Must visit, Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier

In the 17th century, the golden age of perfume profession, there were 250 perfumers and glove-makers in Paris. They worked according to a charter granted to them by the Sun King Louis XIV. In their shops, they sold perfumed gloves, supreme elegance of that era, perfumes, hair powder and make-up. Their shops, essentially located in the center of Paris, were richly decorated: elegant furniture and armchairs, Spanish leather-covered walls, marble floors decorated ceilings and soft lighting. When clients came to buy their perfumes, they would stay on for awhile in the boutique and chat while the perfumer prepared their order. This setting has inspired Jean F. Laporte to create the Parisian shop Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier. He has chosen to recreate the particular style of a 17th century 'perfume cabinet' where gold, grayish green and raspberry red dominate in a luxurious atmosphere. A definite must visit to understand the art of perfume making. Location is 5 rue de Capucines and 84 bis rue de Grenelle, Paris.

Choice of the monarchs & aristocrats

Herend fine porcelain was founded in 1826 and ever since it has been the choice of European monarchs and aristocrats when it comes to buying decorative figures, dinnerware and other porcelain pieces. Each and every piece of Herend dinnerware, figurines and home accessories is an individual work of art created by highly trained master craftspeople.

Urart' s inspiration from ancient civilizations

Urart presents the unique past with the opportunities of modern age through creative inspiration. The artistic approach Urart has introduced to the jewelry craftsmanship is maintained and developed by artworks of artisans for the past 32 years. The company has recently won the gold prize at the South Sea Pearl Jewelry Design with this exceptional piece above.

Caffé Florian, symbol of Venice

Opened in 1720 in Venice's Piazza San Marco, Café Florian has become the city's symbol. It happens to be the oldest cafés in Italy where Italian noblemen and politicians used to spend leisure time at Florian. During the 19th century, people like Lord Bryon, Goethe, Marcel Proust, Modigliani used to sit at Florian's tables and sip from Florian's delicious coffees & teas. Café Florian offers a wide range of unique handcrafted products such as different kinds of coffees&teas, room fragrances, accessories as silk scarves and ties. 

Bizansio glass factory, 1816

Born in 1816, Bizansio glass factory in Venice specializes in handmade glassworks. Important artists from Murano craft the pieces by hand with great care, preserving the almost-200-year old family tradition.

L'arlecchino - the art of carnival masks

L'arlecchino was founded with the idea to keep up an old tradition which had almost got lost: the carnival and the art of creating papier marché marks. In the craftshop the owner created the masks entirely by hand the traditional way, starting from the clay model, the chalk model the making of papier marché and the hand painted decoration.

Artisanal luxury is hidden in details

Throughout the doors, rooms, and gardens of Versailles works of fine craftsmanship is visible. The Sun King's supportive control over the artisans resulted in an aesthetically-pleasing artisanal luxury that decorated spaces magnificently. Louis XIV was a man of detail, he wanted France to convey an image of graceful elegance and tasteful opulence. In oder to achieve this goal, every detail received the King's personal attention from swans to streetlights of Paris, to the heels for men's shoes. 

Knipschildt - artisan chocolate

Fritz Knipschildt, maître chocolatier makes no compromises; he applies the highest standards of excellence to each and every step of the chocolate and confection process. The end result is chocolate that looks as beautiful as it tastes. The founding principle of Knipschildt Chocolatier is to make artisan chocolate crafted by hand. 

Story behind Meissen's 'cross swords'

As isolated pieces of Chinese porcelain began to reach Europe at the end of 13th century, European craftsmen attempted to reproduce the formula for its composition. In 1710, the production of the porcelain started in Albrechtsburg Castle, Meissen and Europe's 1st porcelain manufactory was born. As the demand for porcelain grew, imitations were being made which allowed Meissen to recognize the need to protect genuine Meissen porcelain. Thus the famous 'crossed swords' were painted under the glaze on all Meissen products. 

Hiref - master in Anatolian handcrafts

Hiref is a design company with a philosophy of combining the wealthy Turkish inheritance with the concept of contemporary design. Hiref brings thier contemporary design skills to the Anatolian handicrafts while preserving their historical essence. 

17th century woodblock engravings on ceilings and wallpaper

Zuber is the last factory in the world to produce woodblock printed wallpapers and furnishing fabrics since 1797. Zuber uses original woodblock engraved from the 17th-18th centuries and is classified as a 'historical monument.'

Classic craftsmanship in furniture

George Smith has kept its tradition to use hands in furniture making for centuries. Every item is made using only the finest raw materials. Built by hand in George Smith workshops, skilled craftsmen continue the traditions of classic craftsmanship developed in generations gone by. Above is a design for a 19th century George Smith cabinetry.

Art of 'chini' revives

The Iznik art of 'chini' production was in its peak during the 16th century but then because of the ongoing wars in the Anatolian region it disappeared gradually towards the end of 17th century without leaving any documentation regarding its production. Thanks to the Iznik Foundation, Turkish craftsmen and experts on ceramics have started to work on designing new tiles to revive the ancient art. Iznik tiles require great work and attention in the design process as one piece totally handmade takes up to 70 days.

Easter gifts at Limoges

Artoria Limoges products, located on the banks of the Vienne river in the city of Limoges France, share a long rich tradition and history that dates to 18th century France where these boxes first appeared as snuff boxes. Each box is initialed and numbered by the artist with the Artoria decorating mark, and comes in their classic gift box with certificate of authenticity. For easter, Limoges has crafted beautiful pieces that are limited in number. This Limoges Floral Easter Egg is hand-painted that comes with a smaller golden egg inside, and is limited to 1000 pieces. 

Poilâne, the haut-couture of bread

In 1932, Pierre Poilâne founded the original shop on Paris' rue du Cherche Midi where he made country-style loaves in a wood burning oven, using honest ingredients like stone-ground flour and crushed wheat germ and live yeast. Even though Poilâne bread is available in most French supermarkets today, Parisians and tourist are still queueing in front f the the original shop to buy the fresh out of the oven bread. 

The art of chocolate making, La Maison du Chocolat

It must be hard to eat La Maison du Chocolat' s beautiful chocolate for the reason that it each piece looks like a piece of art. Founded in 1977 by Robert Linxe in Paris, La Maison du Chocolat is a master chocolatier delivering delicious and elegant chocolates. The chocolatier is strict on using only natural ingredients and raw materials such as cocoa beans and cocoa butter instead of artificial sweeteners and vegetable oils. The artist behind the chocolates, Robert Linxe has published a book where he reveals his newest creations and recipes for his unique chocolate and pastries. The chocolatier's stores in London and New York offers special tasting to awake your senses and taste buds in a gourmand atmosphere. 

Steuben, imperfection-free

Steuben Glass was founded in New York where the company has maintained its unique tradition of working by hand since 1903. Skilled artisans design each piece with a special method for melting the glass to achieve the perfect execution of the final piece. Pieces are cut, polished and engraved by hand where after each item is minutely inspected before it is signed with a diamond-tipped pen. If there are any imperfect pieces that have a scratch, it is destroyed. The brand simply won't accept imperfections in their art of glass-making.

Les Bains du Marais - 1000 years of tradition

Le Bains du Marais is a Parisian line born from Moroccon-style hammam located in the old street of the Marais. Each product of the line revels in luxury and is crafted in honor of old traditions of steam, exfoliation, moisturization and gentle fragrance waters. The products are produced in small limited amounts and are made with pure ingredients. The rich and elegant surroundings of Les Bains du Marais spa in the historical Marais district make it a favorite Paris address for those who appreciate genuine artisanal luxury.

Santa Maria Novella, a living historical pharmacy

Established by the Dominican Fathers shortly after 1221, Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella is one of the oldest pharmacies in the world. The essences as well as the famous perfumes are still prepared following the formulas studies in 1500 for Caterina De' Medici. Besides the beautiful perfumes, there are pharmaceutical products that were being produced, such as the acqua di rose (rose water) an excellent refreshing tonic for red eyes, which was available for sale in the second half of the 14th century. The production is limited and is meticulously controlled where only the highest quality natural ingredients are used and the procedures are the same ones by the pharmacy's founding fathers. 

Trudon, the candle of Versailles still lights today

Founded in 1643, the chandler Maison de Cire Trudon is the oldest wax-producing factory worldwide. Trudon candles have lit many rooms, religious ceremonies, special occasions, French churches, aristocratic spaces most importantly Trudon has furnished Louis XIV' s Versailles. The magic of the royal balls held in Versailles were illuminated by Trudon. This 17th century candle, which is paraffin-free and made with 100 percent vegetable wax, can still be found today at the company's store in Paris' rue Saint-Honore and special retailers like Barney's in Manhattan New York.

Magnificence of French artistry

Through his wars and the glory of Versailles, Louis XIV became to a certain degree, the arbitrer of taste and power in Europe and both his chateau and the etiquette in Versailles were copied by the other European courts. But Louis didn't hesitate to share the excellence of French craftsmanship, that's why he gave presents to other Emperors to show how skilled his artisans were. Above is a masterpiece of French artistry, a cabinet Louis XIV gave to Charles II of England.

Art of furniture making

During his reign, Louis XIV demanded his financial minister Jean Baptiste Colbert to establish royal control over artisanal production in France; henceforth France would no longer purchase luxury goods from abroad but would itself set the standard for quality. The furnishing from Louis' reign is referred to as Louis XIV style, which is characterized by thick brocades of red and gold, heavy gilt work on plaster moldings, large sculpted sideboards and heavy marbles to show the opulence of the French monarchy and the exquisite craftsmanship of French artisans. 

Joailleire, Louis XIV' s way of playing with diamonds

Louis XIV saw the diamond as a perfect natural complement to the dazzling displays of style and opulence he favored: the diamond was the precious stone of choice for sparkly, glamorous reign. At the grandest soirees at Versailles, the King expected his courtiers to wear diamonds but no man or woman has ever dared to show of more diamond than than the King. Joaillerie, jewelry making raised to the status of fine art during Louis XIV' s reign. Joailliers invent the designs that revolutionize the way jewelry is made and transform the way jewels are worn; they create works of art rather than mass-produced ornaments. Louis XIV surely was an admirer of diamond, by demanding his artisans to craft his personal objects with diamonds. Above are Louis' inkstand and cup from his collection of jewels. 

The Sun King's French Blue

The 45.52 carat blue Hope Diamond was found in India as a rough crystal weighing 112 carats. It first came to light when Jean Baptiste Tavernier, noted French traveler of the 17th century, purchased the stone and smuggled it to Paris, where he later sold it to Louis XIV. It was cut there into a triangular pear shaped stone weighing 67.50 carats and was then known as the French Blue or the Tavernier Blue. Louis gave the stone to Madame Montespan, his mistress, who soon went to royal discard and the stone was lost now. The diamond disappeared, and for many years it was not heard. Above is Tavernier's diagram of the diamond.

King of diamonds

The only truly great collection of royal jewelry, was the collection amassed by Louis XIV. By the end of his reign, in 1715, the French crown jewels constituted by far the richest collection in the West. The Sun King realized that the diamond could be more effective than any other stone in demonstrating to the world the extent of his power, rank and artistic taste. Christ at the column; from Louis XIV' s collection of jewelry.

Artisanal luxury, product of France

The best quality of work during Louis XIV' s reign was doubtless achieved by the Gobelin tapestry makers. A work day for the Gobelin artisans was 12 hours long and the daily wages were 12"soldes" - worth about 13 pounds of bread. One of a series of tapestries, produced by the Gobelins factory, commemorating the achievements of Louis XIV. This one shows the king accompanied by Jean Baptiste Colbert on a visit to the factory.