Paris Report: A Visit to Brocante Dealer "La Bruyère" and Rungis Market, Part 2

Did you enjoy the previous article, “Visiting the Brocante Dealer ‘La Bruyère’ at Rungis Market”? This time, I’d like to show you some items that personally caught my eye during that interview.

First, another shot of the vast sales floor.

Next to Mr. Nakagawa, the owner, who was carefully inspecting each item with a clear purpose, I walked around, overwhelmed by the sheer variety of products. There were simply too many! Amidst it all, what caught my eye as "unusual" was this cup and saucer.

It's a chunky pottery piece, with a handle designed to be pinched rather than having a loop for fingers. The cup is shallow and wide, resembling a champagne coupe or a sake cup. It looked difficult to hold, and indeed, upon carefully picking it up, it proved to be just as awkward as it seemed. Yet, I was drawn to the texture of the light, coarse clay it was made from, and its dry, rustic feel. It would be delightful to drink my morning green tea from it.



In contrast, this cup and saucer has the elegant texture of Limoges porcelain. Its smooth white finish and beautiful gold rim caught my eye. The understated painting on it, despite the elegant base, struck me as simple and chic. There were matching tea servers and cake plates, so I briefly imagined how lovely it would be to buy the whole set and use them.



What was the original purpose of this small, teacup-sized bowl? It's too small for a café au lait bowl... I'm not sure, but it's the perfect size for my morning green tea. These small bowls can be surprisingly useful. They can hold sauces, or be used to serve ice cream and desserts. They would also be handy for sugar cubes or nuts.



This is a type of dish with an embossed pattern often seen in French interior shops. While some are clearly only for decoration, this one looks like it could be used at the table. Since it has roses, I'd love to serve May ingredients on it.




As I mentioned last time, the shop's display was very inspiring. The classic blue set is always a winning item. It feels stable and beautiful.




Such a table with bright colors is also lovely. By the way, regarding table settings, should the forks be placed face down or face up? I've always wondered about this, but here the forks are set face down. It was the same at my friend's house. I don't place my forks face down (because that's how French households did it when I was married). Which is the proper way? I looked it up, and apparently, placing forks and spoons face down is the French style, while placing them face up is the British style.



In the glassware corner, there were so many stemless glasses, the kind I collect! Drinking wine from a regular cup feels uninspired, but stemmed glasses always break easily. I was wondering what to do when I found this type of glass at a charity shop. Since then, I've tried to buy them whenever I find them, but the ones here at "La Bruyère" were out of my budget. Yes, even though it's a market, it's not cheap!





The ceramic color samples are lovely, aren't they? They're for a purpose that no longer exists, but I still wanted them. There must be a clever way to use them. Imagining that is creative!




It would be lovely to decorate with old books and old drawings like this. I wish I lived in a space with such roominess.

These were some of the things that caught my eye.

Building a home is a steady, lifelong process. I want to enjoy it through trial and error.

See you again,
A bientôt!

La Bruyère
https://brocantedelabruyere.fr