Corner of a studio with a glass roof and tall windows, holding easels, canvases, a dark wooden wardrobe topped with a gilded frame, and shawls.

NB! · Art · Observations

Artist's studio with a glazed roof, easels and a wooden wardrobe

The artist's studio. The gold standard

NB! · Architecture · Observations · Paris

Spiral Staircases of Paris Are a Love Affair of Their Own

Dark terracotta bust of a man with curled hair tied with a ribbon, on a plinth before a large mirror in an interior with a marble floor.

NB! · Art · Observations · Pop Culture · Humour

Bust of a Man in Patinated Terracotta by Jean-Jacques Caffieri

Why do lifestyle bloggers all have such cheekbones? That was my first thought on looking at this patinated terracotta by Jean-Jacques Caffieri. Incidentally, the bust before us is of a man

NB! · Pop Culture · Humour

How to tell that you dress like a fool

On a white wall hang a huge dark fork, a golden pear with a leaf and a dark lobster, each with a label beneath it.

NB! · Observations · Humour

Giant metal fork, pear and lobster shown on an exhibition wall

Good morning and bon appétit! Until you have finished the giant metal pear and Pinky the lobster, nobody leaves the table. Here is a fork; I shall be back to inspect.

Armchair with curved legs, dark leather upholstery and gilt bronze mounts. Behind it stand two gilded writing desks, a vase and a painting of a nude figure.

NB!

Rococo-style armchair with gilt bronze mounts and leather upholstery

A gilded pet house with pale blue velvet upholstery, a vaulted roof and an arched entrance stands on a wooden floor among antiques.

NB! · Monarchies · Mores · Pop Culture · Humour

House for a dog and cat, identical to Marie Antoinette's, bought for 800 euros

A dog-and-cat house exactly like Marie Antoinette's. Bought for 800 euros

Painting in a gilded frame: a nude Leda embraces a swan, two children at her feet, a landscape with a river and hills behind.

NB! · Art · Observations

Leda and the Swan, a painting by an artist from Leonardo da Vinci's circle, made before 1517

Leda and the Swan, artist from the circle of Leonardo da Vinci, before 1517. And not a crowd of tourists in sight

NB! · Museums · Paris · Pop Culture · Humour

Meanwhile, Harry Nuriev has made a merchandise collection for the Louvre, with glittering notebooks, plates at €390 and a Winged Victory of Samothrace coated in silver paint

NB! · Books · Observations

Greetings to all who remember and love “The House of the Cat and Racket”

NB! · Observations · Paris · Humour

This is what a check-in at Notre-Dame looks like

A fan of cardboard cards printed with an exclamation mark, laid on a red folder, the top card marked n°1.

NB! · Observations · Pop Culture

Margiela's first failed attempt with the brand and the rise of Maison Margiela

Just imagine: had Margiela's first venture with this brand succeeded, we might never have had Maison Margiela as we know it. Precisely the sort of failure for which one thanks one's lucky stars.