Travel Guide Review: Paris Made By Hand

Oh, you are so going to love this little paperback guide called Paris: Made by Hand: 50 Shops Where Decorators and Stylists Source the Chic & Unique.

This wonderful book is written by Australian stylist, Pia Jane Bijkerk. As a stylist, she is constantly searching for the unusual or beautiful. Paris Made By Hand is her personal treasure trove of shops and workshops she found in Paris that still make things by hand. Or of shops that stock antique hand made items.

Even if you have traveled to Paris for years, or have lived there, you still may not know most of the artisan boutiques she conveniently lists by arrondissement. With lush photography and evocative prose, Pia totally communicates the wonder of finding these places.

These are her words describing Le Petit Atelier De Paris,"There is a common theme among the delicate, organic-shaped vases, the glossy, free-form tartlet dishes, the tiny house sculptures, and the little alphabet letters that fill the shop-each item is made by hand on the premises."

"As a lover of flea markets, this is where I come when there is not a flea market to be found in the city---the items are unassuming, rustic, and affordable, with little chairs and tables starting at 30 euros, and bigger items, like desks and dining tables, steady at around 400 euros."