Customer Reviews

Paris: Made by Hand: 50 Shops Where Decorators and Stylists Source the Chic & Unique

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Unless you shopped at high-end boutiques and specialty stores in a handful of large American cities, it used to be that you had to go to Paris to buy French goods. Now my wife buys Anne Fontaine blouses at a discount mall --- and these are the top-of-the line items, not a lesser-quality collection made just for the outlets. That's a good thing. Still, it's one less shop to visit if and when we haul ourselves back to France.

Not that I need a reason to go to Paris, but I have a have a new one --- a book written and photographed by Pia Jane Bijkerk, an Australian stylist who works in Paris and Amsterdam. Appropriate that she should do both jobs --- her book celebrates the "fait main", the work of the hand.

You know how it is. You wander a city, skipping the establishments you know well. Soon your eye spots what you've overlooked. One find leads to another. Before you know it, you have a collection of shops that are one-of-a-kind and out-of-time --- restored objects and furniture, fabrics not seen for decades, paper you'd never put in a Hewlett-Packard tray, vintage jewelry and more. And you have a list of workrooms that specialize in unlikely services. Umbrella repair, anyone?

The joy of these places goes far beyond the beauty of what's on display. These small businesses are statements: History matters, artistry can't happen on an assembly line, there's a value to tradition. More, they're statements about Right Livelihood, for their owners cannot possibly hope to expand their enterprises. These are artists. They may charge plenty of euros for some of their work, but they're in it for love, not money. As you can't miss their intent, a visit to these shops is an invitation to fall under their spell --- indeed, to fall in love.

Ms. Bijerk is not a sadist. That is, she gives the web addresses of most of these businesses, so you can visit --- and shop --- virtually. Not as good as a trip to Paris, but we make do. And, if you are good at rationalization, what you don't spend on travel, hotels and meals translates to more you can spend by shopping online.

I particularly liked:

-- Alexia Hollinger, an artisan who saw no reason for handbags to be made only of leather. She scoured second-hand shops for fabric and began making seriously beautiful bags.

-- Legeron, where the fabric blossoms are well worth a climb of five flights.

-- Ultramod, for silk ribbon from the 1940s and rolls of silk from the 1930s.

-- Marie Louise de Monterey, for vintage dresses and blouses, most often from the 1920s.

-- Oh Dis Le Moi, for jewelry that can be clipped on, giving a touch of sparkle where once was only fabric.

-- Mahlia Kent, creator of custom-made textiles but also, at more reasonable prices, scarves and coats made from leftover wovens.

-- French Touche, for accessories, but mostly for screen-printed cushions and notebooks in colors and designs not seen for decades.

-- Estelle Lemaitre, my absolute favorite, because who can resist a feather-lined lampshade?

Ms. Bijerk has organized the book sensibly, by geographical proximity. "So you don't have to deal with the metro too often, each chapter is 'a wander', designed so you can walk from handmade place to handmade place with ease," she says. Sweet. But her photographs are so appealing, her descriptions so distinct, that an hour at your desk, computer on, is almost as good. And with a wineglass at your elbow....

Paris: Made by Hand is a tiny little book that feels very good in your hand, but it is not what I expected. I was disappointed. I thought it would show me THINGS and shops in Paris where I could find things hand made and vintage when if ever I got there. It didn't. It had pictures of off the beaten path shops that the author visits when she goes to Paris. The merchandise was not very interesting to me. I didn't find anything I could decorate or style with or really anything I found particularly chic. The photos were difficult to make out. They were dark with little or no color, but not black and white either. Maybe it was just me. It didn't do anything for me. Take Amazon up on the offer and "look inside" before you buy!

This book is a must have for anyone traveling to Paris looking for hidden treasures. I have traveled to Paris several times and most of these shops are brand new to me. As a photographer and stylist, the author obviously has her finger on the pulse of what shops really stand out in the city. As the book is broken into arrondissements it is easy to open up the book no matter where you are in Paris and to explore the area shops. I live in Tokyo and am spoiled with amazing paper shops but this book has highlighted several worth visiting on my next visit including Kanea, Papier Plus, and Melodies Graphiques. The size of the book too is perfect for throwing into your bag.

When in France do as the French do with the aid of this little book full of chic objets and decorator's items. I would be very surprised if you are not enchanted with the shops and profiles in this book. It probably means you have one foot in the grave already. Pia has an eye and flair for design. She has hunted out the best that Paris has to offer. Ateliers that you might never come across on your own meanderings through the streets of Paris in search of Je ne sais quoi. Take this on your next trip and discover a whole new world within Paris - one that can enhance your life with hand-made items. Find your hoard of unique French style to bring back home. Lots to like and yearn for. Just two little niggles, some of the websites are not working or are incorrect - always a problem with books of this nature. Also the photographs are so dark and dim. Yet this book is worthwhile. This review first appeared on Karen Platt's book review website.

If only I had this book on my last trip to Paris with my girlfriends! This was the book we were looking for to add to our "Paris shopping" collection, so now we must go again with this lovely introduction to unique and unusual shops focusing on handmade treasures. Don't buy this book if you are looking for an outlet mall or a tourist guide book - its reason for existence to feature one-of-a-kind shops such as Alexandra Sofjer, a custom umbrella maker. Maps might have been helpful, but the pages of this sweet little book are filled instead with stunning photos of the shops and their wares. Organized by arrondissements, it looks quite easy to pick up a good Paris map and search out these shops by neighborhood. The index is a plus, and I like that the author offers a list of her favorites.

One of the charms of Paris is finding unusual shops that don't exist elsewhere, or that are by-products of the haute couture of Paris. Malhia Kent, a workroom that created custom textiles for Chanel and other top couturiers, will be high on my list of "must-see's" on that next shopping trip. And of course I learned about it from Paris:Made by Hand.

i was disappointed with the photography in this book-- it is dark and a lot of images are out of focus and hard to make out-- if you are looking for a shopping guide, i suppose that you will find this book adequate-- if you are are looking for inspiration or really wanted to revel in the creations of these artists, you will be sorely disappointed--

Paris: Made by Hand is a book made lovingly by the hands of an author as passionate and dedicated to the concept of fait main as the artists and ateliers featured within. Ms Bijkerk personally guides you on a journey through the quiet streets and alleys of a hidden Paris: an enchanting journey of discovery where tiny shops and inspiring artists' studios shine like beacons of inspiration even in the City of Lights. Filled with sublimely evocative photos, the charming guided "wanders" offer a captivating glimpse into a Paris far removed from the tourist trail; this is a Paris of imagination come to realisation; where the pages of history collide with modern artisans and lost crafts and skills are brought to life again. Ms Bijkerk has managed to entice the kind of secrets from this multi-layered city that it can take a lifetime to discover. Luckily for us, she's more than willing to share, and her passion for her subject is infectious. Whether you are lucky enough to visit in person, or from the comfort of your armchair, this little book of treasures invites you to make your next wander in Paris a personal stroll into the world of handmade, Paris style, and to make your next souvenir an object of beauty, skill and passion, redolent of true Parisian artistry. Bon voyage!

I lived in Paris 10 years ago and still visit every 2 or 3 years. I would definitely take this book with me the next time I visit. The size is just perfect to carry around and there are a lot of interesting shops featured that are new to me.

Pia Jane Bijkerk is a well-known blogger-photographer-stylist. Her work as a stylist certainly put her in good stead to find cool off the beaten track shops selling interesting artisan, handmade, vintage and unique ware. Unfortunately, a lot of them are expensive but I couldn't resist checking them out and rummaging through the treasures inside. The book would probably be of interest to Paris residents or regular visitors but I don't know how attractive it would be to a first-time tourist with limited time in the city unless he/she has a special interest in such shops.

The book is nicely structured with the shops listed geographically according to Paris districts, and useful information is provided like the shops' addresses and websites. But a map with the shops marked would have been helpful, especially to new visitors to the city.

While I appreciated the information in the book, I found the photography somewhat dark and moody, although that may be popular now with the off-focus /soft focus trend thanks to apps like Hipstamatic (this book is now 2 years old though). I didn't think that style worked well with a book like this, where you want to display the products and not just the shops.

As a Paris lover, I like the book. If you don't know the city well, it may not be on your must-have list.

Excellent, it reveals all the little boutique shops that you need to check (that otherwise you will never find!). Specially if you are looking for unique creative things. It's a pocket size book.

When I looked at the reviews for this book, it quickly became obvious that the positive ones were largely from folks who have been to Paris, while the negative ones were the opposite. To the uninitiated, knowing the metro stop and the arrondissement of any address is Paris is exactly how we navigate, supplemented by our handy dandy Paris par Arrondissement pocket guide to fill in the particulars. For the reviewer worried that many of these places might not be in business forever, ce la vie.....you will still find other interesting shops along the way. For instance, when I was last in the 12th Arrondissement, Viaduc des Arts, one of the ateliers was owned by a woman who ironed the linens of the well to do with lavender water, and could be seen hard at work in her atelier. Another repaired priceless tapestries, examples of which were easily seen through the large arched window. On my way there from the Bastille metro stop, I ran into an enormous tented antique & bricolage fair, which is a yearly event; so large, it exhausted me before I exhausted it.
A lovely aspect of this book is it takes you away from the familiar souvenir stores that populate major street all tourists navigate to smaller streets, more characteristic of the Paris where natives live, to search for unique and lovely items still made by hand. On the way, you will probably find your own treasures.