Few cities are more synonymous with art, fashion, and design than the French capital, so it shouldn't surprise you that the best Paris concept stores are a fascinating fusion of all of the above.
During my last visit to the City of Light last November, I wasn't just on the lookout for the best Paris hotels every design enthusiast should visit at least once; I also sought eccentric boutiques and unexpected retail spaces that captured the irreverent and widely influential essence of Parisian savoir faire.
Pairing exquisitely crafted homeware, clothing, perfumes, and cabinet of curiosities-worth finds with equally striking décor, the best Paris concept stores are where the city's most fearless design ideas, love of craft, and quirkiness are out in full force. Vast 19th-century buildings stocked with the world's finest contemporary fashion and lifestyle buys? Check. Anachronistic-looking perfumeries bringing you the best home fragrance blends and elixir-of-life beauty hacks fit for time travel? We've got it covered.
Whether you're after specific design collectibles or hoping for more serendipitous discoveries, this curated list of the best Paris concept stores will undoubtedly offer something to you — and make your French sojourn all the more enjoyable.
Merci
111 Bd Beaumarchais, 75003 Paris, France
Got a few hours to kill in Paris? Good, because Merci isn't for the light-hearted. Taking over an entire 19th-century building in the Upper Marais district, one of the city's chicest neighborhoods, co-founders Bernard and Marie-France Cohen's fashion, homewares, and antiques paradise seeks to reflect the way we live now through its ever-evolving collection of haute couture favorites, including Comme des Garçons, Yves Saint Laurent, and Maison Margiela, and just as sophisticated edit of furniture, beauty, and gifts.
Housed within a maze-like palace in the heart of Paris, Merci is a destination in its own right, with multiple Art Deco design-inspired cafés and a pied-à-terre ("apartment") — an exhibition space recreating the feel of a Parisian period house, complete with meticulously curated furnishings — embodying the brand's understanding of French art de vivre.
The Frankie Shop
14 Rue Saint-Claude, 75003 Paris, France
Ever since first stumbling across it on Instagram in the late 2010s, I have been obsessed with Gaëlle Drevet's The Frankie Shop and its effortlessly chic conception of beauty, fashion, and design. And if you think I am being exaggerated, simply know I am not alone in the media and publishing industry — we all love a stunningly cut oversized blazer. The label's Marais outpost though, surrounded by a number of art galleries and museums, casts the New York City house in a completely new light, earning Drevet a well-deserved inclusion in this list of best Paris concept stores.
Decorated with post-modern sculptural accents including geometric coffee tables, spiral sofas, and organically shaped ceramic vases, it beautifully expands on the cosmopolitan casual of The Frankie Shop, encouraging visitors to step in and take time to experience the boutique in full. Much like the designer's flowy pleated trousers and jackets, the Rue Saint-Claude location has the power to make you, at once, grounded and enviably stylish, oozing classic French flair.
La Libraire at Lafayette Anticipations
44 Rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie, 75004 Paris, France
Anyone who has seen my curation of the best London stationery shops is aware I am a self-professed paper goods nerd. If you're like me, then La Libraire at Lafayette Anticipations should be instantly added to your travel books. As the bookshop of the pioneering contemporary arts foundation, this OMA-designed public space teems with fresh-off-the-press tomes that straddle literature, poetry, visual storytelling, and the humanities.
Also filled with a unique collection of art and design objects, La Libraire at Lafayette Anticipations is a must-know destination for creatives with a liking for the avant-gardes, brought to you by some of the city's most influential cultural personalities, co-founders Guillaume Houzé and François Quintin. Characterized by rough cement fixtures, sleek chrome accents, and a neutral palette, its brutalist interiors make the bookshop even more iconic, and its stock of volumes more immediately eye-catching.
Visit La Libraire at Lafayette Anticipations.
Officine Universelle Buly 1803
6 Rue Bonaparte, 75006 Paris, France
Some of the best Paris stores have the ability to catch a glimpse into the city's past, and Officine Universelle Buly 1803, located on a dotted-in-galleries road near the Seine's bank, is one of the most spectacular manifestations of the French capital's rich fragrance heritage. The shop's address, 6 Rue Bonaparte, isn't the only aspect of it to look back at the French capital's legacy (Napoleon... you know): a frozen-in-time apothecary, Officine Universelle Buly 1803 enchants passersby with its Art Nouveau wooden cabinets, nostalgically packaged home and beauty blends, and slightly esoteric atmosphere.
With roots dating from 1803, when pioneering perfumer Jean-Vincent Bully set up shop on Rue Saint-Honore, the brand was more recently relaunched by French entrepreneurs Victoire de Taillac — who shared her fragrance insights with us on a recent feature on scent-scaping at dinner parties — and Ramdane Touhami in 2014, and is now part of the LVMH's luxury portfolio. Their combs have to be some of the most design-forward hair accessories on the market, and their scented matches and candles will add timeless charm to any room of your home.
Visit Officine Universelle Buly 1803.
Beige Habilleur
86 Rue Bonaparte, 75006 Paris, France
Mirrored walls and 70s suede seating might be the first things to catch your attention upon stepping inside Basile Khadiry and Jean-Baptiste Ménétrier's Beige Habilleur, but a closer look at the shop's high-end line of menswear clothing, footwear, and accessories, as well as its tasteful printed goods selection, will have you reconsider your judgments and put those first instead.
Another one of the best Paris concept stores, only a short stroll away from Officine Universelle Buly 1803, Beige Habilleur prides itself of promoting a less wasteful, and better-quality way of life through items that are designed to last and strike great impressions. The organic color scheme of the label's garments make them both contemporary and timeless, while the attention to detail that goes into each of its creations can be felt by touch. As for the location, it's a retro-addict's shopping dreamland.
SAFE Urban Concept
11 Rue Commines, 75003 Paris, France
If there's one thing I love of Paris, it's its retail and creative spaces' ability to transcend traditional definitions. At Elodie Ajalbert's SAFE Urban Concept, you'll find multiple cultural realities reunited under the same roof in an industrial interior design setting punctuated by exposed walls and piping, mid-century modern furniture, and trailing plants.
Also nestled in the Marais, the home to the vast majority of the Paris stores mentioned in this list, SAFE Urban Concept taps into culture at large, from art, design, and fashion to beauty, food, and drink, to offer the district a holistic community-building experience. Bringing the 'Concept' in its name to the fore, this interdisciplinary platform is a boutique, a lively café, an art gallery, and a tattoo parlor, though its scope is eternally morphing and expanding — so keep your eyes peeled!
La Maison Deyrolle
46 Rue du Bac, 75007 Paris, France
La Maison Deyrolle shifts away from the elevated chicness of Paris' 7th arrondissement to transport visitors into the city's infamously darker underbelly. Between the Musée d'Orsay and the Musée Maillol, this truly unusual hotspot is like a taxidermy museum, if not for the fact that visitors can actually purchase the items displayed in it.
A natural history-lovers' mecca, La Maison Deyrolle has acquired a special place in the heart of Parisians since its establishment in 1831, and visiting its one-of-a-kind collection is bound to become one of the quirkiest experiences you'll have in the city. Also selling nature-themed artworks, books, prints, and a wide range of lifestyle items , it bears countless surprises. Walk your way up to the top of this Paris store to the very end of its upper floor to uncover one of its greatest standouts: a surreally preserved selection of butterflies sourced from all over the world.
No shopping trip is complete without a well-deserved coffee break. So if you aren't ready to leave the City of Light just yet, why not refresh yourself at one of the best Paris cafés? They have been selected for their instantly iconic interiors, and are sure to provide you with the energy and inspiration necessary to make the most of the French capital's art, design, and shopping scene.
Still seeking after tucked-away hotspots? Our archive of Hidden Trails interviews feature a community of Paris-based tastemakers who spend their days in and around Paris.
