Known for his radically multidisciplinary approach to designing objects, architecture and art, Mathieu Lehanneur was a natural choice to create the torch for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. His torch draws inspiration from the Seine and is ‘simple like a hyphen and fluid like a flame’.
Born in 1974, the French designer produces and distributes his creations through his eponymous brand and, following the opening of his factory on the outskirts of Paris last year, recently unveiled a new pied-à-terre in one of New York’s most beautiful skyscrapers.
His works are held in the world’s most important collections, including the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He is the winner of the City of Paris’s Grand Prize for Creation and was awarded Designer of the Year 2024 by Maison&Objet. mathieulehanneur.com; @mathieulehanneur
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Decoration & Design
Paul Bert Serpette Market, 110 Rue des Rosiers, 93400
For me, there is only one design store: the Paul Bert Serpette antiques market in the heart of the Puces de Paris Saint-Ouen. If you want to find the best stalls there, it’s Remix Gallery, which specialises in the 1980s, and Maison Verrsen, which works on a broader spectrum. Say I sent you – you won’t get a discount, but surely a beautiful smile. paulbert-serpette.com
Officine Générale, 6 Rue du Dragon, 75006
If I could recommend a fashion store, I would choose this one in the 6th arrondissement. From my pants to my coat, everything I wear comes from here. It’s the perfect combination of classic and elegant. officinegenerale.com
7L bookshop, 7 Rue de Lille, 75007
This place has the most well-curated selection of books about the visual arts. Don’t forget to ask to get a quick look at the historical and mythical studio of Karl Lagerfeld – unforgettable! librairie7l.com
Food & Drink
Chez Georges, 1 Rue du Mail, 75002
Quite discreet and almost secret, this spot near Place des Victoires is the restaurant for connoisseurs... the highest level of bistro food. I prefer it for lunch.
Bar des Prés, 25 Rue du Dragon, 75006
For the evening, visit this bar at my friend[chef] Cyril Lignac’s place. French cuisine dances there with East Asian flavours. bardespres.com
Tiger, 13 Rue Princesse, 75006
If, like me, you are a gin-cocktail aficionado,I would recommend you stop by here. Thebest specialists in town. tiger-paris.com
Art
A1043, 47 Rue Chapon, 75003
The name may not give much away, but behind the code hides a small design gallery that offers a very demanding selection of rare and memorable artistic pieces. a1043.com
Galerie Chenel, 3 Quai Voltaire, 75007
Travel through a world of the most beautiful pieces of Greece and ancient Rome. The meeting of the two eras will give you a fairly complete vision of what humans can do best. galeriechenel.com
Where to stay
L’Hotel, 13 Rue des Beaux Arts, 75006
The simplicity of this hotel’s name is inversely proportional to the beauty of the place. Come like tourists and – in one night only –become pure Parisians: chic, cultured and
a little arrogant. Oscar Wilde and Jorge Luis Borges understood this place’s virtues before anyone else. l-hotel.com
Château Voltaire, 55 Rue Saint-Roch, 75001
For a chic and casual stay, choose this location that’s like a dream home from home in the centre of Paris. chateauvoltaire.com
Out and about
We all know the Jardin des Tuileries, Luxembourg or the Palais Royal. Orderly, geometric and perfect. There is another public garden to venture out to, though. It’s less central, less bourgeois and much less flat: the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont. It is the largest garden in Paris. Get lost there and imagine you’re in the countryside.
