxartsparis.fr/en/exposition-simple/vegetal-lecole-de-la-beaute

 

Eye Prefer Paris Postcards with the Doors of Paris. 

 

I am excited to launch a new series of Eye Prefer Paris Postcards with the Doors of Paris. 

The limited-edition series of Eye Prefer Paris Door Collection Postcards are available three different ways.

18 cards: 3 Red Doors, 3 Blue Doors, 3 Green Doors, 3 Wood Doors, 3 Iron Doors, and 3 Door Knockers. 

Cost: $65- Free shipping 

9 postcards: 3 Red Doors, 3 Blue Doors, 3 Green Doors.

Cost: $35 plus $5 shipping 

9 postcards: 3 Wood Doors, 3 Iron Doors, and 3 Door Knockers

Cost: $35 plus $5 shipping 

Each postcard is printed on thick matte coated card stock, similar to traditional vintage postcard stock, that enhances the vibrancy of each image. Eye Prefer Paris Postcards come in classic postcard size (6”x 4.25”), perfect for collecting, framing, or sending to that special someone. 

Each order is specially hand wrapped with love from Paris and mailed in an elegant, French blue envelope. Postcards take about 4- 7 days to arrive in the U.S. 

Just in time for the holidays, the Eye Prefer Paris-Paris Door Collection make a perfect gift for your Francophile friends and family, and I can write a handwritten note for you and include it in the envelope. 

CLICK HERE to order 18 cards: 3 Red Doors, 3 Blue Doors, 3 Green Doors, 3 Wood Doors, 3 Iron Doors, and 3 Door Knockers. 

Cost: $65- Free shipping 

CLICK HERE to order 9 postcards: 3 Red Doors, 3 Blue Doors, 3 Green Doors.

Cost: $35 plus $5 shipping 

CLICK HERE to order 9 postcards: 3 Wood Doors, 3 Iron Doors, and 3 Door Knockers

Cost: $35 plus $5 shipping 

Green Doors

Blue Doors

Metal Doors

 

Two, New Important Paris Travel Tips

It’s been a while since I’ve posted Paris travel tips but there’s two new ones I need to share.

1. Taking Money from ATM Machines                                                                                                                                                                             I I  The best way to exchange USD to euros, is to use ATM machines, which give you the best exchange rates. However, the French banks are pulling a bit of a scam, which I have warned my tour clients about when they went to retrieve money from an ATM. After you insert your ATM card and punch in the amount you want, they ask you if you accept their conversion rate, which is always higher than the real exchange rate. The other day, I went to the BNP Paribas machine by my house, and used my US bank card. I asked for 120€ and it asked on the screen if I accept their conversion rate plus a “markup” (whatever the hell that is) of 5.60€, a total of $127.50. I declined the conversion, and my bank gave me a rate of $121, a savings of $6.50. Imagine how that would add up if you took out 500€. To summarize, ALWAYS decline the bank’s conversion rate.      
                                                             
2. Take Taxis Instead of Ubers

Many of my clients and myself have become frustrated with Uber. They tend to cancel rides more than once after already waiting 7 to 15 minutes. Also, there are special taxi and bus lanes that easily bypass the traffic from the regular car lanes, plus only taxis and buses are allowed on rue de Rivoli, the main artery of the Right Bank. Ubers are not allowed to use the taxi/bus lanes, therefore your ride can take much longer. The best thing to do is to download the G-7 taxi app, which works the same way as Uber. You just type in the address you are going to, and a few seconds later you ride is confirmed with the price and how long it will take. If you don’t want to download the G-7 app, and want to hail a taxi on the street, just look for the green or white light on top, which means the taxi is available. You don’t have to go to a taxi stand to get a taxi, you can just flag them down the on street. 

 

 

Shocking! The Surreal World of Schiaparelli

Last week I was invited to the press opening of Shocking! The Surreal World of Schiaparelli and it was a fashion knockout. I always love exhibitions that transport you to another world and for about an hour I was transported to the whimsical, wild, and wonderful world of Elsa Schiaparelli, filled with far out fashion, exquisite jewelry, the circus, inventive accessories, and the signs of the Zodiac. 

Born into an aristocratic and intellectual family in Rome in 1890, Elsa Schiaparelli discovers Paris in 1913 and meets her future husband Count William de Wendt de Kerlor. In 1916 she moves to the U.S. and lives in Boston and New York, where she meets Man Ray, who photographs her in 1920, but separates from her husband, moving back to Europe in 1922, befriending the Dadaists. She presents her first fashion line in 1936, a collection of sweaters decorated with tromp-l’oeil bows and neck ties. They are a smash hit, and she then opens her first boutique on Place Vendome.

In her next foray, Schiaparelli collaborates with the great artists of her time including the surrealists Salvador Dali, Jean Cocteau, and Meret Oppenheim, which inspire her to create some of her most iconic and brilliant works. With boundless creativity she goes on to launch a daring new perfume, Shocking, named after shocking pink, which she invented and popularized.

The prolific exhibition of 600 pieces is pure theater, curated on two floors in thematic and chronological order, which include 6,387 drawings, displayed on the floor and the walls at the entrance, costume jewelry, Jean Cocteau, A Poetic Line, The Butterfly and its Metamorphoses, Meret Oppenheim, Surrealist Artist, Place Vendome, The Perfume Cage, The Commedia dell’Arte, The Signs of the Zodiac, Circus, and finally, The Art of Embroidery. Photographs, paintings, ceramics, and posters, add another layer to the magic of Schiaparelli.

July 6, 2022 to January 22, 2023

Musee des Arts Decoratifs

107 rue de Rivoli, 75001

https://madparis.fr/Shocking-Les-mondes-surrealistes-d-Elsa-Schiaparelli

 

 

4 Rue Jean Goujon

I’ve passed this striking building close to the Grand Palais numerous times, wondering what it looked like inside. Walking by it again last week, the entrance door was ajar, so I entered and discovered the fantastic architectural details of the lobby including the red, yellow, and white marble floors, the sumptuous Oriental carpeting on the stairwell, alabaster plaster columns with marvelously adorned tops, and a beautiful sculpture of a mother affectionately holding her child.

Outside there was a courtyard lined with gray brick walls and red asphalt flooring, which are both unusual building materials for a building in Paris from that period.  One of the most interesting architectural features was the slanted, beveled windows on the first, second, and third floors along with mini, pale-yellow door leading into a storage closet.

The five-story apartment building was constructed in 1894 by the architect Jean-Marie Boussard for Baron Louis de Wecker and it’s also the headquarters of the Jules-Verne Society.

Jean Goujon was a Renaissance sculptor and architect in the 1500s. His noted works include the sculpting of the six nymphets for Fountain of the Innocents, designed by Pierre Lescot, which is located in Les Halles, two sculptures in the Louvre, Caryatids and Allegories, which is located in the Cour Carrée, and illustrations of the four seasons in the Musée Carnavalet.

4 Rue Jean Goujon, 75008

July 2022 Eye Need to Do’s: Shocking: Schiaparelli, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Chopin, and Destination Cosmos

Shocking ! Les Mondes Surréalistes d’Elsa Schiaparelli

The Musee des Arts Decoratifs is celebrating Elsa Schiaparelli, one of the most innovative designers of the mid-20^thcentury, big time. Close to 600 pieces of her designs including 212 fashion silhouettes will be exhibited together with sculptures, jewelry, perfumes, ceramics, posters, and photographs by her artistic peers of the time including Man Ray, Salvador Dalí, and Jean Cocteau. Designers Yves Saint Laurent, Azzedine Alaïa, John Galliano and Christian Lacroix have also contributed pieces inspired by the great Schiaparelli.

July 6, 2022 to January 22, 2023

Musee des Arts Decoratifs

107 rue de Rivoli, 75001

https://madparis.fr/Shocking-Les-mondes-surrealistes-d-Elsa-Schiaparelli

A Midsummer Night's Dream

A wonderful summer respite, Shakespeare’s tale of fairies and elves, A Midsummer Night's Dream, is being performed by the Paris Opera Ballet and choreographed by George Balanchine with music by Felix Mendelssohn‐Bartholdy and costumes and sets by Christian Lacroix.

July 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 15, 16

Opera Bastille

Place de la Bastille, 75011

https://www.classictic.com/en/a-midsummer-nights-dream-paris-opera-ballet/33205/

Chopin Festival

Relax in the beautiful Bagatelle Gardens in the Bois de Boulogne and revel in the music of Chopin at the 37^th edition of Chopin Music Festival.

Until July 14

Bagatelle Gardens- Bois de Boulogne

https://www.frederic-chopin.com/

Destination Cosmos

Ateliers des Lumieres is presenting a special show this summer by collaborating with the National Center for Space Studies and presenting Destination Cosmos, which takes you to the far reaches of the universe.

Until July 30, 2022

38 rue Saint Maur, 75011

https://www.atelier-lumieres.com/en/cosmos-destination 

 

Doors of the Month: Ghent- Series Two

 

As I mentioned last month, I found a treasure trove of doors when I went to Ghent in the end of April. Here’s part two of my series. Do you have some favorites here? CLICK HERE if you missed series one of my Ghent Doors.

 

Eye Prefer Paris Postcards with the Doors of Paris

I am excited to launch a new series of Eye Prefer Paris Postcards with the Doors of Paris. 

The limited-edition series of Eye Prefer Paris Door Collection Postcards are available three different ways.

18 cards: 3 Red Doors, 3 Blue Doors, 3 Green Doors, 3 Wood Doors, 3 Iron Doors, and 3 Door Knockers. 

Cost: $65- Free shipping 

9 postcards: 3 Red Doors, 3 Blue Doors, 3 Green Doors.

Cost: $35 plus $5 shipping 

9 postcards: 3 Wood Doors, 3 Iron Doors, and 3 Door Knockers

Cost: $35 plus $5 shipping 

Each postcard is printed on thick matte coated card stock, similar to traditional vintage postcard stock, that enhances the vibrancy of each image. Eye Prefer Paris Postcards come in classic postcard size (6”x 4.25”), perfect for collecting, framing, or sending to that special someone. 

Each order is specially hand wrapped with love from Paris and mailed in an elegant, French blue envelope. Postcards take about 4- 7 days to arrive in the U.S. 

Just in time for the holidays, the Eye Prefer Paris-Paris Door Collection make a perfect gift for your Francophile friends and family, and I can write a handwritten note for you and include it in the envelope. 

CLICK HERE to order 18 cards: 3 Red Doors, 3 Blue Doors, 3 Green Doors, 3 Wood Doors, 3 Iron Doors, and 3 Door Knockers. 

Cost: $65- Free shipping 

CLICK HERE to order 9 postcards: 3 Red Doors, 3 Blue Doors, 3 Green Doors.

Cost: $35 plus $5 shipping 

CLICK HERE to order 9 postcards: 3 Wood Doors, 3 Iron Doors, and 3 Door Knockers

Cost: $35 plus $5 shipping 

Green Doors

Blue Doors

Metal Doors