my stylish french girlfriends octavie and cécile

This is the first time I have introduced you to two French girlfriends  at the same time!   Meet Octavie and Cécile, two sisters living and working in Paris.    I’m featuring them as sisters because that is how I met them, as sisters, and that is how they work and they create together every day.

Octavie and Cécile own and run the beautiful store near the Bon Marché in Paris, called La Maison du Bac.   Honestly, if you love French home decor and you don’t have much time to shop next time you’re in Paris then make a bee line for this store!

When I first walked in to La Maison du Bac I felt immediately comfortable and at home, and that is the mood that the sisters aim for.  They decorate with a mix of old and new, because as Cécile told me “that is how real people live, and that is how we have always lived”.     In their delightful store you will find a mix of tableware, kitchen copper, personal accessories and even artwork.   They choose only pieces that they would use in their own homes.

Cecile and Octavie spent a lot of time as children in the old family house in the countryside of Normandy.  They are now very chic and Parisian, and everything that they do has this charming style that is reminiscent of a real home.    From the old leather sofa, or antique dining table, to the beautiful pieces of designer pottery, that sit comfortably alongside silver candelabra.

When the girls can’t find a model that they want, they have it produced.   These candlesticks are copies of those in their grandmother’s house.   Many of the silver serving utensils are antique, found on the Paris markets and cleaned and polished before bringing into the store.

They have their favourite lines of china tableware, and encourage their clients to mix and match.  Octavie told me that clients often come in with a piece from their own service, asking for ideas for how they can liven up their table.  Most of the time, the sisters encourage their clients to work with an original service but add a few contrasting plates.  They often go to clients homes to help with colour schemes or choices of specific items.

But perhaps, beyond their evident good taste and sure eye, the thing I enjoy the most about the store is observing these two women together.   And I’m clearly not the only person who loves the atmosphere in the store.   Cécile told me that the leather sofa, that was originally brought in as a design piece, is actually very useful because so many clients come in and sit down to talk!

I hope you manage to get to La Maison du Bac on your next trip to Paris, and find something special to take home.  And in the meantime you can always keep up with their latest news on their instagram page HERE

La Maison du Bac– 108 rue du Bac, 75007 Paris