CARETTE 25 Place des Vosges Carette is a legendary patisserie and it recently opened a second home in the urban wonder that is the Place des Vosges. Fashion designer Givenchy’s newphew, Hubert de Givenchy, designed the new space, mixing Art Deco and Louis XIII details. It’s a classically elegant space, although most choose the tables [...]

CAFÉ GERMAIN It’s already been a decade since we were first seduced into checking out Hôtel Costes in Paris thanks to its popular chill-out CDs. Over the years we’ve grown accustomed to a philosophy that “if it’s Costes brothers, it’s good,” and that’s still proven correct at the latest opening by the Costes empire, the [...]

Where to take all your shopping bags after browsing through the Paris shops in the last post? To Paris’ new design hotel. Recommended for travelers who look for unique spaces that feel like a home away from home, Hotel Recamier is located in the Saint Germain des Près district and offers two dozen rooms designed [...]

DEYROLLE What is considered to be the world’s greatest taxidermist has just reopened. It was closed after a fire in February of 2008, but you can now once again check out one of Paris’ (and the world’s?) most unique spaces. It can be mistaken for a natural history museum or a bizarre interior design shop, [...]

A new L’Eclaireur store has opened in Paris in the Marais neighborhood. Located at 40 Rue de Sevigné, it features an extraordinary interior that’s more like an art installation.  It consists of over two tons of wooden planks, recycled materials, and 147 video screens on the walls, with the signature of Studio Arne Quinze. In [...]

When European cafés became the preferred hangouts of their city’s intellectuals in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, they turned into cultural institutions with ornate, palatial interiors. Many if not most of them remain open today, although the main visitors are now tourists guided by their guidebooks. Those cafés are now essentially museums where [...]

If you’ll be in Paris until June 2010, you’ll be able to experience one of the French capital’s most breathtaking gastronomic experiences. It’s a temporary restaurant placed on top of the Palais de Tokyo contemporary art museum and is itself a piece of art. This glass box by artist Laurent Grasso is part of the [...]

Paris’ Place Vendôme is one of the world’s most elegant squares and should not be missed by anyone visiting the French capital. Its Vendôme Hotel offers classic luxury that although it may not be to everyone’s taste or budget, its recently renovated restaurant is a place to discover. It’s found on the first floor of [...]

Is this another sign that the global economic crisis is over? Hermès recently opened two more shops in two different parts of the world, so apparently luxury is once again on people’s wish lists. One of those new shops is in Paris (the first one on the Left Bank), on Rue de Grenelle 16. Because [...]

Abercrombie & Fitch has just opened its doors in Milan today. It’s the first store of the American “casual luxury” fashion brand in mainland Europe (it had already crossed the Atlantic to London in 2007), but this is the second attempt to open a new store in the continent. It previously requested a space in [...]