| “How can anyone govern a nation that has two 246 different kinds of cheese?” —Charles de Gaulle, quoted in Newsweek, 1962 Provence PlattersBring wine country to your table with a stunning Provence Platter. Each platter had a first life as a French or American oak wine barrel, once used to age fine wines. When the barrel’s use in the cellar ends, American artisans carefully reverse the traditional cooper’s craft, dismantling steam-bent oak staves and curved barrel heads by hand, and create the beautiful pieces known as Provence Platters. These historic materials are reimagined into refined serving ware, preserving the original cooper’s marks, natural curves, and the oak’s distinctive wine-stained patina. This history creates a depth of character that cannot be replicated; only the natural color of the wine can give the piece the unique appearance. A meaningful alternative to mass-produced goods, these platters are designed to be both functional serving ware and display art. The platters are made by a Mennonite craftsman near the Canadian border, and the iron handles are forged in Brooklyn by a craftsman who has worked with the company for fifteen years. Every detail of these one-of-a-kind platters reflects a commitment to heritage craftsmanship, sustainable luxury, and enduring design—resulting in functional art meant to be used, displayed, and passed on to you and your family. Available with lazy susan or without (lazy susan feature allows platter to spin). Baguette Bread Knife Inspired by French bakeries, the design of this knife is not only witty but practical. Beautifully crafted of wood and stainless steel, it’s a charming addition to any kitchen countertop and dining table. The wooden sheath protects the blade and allows it to be safely tucked into a picnic or potluck basket. | Café au Lait Service for Two Made in France from heirloom-quality porcelain and designed for everyday use, these café au lait bowls, in the distinctive classic shape, are decorated with typography from vintage brasserie menus. We’ve paired them with a pitcher—a classic design that originated in Mehun-sur-Yevre, France. | Classic French Market Bag Pull out the Larousse: you’ll run out of the superlatives you’ll need to describe this classic net tote. Maybe the company’s tagline says it best—le IT BAG écolo (“the ecological IT BAG”). Chic as Chanel, it’s eminently practical: it takes up hardly any space and is machine washable, durable, inexpensive, and made of 100% cotton. | Panier des Sens Soap Gift SetDiscover the essence of Provence with this set of French natural bar soaps, featuring six classic scents made with olive oil and 97% natural ingredients. Enriched with essential oils, these natural bar soaps offer gentle cleansing and a rich lather suitable for all skin types. Individually wrapped in beautifully illustrated paper that can be saved to use for scrapbooking or any other artistic projects, the soaps come tied in a gold ribbon, ready to be gifted. | Oui Enamel Tray Say “oui” to this petite decorative enamel tray and bring a dash of personality into your home. The tray makes the perfect home accessory for holding jewelry, keys, and other small trinkets. It makes a great gift for the francophile and language-lover alike. | Gold-Stamped “Merci” Thank You CardsA simple but elegant metallic gold “MERCI” is foil-stamped on these correspondence cards of heavyweight cream-colored cardstock. Having these thank you cards on hand ensures you’ll always being able to promptly send a note of appreciation. | Handmade Memory Game with Vintage Imagery—French version The tiles and boxes of these memory games are entirely handmade by the artist and graphic designer Sarah Caplan. Each unique set consists of pairs of tiles housed in a handmade box. Images on the tiles include a curated assortment of illustrations and old photographs she has collected for years—mostly antique ephemera, including animals, people, famous world sites, fruits and vegetables, flowers, modes of transportation, insects, random objects, and vintage scenes from daily life. | Provençal Scented Savon de Marseille The first documented soap maker in Marseille lived in the Middle Ages. In 1688, under Louis XIV, it became law that only soaps made according to the ancient method could be labeled “Savon de Marseille.” This is a set of three bath-sized bars of face and body soap made with organic shea butter. Each bar is scented with a different traditional fragrance (verbena, rose, or lavender) derived from plants grown in the Provençal countryside. | Scribe Rollerball Pen“…the pen of my dreams… It looks kind of retro, I suppose, but not annoyingly so. It is just a brilliantly designed tool… I am not a pen snob (boring), but I do believe that we should take as much enjoyment as possible from utilitarian objects.”—Luke Edward Hall, Financial Times | French Market BasketThis is the authentic panier du marché, the traditional straw market basket used for centuries throughout France. With a spacious interior and durable construction, it is seen almost as often on beaches and at picnics as it is in markets. | Cluny Tapestry Silk Chiffon Scarf The design of this scarf is based on the imagery of the six The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries on display in the Musée de Cluny, Paris, thought to represent a meditation on earthly pleasures. The scarf is large enough to wear as a light shawl. | FAF Desk PadManufactured in Paris in a workshop built by Gustave Eiffel, this desk pad has everything one would expect of an item with such an estimable pedigree: a unique vintage look, solid construction, and high functionality. FAF stands for feuille à feuille (“page by page”). | Classic French NotebooksWalk into any stationery shop in France and you’ll see an extensive array of these beloved Clairefontaine notebooks, classic composition books introduced to French schoolchildren in primary school. | The Story of Impressionism: 1,000-Piece PuzzlePiece together this puzzle to create the Paris of the Impressionist and Postimpressionist painters, and along the way discover the people and places that helped create a new way to see the world. | Veuve Clicquot Pencil Cup Like a pressed flower, a ticket stub, or a seashell, this porcelain cup is a perfect memento of a memorable date, anniversary, or quiet moment when a bottle of Veuve Clicquot marked the occasion. Decorated with the iconic label of the estimable Champagne producer, it can be used as a pencil cup, a small vase, a desk organizer, or in any number of ways. | The Little Prince Wrapping PaperThe design features images from Saint-Exupéry’s novella, including characters from the story, along with lines from the book (in Italian). The paper is acid free and therefore also suitable for bookbinding, scrapbooking, and other creative projects. | Views of Paris Cocktail Napkins The five views of Paris on these paper cocktail napkins are based on a map of 1867 that portrays the Paris created by Napoleon III and Baron Haussmann. Each two-ply napkin measures 5" x 5". Packaged with twenty-five or 100 napkins and a card with the history. Five different images included. | Rhodia Treasure BoxFor the list maker, the stationery lover, the neatnik: a box cleverly designed to look like one of the orange notepads so beloved by Europeans, filled with four essential pads. Rhodia is a company founded in Lyon in the 1880s. | The Original 1951 NotebookThe Original 1951 is a reissue of the original notebook made in that year by its renowned French manufacturer. Legend has it that this is the model of notebook used by Julia Child to record her recipes when she was a student at Le Cordon Bleu. | “WHERE IS THE LIBRARY?” Language Pencils This set of five pencils is imprinted with the all-important query “WHERE IS THE LIBRARY?” in five different languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian, and German. | Pure Cotton Correspondence Pad and Envelopes Most pure white paper is made using bleach and/or fluorescent whiteners, but Pure Cotton is made without the use of chemicals, with a soft woven finish and watermark. Made in Belgium. | Monet Tulips Silk Chiffon Scarf While Monet is perhaps best known for painting en plain air (outdoors), he also painted simple still lifes. These works often depict lush, blooming arrangements with a characteristic style that focuses more on the overall atmosphere and sensory experience rather than precise details. | Madeline Pajamas“In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines lived twelve little girls in two straight lines... the smallest one was Madeline.” Read one of the Madeline books to a small listener at bedtime while they snuggle up in these 100% cotton pajamas, decorated with scenes from the beloved books by Ludwig Bemelmans. | The Louvre Tea CollectionDiscover the Louvre Collection, four exceptional signature tea blends created by Palais des Thés in partnership with the Louvre to pay tribute to one of the world’s greatest museums. This set of four miniature loose-leaf tins of tea is available in a beautiful gift box. It can be purchased on its own or with At the Louvre: Poems by 100 Contemporary World Poets, a collaboration between New York Review Books and the Louvre Museum | Quiet Corners of Paris Quiet Corners of Paris is a beautifully illustrated peek into often overlooked, always beautiful, locales: hidden villas, winding lanes, little-known 19th-century passages, serene gardens, and cobblestone courtyards. Some of the places have breathtaking views, while others are filled with architectural details that evoke the city’s long history, such as stone archways, garden follies, boxwood mazes, ornamental statuary, stained glass, and Renaissance fountains. | Old-fashioned Corners of Paris It’s hard to imagine a more memorable way to spend a day in Paris than by following in the footsteps of author Christophe Destournelles to see the city’s only remaining illuminated subway map, as well as its last outdoor water fountain, photo booth, vespasienne, and more. The small but significant details in these pages, which will enrich any reader’s experience of Paris, promise a pilgrimage filled with romance and history. | David Levine Illustrations A print of a favorite writer, artist, historical figure, or personal hero makes a thoughtful gift for anyone on your list—or for your own home or office. We offer framed prints of the hundreds of caricatures by celebrated artist David Levine that enriched the pages of The New York Review of Books for more than four decades. Choose among writers, artists, composers, poets, musicians, politicians, historical figures, pop personalities, and more. Above: Colette, Marcel Proust, Charles Baudelaire, Simone Weil, Voltaire |
