The Parisian Ghost Mall Next to the Louvre

Across the street from the most-visited museum in the world where 30,000 tourists pass through everyday, there’s a 10,000m2 shopping mall dedicated to antiques, where you won’t find a soul. Le Louvre des Antiquaires, as it was inaugurated in 1978, was once a thriving retail centre for 250 luxury boutiques specialising in fine arts, jewellery,…

The Last Palace of the Champs Elysées: A Courtesan’s Secret Alcazar

Hiding in plain sight, you’re looking into the eye of the last remaining example of the magnificent private mansions that once lined the Champs Élysées in Paris. Hotel de la Païva was built by a famous 19th century courtesan who came from humble beginnings in the ghetto of Moscow. Esther Lachmann, aka La Païva, became…

13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. CDLXXVIII)

1. A top secret government Missile Complex is Up For Sale at $395,000 The ex-Titan II silo hosted a missile fitted with a nine megaton thermonuclear warhead. “BOLD opportunity to own a decommissioned underground Titan II missile complex” in Catalina Arizona. Found on Popular Mechanics. 2. A copy of Alice in Wonderland sprouting mushrooms due…

The Secret Career of David Bowie’s Back-Up Singer

Nobody could do camp quite like Klaus Nomi. He left the downtown New York club scene speechless with soaring operatic vocals, dressed in his signature triangular vinyl tuxedo complete with smoke bombs, punk rock nuances and 1950s sci-fi sound effects. On any given night, you could have found a young Jean-Michel Basquiat or Keith Haring…

13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. CDLXXVII)

1. Juni Ludowici’s ‘Round House’ on the River Thames, 1958 ‘Cause tiny house have been around forever. In 1959, a designer named Juni Ludowici made his own Rundhaus (Round House). Found via Tumblr 2. Inside a $5.5M Floating Mansion in Miami 3. The Perfect Little Cabana in South Pasadena, California Found via Stamps and Stamps.…

We Went to a Parisian Sex Club for Swingers So You Don’t Have To

It’s a phone-less world down there in the underground lair of Les Chandelles, the infamous “club échangiste” – and something to be appreciated in itself before we get into the stuff you really want to know about. Inhibitions (and Instagram) are to be left above ground, and your time spent down there is intended exclusively…

There might be a Secret Painting Hiding in that Old Book of Yours

Books can be magical things, but some as it turns out, may be more magical than others. They might look like ordinary old books, but they’re hiding a curious little secret in plain sight. A fore-edge painting is a scene painted on the edges of the pages of a book; invisible when closed. The technique…

13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. CCLXXVI)

1. Nylon Vending Machine in the Paris Metro, 1955 Print available from the RATP website. 2. The Instagram Account of a Pigment Collector At her cabin in the woods of Washington, Heidi Gustafson is creating a many-colored library of one of mankind’s first pigments. Heidi Gustafson, found on Instagram. 3. A Beguiling “Secret Garden” Apartment…

13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. CCLXXV)

1. Oh, just a Floating Bed in the Ocean Los Angeles–based artist Ariana Papademetropoulos’ new body of work, “Just Like Arcadia” highlights and explores the way the natural becomes mediated and conceptualized through domestication, locating interiority as a key in understanding the process in which mythologies and histories are created and perpetuated. View this post on…

Don’t be a Tourist in Sicily

Sigmund Freud called it “the loveliest region of Italy: a stunning orgy of colors, scents, and lights…a great delight”. Searching for the perfect Autumn getaway? Look no further, because our latest eBook from the Keyholder’s Library is here! Start planning your trip to Sicily now.