Luka Luna

Luka Luna lures you in by acting all mysterious. Is it a concept store? ‘I don’t like that term, as there isn’t really a concept’, the owner tells us upon entering. What does ‘Luka Luna’ even mean? ‘Nothing’, she replies. ‘All the other names were already taken’. Despite the slightly strange approach, this boutique located on the edge of the Halles and Marais areas has a lot going for it. Among the hundreds of decorative trinkets and potential presents that adorn the place, we find some genuinely amazing little objects.

We start off slowly, investigating some of the more ‘classic’ items: world maps that you can colour in, picture frames, bizarrely crafted baskets and stools shaped like buildings. So far, so predictable. But look further to the wackier stock and you’ll find things like figurines of children battling for space with bowls shaped like human faces. If that’s a little too weird, there are also pleasant coloured rucksacks and shoulder bags (about €100), children’s and adults’ slippers (from €22-€29), and various jewellery and watches (all above €150).

Nature is another running theme: we spot, for instance, a craggy artificial tree (€299), clocks with moon-shaped faces (€142), straw benches (from €665-€1,310) and a whole army of framed butterflies. At the back of the room, pandas, geese and penguins in artificial leather, sold as bookends or doorstops (€55). In the middle, a selection of mugs shaped like wolves and owls. But our most extraordinary find is on a little side shelf: a limited edition ‘souvenir zoo vase’, which has a hundred little porcelain animals glued around it (€840). It’s as wacky and elaborate as the shop itself.