Pierrot et Coco

The Elegant & Curious lifestyle boutique

Sunday 29 December 2013

Clément Lefèvre illustrations

Having some time off means we can leisurely play with some of the toys and games Santa kindly brought our little boy from our shop.

One of my favourites is a Mini Game "the missing piece", designed by French illustrator Clément Lefèvre. I thought it would be a fun game to pass a half hour or so, and was really impressed by how well designed it was (and it even comes with an already-sharpened pencil!), making it ideal for taking on long train journeys or flights with children around 5 and older.


I soon realised some of the cards are so nice they would be perfect to frame and hang on a child's bedroom wall. Some have graphs drawn over them, as part of the puzzle, but others are just lovely drawings and ideal for the wall, or sitting around on shelves.



Clément Lefèvre does some outstanding work - for various companies as well as books. I love the look of some of these covers for books by Michaël Escoffier called "Victor et son Loup" and "Le Voleur d'enfants."  I'll have to look for copies of these.



Click here to see the "mini games" designed by Clément Lefèvre in our shop - and I'll definitely have to take a look inside the ones we have by other French illustrators when we re-open after the holidays as I'm sure they'll be just as well done.


Friday 27 December 2013

End of the year...

It's almost the end of 2013, and it seems the older you get the faster the years fly by! We had lots of plans for Pierrot et Coco in 2013 and not many were brought to fruition, as it seems we were just busy doing the everyday things involved with running a shop. The last month of opening 7 days a week, with longer hours in the evening has left us especially tired and very happy for the break we're currently on. There were times when we needed a day just to do mundane household tasks, or feel relaxed in the evenings while helping our boy with his homework instead of wondering what still had to be paid for or needed to be ordered, or which products had to photographed for the new website.



A few things did happen as planned. We had always wanted to expand on our range of gourmet foodstuffs as when we opened we only stocked some chocolate (mainly from Prestat and Charbonnel et Walker) so we were pleased when our wider range of honey, jams, sauces, oils, truffles and drinks were snapped up by those wanting to try a few things they'd never seen before, or put together a mini hamper for the foodie in their lives. The Eat 17 Bacon Jam was a much bigger success than we had ever imagined, having to re-order it several times before Christmas, and anything with sea-salt caramel was bought as soon as it hit the shelves. We expanded upon our quality chocolate selection by adding in Coco of Edinburgh's breathtakingly packaged delights and London's super-stylish Artisan du Chocolat.



Joe & Seph's gourmet popcorn was incredibly successful for us, with their Gin & Tonic popcorn going into many, many stockings this year. It was mainly bought for the gimmick, but thankfully tastes pretty amazing too, and is definitely the snack to have on hand throughout the festive season.

We held a wonderful evening of Middle-Eastern treats with Mel from Glasgow's Habibi Kitchen and although the horrendous weather ensured it was quieter than our usual nights, everyone had a brilliant time, got to sample some amazing Coco Siren Rose & Black Pepper hot chocolate and sampled some food they might never have tasted before.  We took delivery of some beautiful Moroccan tableware for the night and the tagines from Marrakesh proved to be an especially popular gift this Christmas.

Gourmet Food at Pierrot et Coco



We did plan on holding a second evening, with a selection of beautiful St Erasmus jewellery to try on, nails painted with Ciate polish and Prestat pink champagne truffle tasting, but time ran away from us and we didn't manage to organise it before the Christmas rush was upon us. We'll be sure to host something similar in the new year.


We were really pleased to expand on the section for men too, with awesome T-Shirts and prints from Los Angeles - we're the only UK stockists of these designs.
Thanks to everyone who has shopped with us regularly, meaning we can stay as a bricks & mortar shop in a time when it seems the high street is doomed. We won't lie and say it's easy to be in such a quiet location, but we really appreciate that so many of you make the effort to come to us and we hope we'll be able to continue to be your little slice of style for a little longer yet.

We'll be closed until Wednesday 8th January, and hope 2014 will allow us to work on some of the creative ideas we have planned.

Much love, happiness and cheer for 2014. xxx


Sunday 7 April 2013

Luxurious Turkish Coffee

We've stocked Kusmi Tea since we opened in 2010, but have been looking for the perfect coffee since then too. When we found the luxury Istanbul based brand, Selamlique, we knew it was the right one for us. The packaging is chic, the coffee (and other delicacies they do) is beautiful and it's also pretty exclusive (we're one of only two stockists in Europe).
Some people shy away from Turkish coffee as they have settled into their way of using a cafetiere, moka pot or pod machine for their coffee, and it seems too much hassle to do something else. Selamlique Turkish coffee isn't something to rush in the morning before you leave for work, though. It's best enjoyed in the evening and sipped while you relax after a good meal. Simply pop a teaspoon of coffee per person into a metal jug, add sugar to taste and water, and simmer on the cooker for a couple of minutes. It takes no time at all, and you can serve it in a little espresso cup or one of our beautiful gold plated tea glasses if you really want to experience the ritual of the East.

Metal tins of Selamlique coffee start at £5.95, sweet treats at £6.95 and £16.95 and beautiful box sets around £59 - £115.
Click here to view the selection online.



Monday 25 March 2013

Full of Eastern Promise

We're excited to be getting our own Moroccan tea glasses made. The designs are just beautiful. I'd forgotten exactly what they looked like, but received an email from the lovely people making them, showing them on the drying racks and just about ready to be shipped to us, and it made me anxious to receive them. The photo shows just some blue and purple ones, but we've ordered amazing greens, turquoise, cerise and all kinds of rich, jewel like shades, perfect for drinking our Selamlique Turkish Coffee from, our Kusmi mint tea, or using as tea light holders.

More professional pics to come, showing all of the styles as soon as they arrive!





Saturday 23 March 2013

Get a Handle on it

We love the new ceramic and glass handles we have. If you have an old set of drawers or perhaps some furniture from Ikea you would like to personalise, using a couple of these is the quickest way to update something and make it your own. We have a wide range of drawer knobs/handles, all around £4-£5. Click here to see them.



Tuesday 12 March 2013

Going Somewhere?

If you're lucky enough to be heading off to any nice destinations this spring or summer, be sure to pick up a Herb Lester City Guide, as not only will they help you find all the best places to visit while you're there, most of them are perfect for framing upon return.....Our website has been updated to include 23 different takes on a city from Glasgow to Greenwich Village.


Herb Lester City Guides at Pierrot et Coco, £4