Artistic treasure trove - Marin Montagut boutique, Paris
Dear readers, when in Paris, besides going to your favorite tea house or museum, shopping is needlessly to say one of the best thing that most people would love to do when spending their holiday in this fashion capital, while some might keen on going to those well-known ‘luxury brands’ to take advantage of the tax-return perks, and a better product assortment from its Paris flagship boutique, sticking to the familiarity, for me on the other hand, I much prefer to discover something that is new, unique, sophisticated and not available in my own city, something I don’t know but made with heart, great craftsmanship and quality, staying away from those unnecessary over-priced madness from those prominent brands which sometimes they don’t even worth as what it should be. I would rather spend on a hard-working and talented artisan who produces exceptional, unique and sophisticated work and product, putting their heart 100% on what they create, and making sure that every single dollar I spent will go to these artisans directly as my vote to their work; one of the place that I’ve been longing to visit and making my shopping in Paris, is the stylish home goods and accessories boutique, Marin Montagut.
Some of you might aware that I have written about Marin Montagut’s book in the past, and yes indeed, that’s because I was obsessed with this multi-talented French artist’s work, as an illustrator, interior and home product designer, Marin’s work has caught my eyes even back in years ago during the peak of the pandemic, when I was staying home and spending time to watch one of the lifestyle vlog by a Japanese vlogger, who featured her tour inside Marin’s chic boutique in Paris, I was hoping that one day I can do the same too to visit his boutique in person! Fast forward to about a few months ago, I finally got my wish come true to be there! Located in the 6th arrondissement, which is relatively close to the famous high fashion department store, Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche, and, the lovely garden in the middle of the Paris city, Jardin du Luxembourg, the boutique of Marin Montagut is like in the cradle of a chic neighborhood, and his product has reflected that modern Parisian chic, with a bit of nostalgia, eccentricity and artistic playfulness which I think that’s one of the reason why I was intrigue about his work.
Upon entered inside the boutique, I instantly fell in love with everything that what I was seeing! The interior which looked like an ancient Parisian grocery store atmosphere in faded paint wood in pastel sage green, vivid iron wrought green, and the antique rosewood-colored cupboards with the dark caramel-brown colored Hexagon shaped floor tiles, the environment truly expressed the French nostalgic chic, and it did exude the core aesthetic of this French artist too. Then taking a look with the unique and appealing merchandise displayed throughout the boutique, one might almost mistaken that s/he might have walked into a museum instead of a shop! That’s because inside this boutique, it is also the workspace of Marin too as his work desk was hidden deep inside in the homeware section! On that work desk, one can literally find some of the water-color drawings, either almost or half finished, they were laying on the desk along with his porcelain products as props! I was obsessed with the porcelain color palette which printed with his illustrations on it, and I can’t help to pick it up and pretend to be the artist himself painting at his own desk, to really put myself into his shoes, and indulge myself working in this lovely space that surrounded by the artist’s work, the tasteful visual display, sculptures and props.
Perhaps you might ask: “what are the most iconic product in this boutique?”, and frankly, there are plenty! The accessories collection by Marin Montagut is so broad and I find each one of them is unique, everything is artistically and playfully made from the heart of the French artist himself, plenty of stylish glassware and porcelain printed in the signature illustrations by Marin themed in Paris’ surroundings, from the Parisian road signage to the metro arch, the small objects from the old French school books or iconic Parisian landmark etc., there’ll always be one that will please you, and perfect for souvenir. One of my favorite is the iconic ‘Showcase of wonders’, which was made by hand-cut printed paper art, arranged in 3D effect with high quality paper which made with traditional method, and decorated the inside by hand, this ‘showcase’ has different sizes and shapes available, each pattern and paper color combination are different from one another, a certificate comes with the purchase of each ‘showcase’, with your name filled by the shop staff to make it personalized to you. You can create the complete ‘Marin’ look by putting a couple of these showcases together on the wall, to form an intriguing art object wall in your own home, making it a great conversation starter for your friends and guests if they are visiting, and letting you talk about your artistic collection and treasure hunt from the French fashion capital. Of course, the softgoods are equally interesting and noteworthy too! There’s a wide range of textile products from Marin Montagut’s collection from the colorful and playful patterned cushion covers to table placemats, canvas bags and hand towels etc., they all carried the characteristic of the quintessential Parisian chic and fun derived from Marin’s artistic vision and hands, bringing your home some aliveness and eccentric Parisian nostalgia.
Before declaring bankruptcy from spending too much in the boutique, I was thrilled to have some photos taken inside, and the shop staff were incredibly friendly, they even encourage me to climb up one of the ladder inside their boutique to take a photo pretending that I was trying to grab some precious treasure from the top shelves! While the only regret is that I cannot meet Marin in person during my visit that day, but it’s been such a fun day to truly dive into the world of Marin Montagut in person, and having a little shopping spree there which I’ve been craving for!
For those of you who has been to Marin Montagut’s Paris boutique, do let me know how did you like it? Which part of the boutique in particular that you like the most? And what is/are your best find in there?