The big Paris department stores, les Grands Magasins, that line the Boulevard Haussmann include many notable exterior details in styles of the early 20th century.
But my favorite is inside: the grand Art Nouveau dome, seven stories up, over the main sales floor of one of the buildings housing the Printemps store. It’s 42 meters high, wrapped by balconies of sales floors and just glorious to look up at. It was built in 1909, designed by René Binet
Sadly, the view at floor level is not as elegant. I have no idea what the sales floor looked like a hundred years ago, but today it’s cluttered with kiosk after kiosk of luxury goods, somewhat like the duty-free shopping at an airport.
But, of course, there’s a way to avoid that: Keep looking up!
