If you’ve read my previous Christmas in Paris posts (here and here), you’ve probably gathered that I’m a little bit obsessed with Christmas and consider myself to be an expert on the subject. I’m here to tell you, if you’re in Paris and are looking for Christmas ornaments, go directly to Astier de Villatte.
Unless you’re looking for basic balls (go to BHV) you’re going to find exactly what you want and probably a lot of other ornaments you never knew you couldn’t live without at Astier de Villatte.
Previously, I bought all of my ornaments at the Christmas Shop at Le Bon Marché. As much as it kills me to say this, the ornaments and Christmas Shop just aren’t the same. Maybe they’re just having an off period, but I haven’t found any “wow factor” ornaments or decorations for the past two years. Even the lights and Christmas accessories aren’t as interesting. The Conran Shop has a nice selection of ornaments, but trust me once you go to Astier de Villatte you won’t need (or want to) to go anywhere else.
The Locations
Astier de Villatte has two locations in Paris, one on the Left Bank and one on the Right Bank.
The first time I went to the Left Bank shop Romain and I were the only people there. It was absolutely perfect for browsing the ornaments as they’re very fragile and are scattered throughout the store. The second time I went to the Left Bank store it was pretty crowded. It’s a little difficult to browse, especially in the back room, when there’s a crowd.
The Right Bank store has the ornaments in their own room upstairs. I think this is the way to go. The attendant asked me to set my bag down while I looked. What a relief – I didn’t want to bump into anything. One other lady was there and we both had our own space. The ornaments are much more organized and grouped together at the Right Bank store.
While both stores are great, but I prefer the Right Bank store. It’s nice having everything together and it makes it easy to *try* to make a decision. If I had it my way I would buy one of everything.
The Ornaments
Where do I even start? There’s an ornament (or 10) for everyone. They have food and drink ornaments so detailed you might think they’re real. They have whimsical items like microphones, heart-shaped sunglasses, and gold diamond encrusted watches. Really. They have musical instruments, cameras, and safes filled with money.
Now, back to the food and drink ornaments. They have margaritas with salt on the rim, dirty martinis with olives on toothpicks, caviar tins, bundles of garlic, sushi platters, burgers, avocado toast, blueberry pies and œufs cocotte. I could go on forever. It’s ornament heaven.
People always want a gift from Paris. What about a Christmas ornament from Astier de Villatte? I think it’s the perfect gift. You can get super personal with the theme, they’re whimsical, and they’re gorgeous. I just want to know who comes up with these ideas and how they execute them.
Left Bank – 173 Rue Saint-Honoré 75001 Paris
Right Bank – 16 Rue du Tournon 75006 Paris
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