Mystery Monday

Looking back: Paris Design Week

A peek into some of Montmartre's hidden interiors

October newsletter

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Sunday spark

 It's Paris Design Week / Maison&Object 2026

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Paris is pulsing with creativity today as Maison&Objet Pulse* fills the halls at Villepinte and Paris Design Week spills across the city’s most inspiring neighborhoods - from Marais galleries and Bastille installations to Saint-Germain showrooms and the Grand Palais’s floral spectacle. It features what’s new and next in design, emerging talents and young brands, bold, sensitive, and sustainable creativity, a dynamic, forward-looking energy focusing on seven immersive sectors: Decor & Design, Cook & Share, Fine Craft, Fashion & Accessories, Gift & Play, Fragrance & Ambiance, Wellness & Beauty.

On this sunny September Sunday, the capital feels like one big open studio, where emerging talents, craft traditions, and bold new interiors invite wandering, discovery, and feeling the energy of design in motion.  - BPJ

 Official Website 

 

* Maison&Objet Pulse is the official name of the September edition of the famous Maison&Objet trade fair in Paris that takes place 10 - 14 September 2026 at the Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre and is themed, “Pulse in Motion” 

 

Soaring Saturday

 

Defying gravity... One floating mobile at a time.

 

Upcoming special newsletter: a look back in photos at the Calder exhibition

 

Fondation Louis Vuitton 

Architect: Frank Gehry

 

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Next major exhibition: "Gustave Fayet, Collector - Designer. Icons of Modern Art," opening October 9, 2026 

 

 

 

  

Floral Friday

 Flowers and coffee, two favorite subjects, one magical setting.

Elle Était Une Fleur

11 rue de Médicis 75006

 

(facing Luxembourg Garden) 

 

 

Thursday thought

 Can old cheeses ignite new friendships?

 

Window Wednesday

 Bag,  bananas, bike.

Travel Tuesday

 

Starting the day beneath watchful gaze of a 13th-century convent church.

 

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Exploring villages on the Alsace Wine Route

 

Alsace, in northeastern France, is tightly nestled against the borders of Germany and Switzerland. The Alsace Wine Route covers about 170 kilometers from Marlenheim in the north to Thann in the south, passing through more than 70 wine-producing villages
 

Most iconic / Famous:

Ribeauvillé (above): colorful medieval town nestled near the ruins of 3 historic castles
Eguisheim:  medieval village built in concentric circles around a central castle

Riquewihr: known as the "Pearl of the Vineyards," featuring remarkably preserved 13th-century ramparts and architecture

Kaysersberg: picturesque; dominated by an imperial castle ruin; the birthplace of Albert Schweitzer

Bergheim: medieval; completely walled; won recognition as a favorite French village

Charming / Historic:

Obernai: vibrant historical town at the foot of Mont Sainte-Odile

Turckheim: famous for its fortified city gates and the traditional rounds of its night watchman 

Mittelbergheim: elegant; known for its limestone terroir and lack of modern industry

Andlau: scenic wine village nestled in the Vosges foothills with a rich Romanesque abbey

Dambach-la-Ville: rare 14th-century walled village surrounded by granite vineyards

 

 

Grape Harvest Timeline

 As different grape varieties ripen at different speeds, the harvest is staggered into distinct phases:

 

1) Right now: late August to early September. Harvesting begins early for the grapes used to make Crémant d'Alsace (the region's famous sparkling wine), which require higher acidity
 

2) Mid-to-Late September: the main harvest kicks off for still white and red varieties, including Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir

3) Late September to Early October: late-ripening varieties like Riesling and Gewurztraminer are carefully picked by hand
 

4) Mid-to-Late October: the final push takes place for the ultra-sweet, late-harvest dessert wines: Vendanges Tardives and Sélections de Grains Noble - BPJ

 

Alsace

3 hours (or less) from Paris