A day trip to Paris? Oui oui! Interiors, fine dining and shopping with La Redoute
When the invitation to spend a day in Paris with the lovely ladies at La Redoute dropped in my Inbox, I squealed with delight, did a little happy dance and promptly called my husband to ask (ok, demand) he do the school run that day. The reason for my excitement? Well...Paris. But apart from that...it's La Redoute! Purveyor of that rug and one of my favourite homeware stores.
A few weeks later I was rolling out of bed at silly o'clock and whizzing across London to meet the girls at St Pancras, before we hopped on the Eurostar to go and check out La Redoute's AW'17 press show.
We arrived at Gare du Nord in the midst of a serious Parisian heatwave and headed straight for the show at the Galerie Joseph. Well, sort of. Turns out there are three Galerie Joseph's in the same area but our taxi driver eventually found the right one.
The show was a combination of the brand's new season fashion and interiors collections, which suited me down to the ground. It may have been a million degrees outside but in the words of Jon Snow, winter is coming, and when it does I want to be prepared in this Acne-esque sheepskin collared aviator jacket. I can see the pink wool and mint faux fur fluff flying out as well.
And you really need to check out their kids stuff, particularly if you like to dress your children like they've just stepped out of a Petit Filous advert but are lacking the Bonpoint budget like moi. Click here for the blouse, the dungarees, the dress and those star ankle boots.
Ok so I think I've digressed enough. Let's get on to the main reason for this trip...the interiors. Where do I start? There's plenty to get excited about. Like all of this...
La Redoute has always been really good at both Boho Chic and Modern Minimalism. And the good news is it still is. But the even better news, is that it's now also really good at Millenial Pink and Art Deco Glamour. There was loads of pink and green on display, from the Earthenware crockery (bottom left) to the nest of Jimi coffee tables (middle right), the pastel coloured Osia sheepskin rugs (middle right) and the pink and gold Alabama rug (top left) which at £169 is an absolute steal.
Stepping away from the pink and green theme, I saw a few potential rivals for the La Redoute rug crown. The graphic monochrome Nevio (middle left) is so versatile and strikes me as a step up from that Ikea Lappljung Ruta rug that is owned by 85% of the population. You know the one I'm talking about right? I'm yet to be convinced by yellow as the next big interiors trend but I can definitely get on board with the sunny Berber style Ocrul rug (top right). And for major Ibizan boho finca vibes there's the Rozza round tapestry rug (bottom left) which I've also seen styled as a wallhanging, if that's your bag.
There was also loads of amazing soft furnishings and lighting, but, in a tragic twist of events, they aren't available in the UK due to different regulations. Bummer.
After all that ooh-ing and ahh-ing, it was time for some sustenance in the form of the most delicious little bits of loveliness from patisserie Popelini. Like an eclair but with a crispier shell and with flavours from raspberry rose to pistachio. Oh and totally perfect for the 'gram. If you're planning a trip to Paris anytime soon, be sure to put this place on your must visit list.
And what's the best way to follow one (ok, two) delicious cream filled puffballs. With a delicious lunch of course? We headed to one of the city's culinary hotspots La Societe, where none other than Jennifer Lopez had dined the night before. I couldn't take any pics in there as it was a bit dark, but I had turbot, buttery green beans and bearnaise sauce and it was divine. Oh and rosé. Am I French yet?
But the fun didn't end there. With full but happy tummies, our next port of call was the La Redoute AM:PM store on Rue Bonaparte. Yes, they have an actual store. SO jealous.
The store was a jungalow dream with lots of plants, lots of ceramic cactuses, palm prints and lots of rattan. And loads and loads of their dreamy linen bedding. The best around IMHO.
We finished our whistle stop tour with a trip to the iconic Le Bon Marche´, the city's oldest and most luxurious department store. It is now owned by fashion giant LVMH who have renovated extensively. But it's that original escalator which continues to wow. It's really something in the flesh.
Let's just ignore that girl twiddling with her hair at the beauty counter, shall we?
As fate would have it I had literally used the last spritz of my favourite Diptyque perfume that morning and was going to do a straightforward replacement, until I got distracted by the L'Artisan Parfumeur stand. Five minutes later I was skipping away, having purchased a very heavy bottle of Premier Figuier Extreme and stinking to high heaven of figs and sandalwood, or a "summer spent in Provence" as the description suggests. No such luck...but fake it till you make it and all that.
Then it was back to the Gare du Nord, which is hands down the most stylish waiting room I've ever sat in by the way. I would have taken pics but it was really busy so difficult to get a clear shot, my phone battery was super low and I was enjoying a nice, cold, glass of rose´ instead. Sorry ;-)
I hope there's some tips in there for you if you're planning a trip to Paris soon. Seriously Popelini. Do it. And of course the interiors! What do you think of La Redoute's new collections? I'd love to hear your favourites. There are more items dropping over the next few weeks as well so keep an eye out for those.
And thank you so much to La Redoute for the perfect Parisian day trip.
J x
