Holiday Wish List - Jayson Home

While in Chicago this past week, I peeled myself away from my lawyer conference and jumped in a cab to head to Chicago's Clybourn Corridor neighborhood so that I could finally shop the design mecca Jayson Home (a girl was in need of retail relief after hours of legalese).  And, it did not disappoint - Jayson Home hits all the right notes for this holiday season.  Boasting two floors impeccably designed with greater goods and flea market finds that overflow onto the courtyard (oh, and a flower shop!), Jayson Home is a treasure trove that should not be missed this holiday season.  From curated global vintage goods to decadent candles and dramatic light fixtures, Santa's list could easily be checked off with one stop shopping at this mecca.  Can't make it to the Windy Cindy this holiday season, not to worry, Jayson Home's goods are available online!  Here is my Jayson Home holiday wish list...

The candy colored Cinque Terre nail gloss from Odeme would be perfect for any gal's stocking. One could never have enough Paris guides, and the bone Inlaid back and white frame would add instant chic to any room.

I love the colorful graphics of these Fashion Insiders' City Guides.

These decadent Illume candles are gift-wrap ready.

Vintage leather gym mats would be a fashionably durable floor covering choice.

I love stacks of vintage French books - on a tray, on a cupboard, well anywhere!

Luxe Turkish towels.

Moroccan rugs - add a lavish layer.

White dishware - a classic gift for any entertainer.

{Turkish Towels and Moroccan Rugs - image via Jayson Home}

Paris Brocantes Loot Shoot

Shopping Les Puces in Paris is enough reason for me to hop on a plane to Paris, and this trip I hit up both Porte de Vanves and Les Puces de Saint-Ouen (and successfully so I might add).  While Porte de Vanves is a bargain-hunter's mecca for wares easily packed in luggage (smalls,  linens and artwork), Les Puces de Saint-Ouen is a sprawling design mecca with inventive re-purposed goods (which means, generally more expensive).  Beware, a trip to Saint-Ouen is likely to result in hiring a shipper to transport your over-sized treasures back home.

My first shopping stop in Paris is always the Porte de Vanves flea market, which is held every Saturday and Sunday near the Porte de Vanves metro stop.  I prefer to fly into Paris either Friday or Saturday, so that I can leverage my jet lag to arrive at the brocante the next morning at an ungodly hour.  Since Les Puces de Saint-Ouen is open on Monday, I save this Puce for after I have done my damage at Porte de Vanves.  Plus, the vendors are more willing to bargain (more than the obligatory 5-10% discount) on Monday because Monday is "their Sunday" and the stalls are relatively quiet.  The downside of this strategy is that many of the vendors are closed on Monday, but, hey, c'est la vie (plus, if I had any success on Saturday or Sunday, I have less money to spend by Monday anyways)! 

I put together this little loot shoot for you to share in the success of my brocantes adventures from this trip.

The Loot

My loot this time around was focused on paintings, maps and religious artifacts (oh, how I love broken religion artifacts...both beautiful and a political statement about the state of modern religion). The terrible wig on this oil pastel stopped me in my tracks, and for a mere 30Euros, it was mine!

I fell in love with this stately pig at Les Puces de Saint-Ouen. There's just something about the juxtaposition of the antique gilded frame against the kitschy painting. 

The carvings on this wooden holy water crucifix are divine, and the mother of pearl in-laid cross and seashell basin were just too beautiful for me to pass.  

I love a vintage map, and this cloth book unfolds to a road map of the Paris area.  It was love at first site.  I only wish I would have purchased the other road maps!  The wooden rosary from Lourdes will decorate one of my statutes at home.

Brocantes Shopping Tips

1. If you're hitting Les Puces de Saint-Ouent, strategize your plan of attack beforehand.  This is a massive market (the largest in the world) with alleys of different types of goods, so look at a map beforehand. Here's a good map and description of the various markets at this Puce.
2. Go in the morning as it becomes very crowded in the afternoon, and the French like to close for lunch and pack-up early.
3. Don't bother bringing your passport because antiques don't have VAT refunds. 
4. Bring plenty of cash and only one or two essential credit cards because most vendors don't take credit cards. 
5. When negotiating, the French will generally go down by 20%, but be careful not to offend the vendor with too low of an offer.  The French will walk away if you insult them.  Ask "le meillieur prix" for the vendor's best offer.  
6. If you're planning on going "big", contact a shipper, such as Hedley's Humpers, beforehand.  The shipper will pick up your goods for shipment. 

Taxidermy at Les Puces de Saint-Ouen

Jumble of Goods at Porte de Vanves

Photos by Brooklyn Boheme.

Shopping San Francisco: Design+Decor on Sacramento Street

While the temperature is beginning to drop in most of the country as Fall officially begins, for us in San Francisco, the warm Indian Summer has just arrived.  My favorite Indian Summer Saturday activity is strolling the curated storefronts of Sacramento Street.  With the seasonal warm sunshine and design+decor eye candy of Sacramento Street, visiting this street is a mini-vacation of sorts.

Sacramento Street has a European air about it, with its Victorian storefronts featuring artful merchant signs dangling above the street.  The merchants take pride in their storefront windows, paying meticulous attention to the display of their wares.  It's no wonder that several of the City's elite designers have taken up residence on this street. Sacramento Street merchants vary from high-end home decor, fashion houses, interior designers, to couture consignment - something for everyone, so it's a great shopping destination for a group of friends.

On the home decor front, the famed merchants include March Pantry, Hudson Grace, Serena & Lily, Anthem, Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic, and Sue Fisher King (to name a few).

March Pantry offers exquisite kitchenware - stepping into this store with its edited displays of merchandise is like stepping into an editorial page out of a magazine.  March's interior is warmed by an Aga stove habitually on and baking delicious delights for visitors.  While we were visiting, delectable yams were the offering of the day.

Sylists will swoon over the homewares at Hudson Grace.  Hudson Grace is known for its curated white pottery, Greige goods and antique silverware.  Among my favorites during this trip, were white ceramic candelabras and sculptural watering cans molded from antique brass candelabras and tin watering cans found in a Paris Brocante.  I took home a specimen of a white head of lettuce (a ceramic version of course!).

Serena & Lily is another recommended home store.  Based in Sausalito, this outfit offers cottage home goods and recently launched a fashion line.  I love their timeless bistro inspired line.  Anthem, on the other hand, offers a more glam-eclectic line of furnishings, lighting and objets d'art.

March Pantry's kitchenware

Hudson Grace

Hudson Grace pottery and candelabras

Sculptural Watering Cans molded from antique French tin watering cans

Hudson Grace's entrance is presided over by this lovely lady

Sale bin of pottery at Hudson Grace

French linens at Hudson Grace

Antique Hotel Silver at Hudson Grace

Serena & Lily

Serena & Lily's signature bistro line

Textile art at Serena & Lily

Anthem

Regardless of taste, the most discerning of shoppers (and browsers) will be delighted by the design+decor of Sacramento Street.  Here is one of my favorite window displays of the day - bulldog statuary framed like a painting, reminiscent of the billiard dog paintings from the 1970s.

Artful window display
 

Sacramento Street Eats

After a hard day of feeding your shopping soul, nourish yourself with a cocktail or grub at one of these Sacramento Street eateries.

• Nico: Modern French bistro.
• Spruce: Classic San Francisco fare with inventive cocktails.
• Sociale: Romantic homemade Italian.

Images by Brooklyn Boheme.

Paris Shopping Essentials

I have been spoiled by Paris, spoiled by the city's charming cobbled lanes, designer patisserie windows, fashionable pedestrians and spoiled from ever traveling to another city.   I simply cannot get enough of this city, and I apologize to its neighbor, London, but she just doesn't offer the same grandeur, cafe charm or shopping indulgence.  I swoon over Paris's design sensibility and the art-directed window displays of the couture houses as well as the humble yet chic offerings of the many Parisian artisans.

From couture houses, to artisans and gourmands, to brocante markets, Paris offers goods for every wallet size and aesthetic.  Exploring Paris boutiques and brocantes is a trip unto itself, and here are my shopping essential tips for Paris.

Shopping route on Rue Saint Honoré

Brocante shopping

Paris's shopping bounty is endless, so organize your shopping day by arrondissement.  Rue Saint Honoré is a shopping route for those dressed by couturiers, while the Marais offers many vintage and small artisan labels, and the Madeleine is a food lovers delight.   Below are my must hit shopping destinations when in Paris. 

• Elegant lingerie and the finest of stockings:
  Chantal Thomass: 211 Rue Saint Honoré
   
• Delicious white ceramics:
  Astier de Villatte: 173 Rue Saint Honoré
   
• Stylish flats for meandering the cobblestones:
  Repetto: 51, Rue des Francs Bourgeois
   
• Vintage couture:
  Didier Ludot: Jardin du Palais Royal, 24 Galerie de Montpensier
   
• Chic and classic totes:
  Maison Goyard: 233 Rue Saint Honoré
   
• Absinthe selection:
  Vert d'Absinthe: 11 Rue d'Ormesson
   
• Truffles of every sort (and the best truffle-brie sandwich for on the go shoppers):
  Maison de la Truffe: 19 Place de la Madeleine
   
• Mustard on tap and served in a souvenir ceramic pot:
  Boutique Maille: 6 Place de la Madeleine
   
• I am not a fan of one-stop shopping in Paris, but the Belle-Epoque beauty of this famed department store is worth the trip:
  Printemps: 64, Boulevard Haussmann
   
• Brocante:
  Point de Vanvre (every Sat and Sun morning)
  Village St. Paul (Marais)

Maison Goyard

Belle-Epoque grandeur of the famed department store, Printemps

Images by Brooklyn Boheme.