Three Places That Inspired Creativity in Paris

Paris feels like a city of artists, and I’m convinced they do this by making you feel like you’re not one.

Everywhere I looked in Paris, I saw art—beautiful city streets, galleries in every arrondissement, bakeries with featuring artisan pastries. And people who really look like they belong to a bohemian, beautiful city. And it made me want to be part of it.

But although the city is inspiring, there were three places that really made me feel as though being more artistic was an attainable goal. If you have more suggestions, I hope you’ll tell me in the comments—my top choices were:

Marin Montagut. This had been recommended to me so many times, and it didn’t disappoint. The eponymous owner hand-paints everything in the shop, which includes plates, candles, perfumes, notebooks, and tarot cards. Walking through the shop included a breakfast setup, and a selection of watercolour sets in case you feel inspired to make your own art. Not only did I get some of the coolest hand-drawn souvenirs in postcards and notebooks, they were wrapped in beautiful marbled paper—they would have made amazing gifts if I wasn’t so in love with them that I kept them all for myself.

MiniMeLand Paris. I know that usually this is the go-to place to make your own knockoff Chanel—they source Chanel’s deadstock fabric and run workshops on bag construction where you can make your own bag. I popped in and was disappointed to find that they were booked solid for the next five days (so if you’re planning on going, be sure to book ahead of time!). But what I thought was a purse-making shop turned out to be so much more; a place where ready-made deadstock Chanel fabric purses were already made and available for purchase; a charm bracelet shop, where you could DIY your own; and a clothing shop, with one-of-a-kind pieces sewn from the same Chanel deadstock fabric. If you want to explore fashion, and have a hand in creating it yourself, this is the place to be.

La Droguerie. This place had everything for the crafter within me—want to sew? Check out fabrics and their lookbook of patterns, as well as a full wall of buttons and jars of beads. Crochet or knitting more tempting? Please enjoy spool after spool of rainbow-organized yarn, and check out the examples of knitting patterns towards the ceilings. Jewellery making calling to you? Get ready to sort through hundreds if not thousands of tiny beautiful pieces. If you’re a novice (and speak French) they also have a small library of how-to books on tons of craft types! This place made me want to go home and create something, and I walked away with two pendants I could immediately put on chains.