Kelly Wearstler’s Design Travel Guide to Paris

For an admirer of the decorative arts, there is no city with more gravitational pull than Paris. As the birthplace of movements ranging from the Gothic to Neoclassicism, from Art Deco to French modernism, the city’s artists and artisans have shaped the rooms and buildings we inhabit for centuries. So perhaps it’s no surprise that Kelly Wearstler, the AD100 interior designer whose clients include Cameron Diaz and Gwen Stefani, finds herself visiting the City of Lights over and over again.

“Paris is such an important and inspirational city to me—so much of my work is connected to it and Europe,” she says. “It’s so fascinating to see how the different eras have shaped the city, and yet it’s always infused with new ideas and creativity.

This spring, she headed to the French capital for a month. Every other day, she’d visit at least one new gallery or museum via bike, explaining that it “helped me to gain a better understanding of the city plan and its landscape.” Some highlights? The Louis Vuitton Foundation, the Pinault Collection, as well as the Alessandro Mendini exhibit at Galerie Kreo.

Shopping, too, was very much on the agenda: in particular, Wearstler spent much of her time at the Paul Bert Serpette flea market. “It’s my go-to spot when curating for projects and I was able to get a lot of spectacular art and furniture for many of our projects in the studio,” she explains. Wearstler also notes she quickly became a regular at Ogata Paris. “It has a bar and a restaurant, but also a boutique with tea and stunning homeware goods,” she says.

Lastly, Wearstler dined at different restaurants as much as they could—as one should always do in Paris: “Le Duc, L’Emil, and Chez L’Ami Louis were some of my favorite places to eat.”

Below, find Kelly Wearstler’s design-focused travel diary from Paris.