Astier de Villatte

Those of you who have been on this Paris gig with me for a while will recognize these gorgeous ceramics made by Astier de  Villatte. I got a serious crush on them early on, and have never tired of going to the tiny but amazing shop on Rue Saint Honore. I have been there so many times that the woman who works there greets me with a big smile and asks how I am doing. She saw me taking photos of their window this week and actually popped her head out of the door to say hello. Really? Like she thought I wouldn’t come inside?

As I have mentioned here before, these ceramics are made by hand in Paris. The pieces are left slightly imperfect- you can see bumps and dimples and some of the dark clay peeks out through the white veneer. That is part of their charm for me. Perfection is way overrated.

These beautiful things can be found in a few stores in the U.S., but I am not sure I will ever be able to buy them anywhere but in this tiny shop, with its distinctive scent and magical old-world charm.

While the dishes traditionally are white, some have images painted on them.

They also make these stunning blank notebooks.

I am pretty sure I took all my guests to the shop, and few could leave empty-handed, despite the challenges of carrying the precious packages home. We still laugh about the man at customs who tried (unsuccessfully) to shame my sister about her expensive cups. Nope. Ain’t no shame in these beauties.

I recently discovered this delightful video about the company and two of its designers. It’s about fifteen minutes long, so go pour yourself a glass of something French and enjoy. You deserve it.