Paris Flea Market Style

Claudia Strasser

• Publisher: Gibbs Smith
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781423632801
• Topic: Design
• Subtopic: Product Design

Shop and dream Paris style.

If you love French interior design and bargain hunting, Paris is the place where your shopping daydreams come true. Claudia Strasser takes us on a winding tour through the Parisian flea markets finding decorative pieces all along the way.

Strasser discusses ways to bring the look to your home by building collections and looking for furniture and accessories to reflect your individual style whether it's Napoleon III, Louis XV, Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Moderne or Belle Epoque. Whatever it is, you're sure to find rare pieces that will be treasured in your home. Shop and dream your way around the Paris flea markets with this deliciously colorful stroll through the city's best markets and take home special pieces that are destined to become heirlooms.

A stylized map gives readers the lay of the land and Claudia shares her tips on where to find what, trade secrets, her favorite dealers and advice on shipping items home. So, now take a seat and take a trip to Paris!

Claudia Strasser began her career in 1993 when she opened a boutique in New York City's East Village and filled it with French boudoir furniture and accessories. She painted and repaired flea market finds, reincarnating them into the sparkling treasures. Now she travels to Paris throughout the year, taking small groups shopping and sharing resources. She works on books and articles while designing a furniture line and doing some decorating projects. Claudia's style and business have been featured in scores of magazines. She is the author of The Paris Apartment: Romantic Décor on a Flea Market Budget (1997).

Claudia splits her time between New York, Paris, and Miami.

Furniture

Shopping the Paris markets is the most delicious experience and will make you want to redecorate completely!

Clignancourt has the best selection of everything to redo your home, and for furniture lovers it’s a dream come true. The streets and alleys are full of every style imaginable, from Art Nouveau and Deco, Moderne and vintage to contemporary. It’s not necessary to create a complete transformation and get a container of furniture to keep your Paris fantasy happening (but do bring it home if you’re so inclined)! Even picking up one small piece can be thrilling.

A vanity chair, desk or love seat can set the tone for even the simplest of rooms, and there’s endless inspiration. Small tables, pairs of chairs, dining tables, armoires, nightstands, beds, chaise longues, slipper chairs and ottomans abound. The markets are simply loaded with pieces that will instantly transform a room. Half the fun of the flea market style in Paris is the creativity of the displays. Some vendors decorate their booths with original paneling and doors from old French rooms, setting a tone and adding character to a tiny space.

Whether it’s a small stool, headboard or even something as large as a sofa or room paneling, it’s the authentic pieces and the craftsmanship behind them that give a room its substance. Don’t be afraid to take something home with you. It’s not difficult to have things shipped, and the joy of using that linen, special chest or pretty door each day will keep a little bit of Paris with you forever.

Although it’s hard to pinpoint exactly how, each submarket at Clignancourt has its own look and feel. Some shops are chichi, with upscale and oversized furniture and chandeliers (Marché Biron), while others are packed like thrift stores (Jules Vallès).

The markets run the gamut, so it’s best to grab something when you see it, as vendors even sell among themselves and high-end dealers shop the back of the market at the crack of dawn. But there’s plenty to go around. It may just be the world’s best resource for furniture and décor!

Layers and layers are used in display. Even the smallest space can have a lot of depth with furniture and accessories that are packed in and stacked up. The flea market vendors have a flair for design and love to show their goods in new and fresh ways.

For furniture lovers, the market is a boundless source of inspiration and a great place to get an education. Chairs are one of my particular favorites, and there is an enormous variety of styles. Studying the nuances of the legs, grasping the differences between Louis XV and XVI, and checking out original upholstery methods all help us assess the age and date by the materials used. This in turn helps us appraise a piece, determine the price and consider the level of restoration needed, if any.

Look for hand carvings and original painted finishes on furniture. Most of the original patinas were sort of an eggshell matte in a combination of green-gray blue. Some dealers are now repainting furniture with a sort of rubbed, aged look. Try to find pieces that have not been refinished yet, as they can often be cleaned up with just a little soap and water, and nothing usually beats the original color.

Besides having a certain je ne sais quois and velvety feel, older painted finishes can also be identified by the way they’ve worn off. Look for wear on painted furniture on chair hand rests, at the bases of the feet and the back of the seat where it has been picked up to be moved.

French chairs have set the benchmark for high-style décor s...