Timeless Paris: Ateliers • Emporiums • Savoir Faire

Discover the studios and shops where artisans handcraft and sell exquisite items on site in charming Parisian locations where the skill has been passed on for decades―or centuries―of continuous operation. These often hidden gems provide unique details that will inspire designers, artists, and creatives of all stripes. To source the unique elements that can define the character of a room, clients―such as the Metropolitan Museum―have ordered custom decorative curtain tassels from Passementerie Verrier since 1753.

A visit to Boiseries Feau can transform even the humblest apartment into a château interior with a restored carved door or elaborate molding. A la Providence and its array of hardware and fittings from every decorative period is a home renovator’s heaven. For the artist―the finest supplies and the dreamiest ateliers are peppered through the capital. Degas’s graceful dancers were drawn with pigments from the Maison de Pastel, which has hand rolled a mesmerizing palette of colors according to their secret trademarked formula since 1720. Fashion designers have chosen from the thousands of hat trimmings, buttons, ribbons, and sumptuous fabrics in stock at Ultramod since 1832. Revel in the city’s artisanal traditions; a vibrant source of inspiration in twenty quaint, timeless spaces.

Marin Montagut is an artist and designer; his eponymous boutique is dedicated to whimsical decorative objects. He is coauthor with Ines de la Fressange of Maison: Parisian Chic at Home and created and illustrated the Bonjour City Map-Guides. He has collaborated with the Château de Versailles and with many brands, including Farrow & Ball, Pierre Frey, and Diptyque.