Extraordinary Collections

The art of collecting—from artist’s palettes still freckled with oil paint, to sculpted picture frames, to a menagerie of wooden toy animals—associating an accumulation of kindred objects is at the core of timeless French style.

French artist, designer, and talented antique hunter Marin Montagut celebrates the joy of collecting everything from textiles to barware to architectural details, taking readers inside a dozen private homes, flea markets, and unusual ateliers to discover the most whimsical treasure troves in France. From a film prop house’s array of leather sporting goods and playing cards to a travel buff’s vintage maps and globes, and from a sculpture studio’s Grecian plaster casts to an amateur designer’s spiral staircase models, and from Montagut’s own wonder wall assemblages to a cook’s haven filled with porcelain dessert molds and copper pots—objects, when presented together as a series, create unforgettable interiors that radiate charm. Inspiration comes in repetition: wooden zigzag rulers with engraved numbers aligned on a wall in a herringbone pattern create an artful space. The spare wooden forms of capipotes—devotional statues used in religious processions, their eyes turned heavenward in ecstasy—and silver ex-votos can be the point of departure for the theme of an entire room. Montagut’s mood boards for each chapter provide endless ideas for the home.

Marin Montagut is French illustrator and designer; his eponymous boutique is dedicated to whimsical decorative objects. He published Timeless Paris (Flammarion, 2021), is coauthor with Ines de la Fressange of Maison: Parisian Chic at Home (Flammarion, 2018), and he created and illustrated the Bonjour City Map-Guides. He has collaborated with the Château de Versailles and with many brands, including Farrow & Ball, the Ritz Paris, Diptyque, and Pierre Frey. Pierre Musellec is a lifestyle photographer; his work appeared in Timeless Paris and Faire magazine. Laura Fronty contributed text to Timeless Paris: Ateliers, Emporiums, Savoir Faire (Flammarion, 2021).