5 Parisian Shops I’m Dying to Visit

Lately I’ve come across several shops in Paris that have caught my eye, not only for their swag, but also their interior design and their neighborhoods. I’ve officially added them to my travel file and can’t wait to check them out next time we find ourselves in the City of Light!

Housed in a 19th century fabric factory, Merci is a 3-story design general store, if you will, showcasing products from all facets: apparel, furniture, home goods, and jewelry. Throw in a literary cafe and restaurant and you’ve got yourself a full afternoon in design heaven. The coolest part? They donate all their profits to charity!

Merci, 111 Boulevard Beaumarchais.

Photo via Sivan Askayo.

Wrap Session

I have to say, I’ve never gotten into the Black Friday craze. Waking up at 4 am to brave the massive, cut-throat crowds for Holiday deals doesn’t quite top my list for how to spend a long weekend. Though I don’t partake in Black Friday, I do find great pleasure in finding clever and thoughtful gifts for those on my list, as well as finding festive ways to wrap them all up.  Below are some creative gift wrap ideas I look forward to trying out this year. Enjoy the long weekend, everyone!

   Woodland Wreath Wrapping via Odessamay Society

On the Home Front…

I’m fascinated by the way people live. From a person’s daily routine to their clever storage solutions to the tools they use to rock the daily grind with flair and efficiency. Here are a few of my personal routine favorites: 

• one: The french press is critical to our morning routine.  We love the strong coffee it brews up for us.
• two: We have quite a small galley kitchen where counter space is definitely lacking, so we swapped our bulky, counter top knife stand for a wall-mounted magnetic knife strip and happily reclaimed our coveted work space.
• three: We refer to La Tartine Gourmande Cookbook whenever we’re stuck in a food rut. Her recipes are not only delicious and fresh, they often include unusual ingredients like amaranth flour or saffron, and they inspire us to try something new.
• four: The amazing mandoline helps me thinly slice just about anything like a pro in seconds.
• five: Not only do we use trays for entertaining, but also for corralling books and magazines on our coffee table, as well as for special breakfast-in-bed mornings.
• six: I received this quirky wine opener as a gift several years ago. It’s extremely durable and not to mention a great conversation starter when we have people over.
• seven: This all-purpose lavender scented cleaner is THE cleaner for pretty much every surface in our home. It’s earth friendly and the lavender scent makes cleaning ALMOST enjoyable.
• eight: We put our microplane zester to work on just about a daily basis. From parmesan to citrus zest to chocolate shavings, it’s quite versatile and has easily worked its way into our daily mealtime routine.
• nine: I love the cozy feeling candles add to our space, especially in the winter when it’s freezing outside. Two of my favorite scents  team up in this clean-burning soy candle.
• ten: We are downright horrible at keeping orchids alive, but I love having them around. Even if we can’t keep them alive for very long, they still last longer than a bouquet of flowers. Am I right?
• eleven: These pretty bowls make anything you put in them look instantly better. I use them to hold small jewelry pieces on my vanity.
• twelve: I ordered this robe to wear the morning of my wedding. It’s so comfy, I still throw it on while getting ready in the morning.
• thirteen: This cotton sheet set is soft, easy to care for (bleachable!), and I love the french-inspired ticking stripe.