Living Etc UK – September 2019

Hôtel Thoumieux

Giacometti

Institute

Fondation

Cartier

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Best place for a lazy Sunday brunch?

I still love brunch on the terrace of La Société

(restaurantlasociete.com), designed by

Christian Liaigre for Jean-Louis Costes. It’s

in front of the church of Saint-Germain-des-

Prés – I always feel like I’m on holiday there.

The restaurant with Insta-worthy

interiors? Le Grand Véfour by Guy Martin

(grand-vefour.com). The interiors are as

beautiful as the gardens of the Palais Royal

and the food is equally good.

The coolest gallery in town? I like the

charming Giacometti Institute (fondation-

giacometti.fr) next to the Fondation Cartier

(fondationcartier.com). It’s nice to do both

together, but make sure to book tickets online.

The tourist attraction worth the

queue? Château de Versailles. My advice

is to take a room at the Trianon Palace

(trianonpalace.fr) with a view of Marie-

Antoinette’s farm, have dinner at the

Gordon Ramsay restaurant (Au Trianon)

and the next morning visit the château’s

park on bicycle after breakfast.

Picturesque spot for a quiet moment?

Definitely the sculpture garden of the

Musée Rodin (musee-rodin.fr).

Trip out of town? Le Corbusier’s

modernist Villa Savoye (villa-savoye.fr)

in Poissy, or for something more classical

try Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte (vaux-le-

vicomte.com), the inspiration for Versailles.

Don’t leave without visiting? Rue Las

Cases, an interior-design hotspot and where

my store is located (india-mahdavi.com).

globetrotter

INDIA MAHDAVI SPILLS HER PARIS SECRETS

O

ne of the world’s most

talented and in-demand

designers, India Mahdavi is

the queen of joyful colour and

sophisticated femininity.

Her instantly recognisable aesthetic has turned

restaurants, such as the Gallery at Sketch, into

iconic cultural touchstones. We caught up with

the design maven to talk all things Paris – a city

of chic design and even chicer living.

First things first. Where should we

stay? Hôtel Thoumieux (thoumieux.com)

• a lovely hotel in the 7th arrondissement that
  I designed a few years ago.

Where can we soak up some café

culture? Now and always, Café de Flore –

a Parisian institution (cafedeflore.fr).

Shop like a Parisian at? Boutique

Stouls on rue du Mont Thabor sells leather

clothing like a second skin (stouls.paris).

Nearby is White Bird, a jewellery shop

with fantastic pieces by Charlotte Chesnais

(whitebirdjewellery.com).

Best place to find a vintage treasure?

Explore Marché Paul Bert Serpette at Saint-

Ouen, the world’s largest antiques market

(paulbert-serpette.com).

Quench our thirst after all that

shopping at? A cocktail at the Bar

Hemingway at the Ritz Paris (ritzparis.com),

prepared by head bartender Colin Field.

The table to book for the perfect

French dinner? L’Affable on rue de Saint

Simon (laffable-restaurant.fr). It’s quiet,

romantic and delicious.

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