We returned to Paris to learn more about Eimear, the person behind argot_studio. Her aesthetic awareness is also present in her home, where she welcomed us and explained how she ended up in Paris.

We also talked about how her father based in Ireland helps create wooden versions of her designs, and how she continues her own path to dive into her project. Following our initial meeting in February, we formed a nice relationship with Eimear, and a few months later, we worked together, organizing an artist meet-up brunch in Paris.

NT — How would you define yourself in three words?

ER — Curious, loyal and resourceful.

NT — What is your favorite building in Paris?

ER — La maison Verre by the architect Pierre Chareau.

NT — Who is the artist you look up to the most?

ER — Eileen Grey, my Irish idol.

NT — How do you envision the future of design?

ER — I think we're starting to slow down in a good way when it comes to design, more value is being attributed to something designed and made locally and as a result things are becoming more interesting and unique.

NT — What is your creative process like? What part of it do you enjoy the most?

ER — I really enjoy the idea part and dreaming of what it could be, then it has to become real life and that’s often a bit of a challenge, that's the part where I tell me dad 'I want to make this table' and he says ...'eh it won't be functional', but there’s always a solution and we end up meeting somewhere in the middle.

NT —What would you like your work to convey? What is your source of inspiration?

ER —I want to make things that people really enjoy for a long time. I think I have definitely been inspired by time in France, I'm a Brocante (french flea market) addict and when I stumble upon pieces by french designers like Charlotte Perriand, it could have been designed 70 years ago and to me is still so beautiful and relevant today!

NT — Why did you choose to work with wood?

ER — It was an obvious choice considering my dad works with wood and always has done. Personally wood is my favorite material for the texture and warmth it brings to a space, I really enjoy the contrast between a design which on paper can be otherwise quite minimal or brutalist, then turn into a warm and tactile piece once constructed in wood.

NT — Who is your favorite designer?

ER — I love to follow Ana Kras and her work.

NT — Who would you like to work with?

ER — There are too many to list, I'm really open to collaborating with other young designers and brands, thankfully via platforms like instagram we can communicate easily and support each other.

NT — What other projects are you currently working on?

ER — I'm working on the next series of oak pieces with my Dad alongside new and really varied projects thanks to Argot such as more 3D printed objects, art direction and collaborations with other designers & brands.

NT — We are experiencing an era of change as far as what it means to be a woman. How do you think this will affect your everyday activities?

ER — I think the thing is that it doesn't affect my activities because now we don't have to think before we do the things we wanna do.

NT — Would you recommend us...

A book

ER — All 20 of the short stories from Faber & Faber.

A restaurant

ER — Cantina, Rue Marie et Louise in the 10th Paris.

A film

ER — ‘I am love’ by Luca Guadagnino, filmed in the beautiful Villa Necchi Milan.

A place

ER — Donegal in the very north of Ireland.

When would you wear the clothes you’re wearing in the photos?

ER — Everyday in Paris!

Alejandra enchants us with her vibrant energy, like the bright colours we find in her work. These transport us to tropical landscapes from a fictitious country lost in her imagination.

In her studio we find photomontages that she uses as a guide when she begins a painting, normally large and on the wall to the side, homemade impressions of the woks of Henri Rousseau and other printed references. The happiness that exudes from the artist and her work has meant they've become popular across Spain, Switzerland and as far as Miami.

Find out more about her art here and on Instagram.

NT — How would you describe yourself in three words?

AA — Colour, salsa and light.

NT — What inspires you?

AA — Lots of things inspire me. In my paintings there's a mix of everything that interests me, for instance the landscapes I see on my travels, a plant, a cactus, YouTube videos, my friends, my family, patterns on clothes, Instagram photos, video clips or Rihanna or Katy Perry concerts, films, modernist paintings and so on.

NT — How did you start painting?

AA — I studied Fine Arts at university in Barcelona (UB), then finished my studies at the University of the West of England (UWE) and then MASSART, in Boston. When I was 25 I held my first exhibition at the Galeria Balaguer in Barcelona, and I've been working ever since. I've exhibited at galleries and arts fairs around Spain, Europe and the United States.

NT — What does your creative process involve? What do you most enjoy about it?

AA — I collect photos from Instagram, Pinterest, I search for images on Google... I use those images to make a Photoshop collage of what I'm going to paint. This first digital outline is the starting point for my paintings. Part of the challenge is to reinterpret that collage, to create a dialogue with the paint and make decisions in the process.

NT — Which artist inspires you?

AA — I'm inspired by many artists, lately I've been interested in Francesca DiMattio, Sonia Delaunay, Beatriz Milhazes y Joan Mitchell.

NT — How do you see the future of art?

AA — I don't know about the future of art and it's not something I think about. What I focus on personally is always being faithful to myself and my work and always doing my best. I challenge myself to keep painting and experimenting with paint and other materials.

NT — If you could bring any artist back to life, who would it be?

AA — I'd definitely choose Marilyn Monroe, or one of the greats: Michael Jackson.

NT — What are you working on at the moment?

AA — Right now, I'm working on creating fictitious landscapes with palm trees, plants and flowers, where the focus is tropical fruits.

NT — What do you have planned for the near future?

AA — I think my work is moving more and more towards the abstract. I've noticed that both the brush strokes and the colours I'm using are more intuitive than when I started. In my opinion, that evolution must be natural, the result of a long period of experimentation and the decisions that are made along the way. We'll see what happens!

NT — Who would you most like to work with?

AA — I'd like to work with any female artist with more experience than me. We can all learn something from everyone.

NT — Would you recommend us...

A restaurant.

A Mexican restaurant in Barcelona called "El Pachuco".

A film.

Grease.

A place.

My home town, Zaragoza.

A work of art.

Any of the landscapes or coves in Mallorca that Joaquin Mir painted.

NT — When would you wear the clothes from the photos?

AA — I think I could adapt the clothes I'm wearing in the photos to lots of different situations. I could wear them any time to meet with friends casually or for something more formal like an exhibition opening.

Shakespeare and Company is the most famous bookstore in Paris. Sylvia Whitman, the current owner, has continued the project launched by her father George in the 1950s, when he created this community based on his ethos: “Give what you can; take what you need.” George invited artists—guests who were called “tumbleweeds”—to temporarily live at the shop in exchange for helping out in the shop and writing a one-page autobiography.

We were very excited to meet Sylvia, who is incredibly warm, friendly and cheerful. She invited us into her father’s old room above the bookshop, a cozy retreat with soft light, like something straight out of a novel. There, she talked about raising her two children in a feminist world, and showed us the archives where the “tumbleweed” autobiographies are kept.

When Sylvia joined the family business at the age of 22, the project grew even more. She now runs the bookshop with her partner David Delannet. The store hosted four literary festivals (FestivalandCo) in the adjacent park, which also happens to be the home of the oldest tree in Paris. Shakespeare’s Macbeth was performed at one of these events. Sylvia also added a café as well as expanded the antiquarian in 1981 with magnificent first editions.

We loved learning about Paris and hope to meet up with Sylvia again in the near future. Stay up to date about the bookshop’s activities by clicking here or visiting their Instagram.

NT — What three words would you use to define the bookstore?

SW — Utopia, Theatre, Angels.

NT — Do you have any memories or anecdotes of your early years living in the bookshop as a child?

SW — I remember, as a young child, following my father through the bookshop, him rattling his huge set of keys, stepping over sleeping tumbleweeds, singing "Rise and Shine," the bells of Notre-Dame chiming along, right outside our window. The Beat poet Ted Joans was often at the shop--it's where he received his mail everyday--and would recite his poetry to me: if you should see / a man / walking down a crowded street / talking aloud / to himself / don’t run / in the opposite direction / but run towards him / for he is a POET! / you have NOTHING to fear / from the poet / but the TRUTH.

NT — What is your favorite thing to do in the store?

SW — I love to start the day with a matcha from our cafe next door, and then wander into the shop, through the labyrinth of books, discovering old and new titles and chatting with the wonderful booksellers who work here.

NT — Who is your favorite writer?

SW — Lawrence Ferlinghetti! He turns 100 this month and is an old friend of ours. In celebration, I've immersed myself in his poetry and his forthcoming autobiography, Little Boy. I am filled with admiration and love for him. He is a publisher, poet, novelist, painter, spokesperson for his time--and I am utterly inspired. Read him!

NT — How do you envision the bookshop’s future?

SW — Bright! Books and writers and readers are some of the only things I feel truly optimistic about, as I try to peer into the future. Bookshops bring the three together, helping to nourish the soul and feed the curious mind.

NT — If you could bring a writer back to life, who would it be?

SW — Shakespeare! I want to know whether he spoke like he wrote.

NT — What person/artist/writer would you love to have visit the bookshop?

SW — We're so lucky to have people visiting the shop from all over the world. Today alone, I met readers from Chile, Iran, and Singapore. And we have wonderful writers who pass through, as well, for our free weekly events, including recently Valeria Luiselli, Annie Ernaux, Karl Ove Knausgaard, and Jesmyn Ward. I only wish we could have welcomed the incredible Ursula Le Guin before she passed away last year.

NT — What other projects are you currently working on?

SW — I'm working to make the bookshop green. At this point, it seems all businesses, everyone, each of us, should be prioritising the environment where we can. I may sometimes get frustrated about how slow progress can be, even in the bookshop, but we've already made improvements, like reusing book packaging and creating a compost system for our cafe. Separate from this: We're soon to publish a poetry book about Paris and we're expanding the children's section. When it's done, it should feel like entering Narnia.

The "tumbleweeds" autobiographies notebook from 1987.

NT — Please give us your recommendation for:

A book.

SW — I just finished On the Future by Martin Rees. His message is clear: "We need to think globally, we need to think rationally, we need to think long-term--empowered by twenty-first century technology but guided by values that science alone can't provide."

A restaurant.

SW — My friend Ollie opened L'Entente, an elegant restaurant in the 2nd which serves British recipes made from the finest French produce. He recognizes how important it is to make personal connections with his sources--the farmers, butchers, cheesemakers, and others.

A film.

SW — Cold War by Pawel Pawlikowski, an impossible love story with some of the most beautiful scenes in Paris . . . darkness, a boat silently drifting along the river Seine, its lights illuminating intimate scenes on the riverbank, sailing along, the occasional rustle of leaves...

A place.

SW — Père-Lachaise is one of the most poetic places in Paris, where the trees compete for space with the mouldering tombs, Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein, Proust. A walk through the cemetery is meditative, often leading to interesting thoughts...

A work of art.

SW — Anything by the Australian artist Angelica Mesiti. Her spellbinding work is currently being exhibited at the Palais de Tokyo.