It isn’t just the city of light; it’s the city of light fixtures. Though Paris takes center stage on Instagram during Fashion Week, it’s less outwardly celebrated as a place to buy things for your home. The word décor is French, but the Dutch have a bigger reputation for wooden furniture craftsmanship and the English have a better reputation for antiquities (albeit stolen). The Parisian interiors that first come to mind for Americans are either opulent palaces or ultra-minimalist Paris-girl influencer homes. Paris’s antiques markets are thriving with great treasures though, the center of which is Saint-Ouen, the legendary antique market too often overlooked by tourists.
On any given Saturday, two types of people roam the tightly-woven alleys of the marketplace: elegant, in-the-know designers on sourcing trips and elegant, in-the-know Parisians looking for deals. The designers buy armoires and setees. The Parisians buy china tea sets and pottery. And the vibe is — far more than at high-nosed art galleries in the 1st arr. — friendly.
“We love to see Americans,” laughs Henri, a vintage dealer who sells porcelain teacups and bric a brac. He’s enthusiastic because those sightings are rare. Also, he’s a dealer. He wants to deal. “We can ship big things to America too.”
The majority of shoppers carry their finds. Chore coats – now ubiquitous in New York, but nothing new in France – get their pockets packed with hotel silver and costume jewelry. Standing lamps are wielded like Gandalf’s staff. Dessert plates are slotted into any flat pocket possible. Tote bags grow swollen with knick knacks.
“The ones who work for it find the best stuff,” says Debra, an interior designer from London who’s been coming to Marché aux Puces — the network of shops in Saint-Ouen — for a decade. “Sift through the bins, comb through everything. You never know what pops out.”
Here’s what diligent visitors are likely to find:
- Vintage copies of the cartoon strip Asterix
- Postcards dating back 100 years
- Majorelle blue chore coats in every amount of fade desired
- Place settings and chinoiserie
- Stamped silverware and carved serving dishes
Last week, SPY visited the market and came away with a print from an early cartoon, three silver candlesticks, and a set of 8 plates and salad plates. It all came to about $200 USD by the end of the day. Not bad for Paris.
