Myriam Badault’s perfect weekend in Paris

“Saturday mornings begin at 8am with the same Pilates class I’ve been doing for 30 years. I go to Keana studio, close to Place Vendôme, because I love the instructors and it offers a disciplined start to my day. I live in the 15th arrondissement, near Roland Garros and the Bois de Boulogne, so I’ll usually return home before running my errands for the day. I love this part of Paris because the streets are so wide and calm, and there’s a beautiful garden at every turn. 

I like to cook at home at the weekend, so I stock up on fresh produce, fish and cheeses early on Saturday. My first stop is often Epices Roellinger, a spice specialist whose owner is a noted chef in Brittany. You can find spices from all over the world here, including nine kinds of vanilla that work for everything from fish dishes to desserts. Book stores are also a priority. The Palais de Tokyo has a wonderful art, design and fashion collection, while Librairie Delamain has a good selection of everything from novels to comic books. They’ll pick books especially for me – for example, tailored to my travels – so it feels like a unique shopping experience these days. Ofr, in the old Marais, is another gem: they’re specialists in books about art and photography.

I’ll shop for clothes and accessories too, and White Bird – a little boutique with jewellery from all over the world – is always one of my first stops. I had an exquisite golden nugget pendant made here for Christmas, and I love how the owner mixes all kinds of shapes and styles. And I’ll often stop at E Dehillerin, an Aladdin’s cave of cooking implements: the selection of copper pots and pans alone is incredible. Natur’Elle is another favourite, with a gallery-meets-flower-shop feel. I buy all kinds of interesting plant species here: I love the crazy‑coloured scented geraniums.

Lunches at the weekend tend to be quick and light, and might be followed by a trip to Hôtel Molitor for a swim. This wonderful art deco building used to be the place for techno parties, but a few years ago it was refurbished into a hotel-restaurant destination, complete with an enormous pool. 

For a fun Saturday dinner out with my kids I like Mamie, a warm family-style restaurant that feels like your grandmother’s house. The desserts are very special – and visually stunning, since they are made by the famous pastry chef Cédric Grolet. My favourites are his choux pastries filled with vanilla cream. If we’re going to the opera or the ballet we’ll go to Savy, a bistro just off Avenue Montaigne, for a late supper after the performance. The food here is very traditional – beef fillet and the best French fries in the world – but it always feels like a special treat.

Sunday mornings start with a very French breakfast of coffee and a croissant with jam –and the papers. We aren’t on the healthiest routine, but this time spent with my boys and Le Monde and Madame Figaro is really enjoyable. If I haven’t been swimming on Saturday then I’ll head to Molitor on Sunday morning, followed by the Point du Jour market in the 16th for more dinner ingredients. Sundays are also a good day for Le Bon Marché, where I go for clothes before visiting my hair colourist at Studio Marisol. I don’t have time during the week, and they do the best highlights. 

Afterward I might walk to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs where I find the mix of contemporary design with old wallpapers and decorative objects really inspiring. Or I’ll take in whichever retrospective happens to be on at the Grand Palais, followed by a quick stop at Isabel Marant or at Tsé & Tsé for beautiful housewares, then Regis, where I’ll pick up a dessert of chocolate cake and orangette for our family dinner.

It’s very rare for us to go out on a Sunday night as I love to cook at home. I’ll serve my signature roast chicken with couscous or an Italian feast  – it all depends on what I’ve found at the markets throughout the weekend. I’m a very curious person in general and so the weekends fill me with inspiration; the food, the magazines, the cafés and the shops are where my ideas come from. I travel quite a lot for my work – to Korea, Morocco, Japan – and while I love it, I really cherish these quiet weekends at home.”

Chez Savy, chezsavy.com. E Dehillerin, edehillerin.fr. Epices Roellinger Paris, epices-roellinger.com/en. Grand Palais, grandpalais.fr. Isabel Marant, isabelmarant.com. Le Bon Marché, 24s.com/en-gb/le-bon-marche. Librairie Delamain, librairie-delamain.com. Mamie Par Jean Imbert, mamiejeanimbert.com. Molitor, mltr.fr/en. MusEe des Arts Décoratifs, madparis.fr/en. Natur’Elle, natur-elle.com. Ofr, instagram.com/ofrparis. Palais de Tokyo library, palaisdetokyo.com/fr/page/la-librairie-du-palais. Regis, chocolats.net. Keana, keana.fr. Studio Marisol, studiomarisol.com. Tsé & Tsé, tse-tse.com. White Bird, whitebirdjewellery.com. 

Diptyque’s fragrance tribute to Paris, Eau Capitale (£120 for 70ml EDP), launches this month (diptyqueparis.com).