If this address rings a bell it’s because it’s the sister boutique to the already popular Bird on the Wire. At 1944, owner Paula brings her nose for finding beautiful things in the form of pendants with ceramic rabbits, vegan bags and recycled lamps. After working in the theatre, then at Givenchy and Kenzo, she decided to open up her boutique-cum-gallery with an inheritance left by her father. 1944 - the year he was born – Paula says, is a kind of hommage to him. It’s difficult not to be charmed by this place.
A gallery, café, and shop in one space: Paula wanted to create a place to share, a shop which allowed for a different kind of space to consume, and to discover artistic talent. Vegan and recycled products are on the shopping menu; including bags made from Piñatex™ (a leather type substance made from the residue of pineapple leaves) from €49, lamps made with old tripods, hand-bound notebooks… Pieces are cruelty-free, hand-made in local workshops and in small or single batches. 1944’s promotes artists from the four corners of Europe (Poland, Spain, Italy, France). Today, a year after opening the boutique, 1944 has around 20 designers in its address book.
On the walls you’ll find the work of the artists that Paula invites every two months. Photos, collage, painting, anything goes. And don’t leave without trying a chai tea, latte or detox juice prepared by Paula herself (between €2-6 each). Will it be mint, cucumber and apple, or tumeric, orange and carrot?
TRANSLATION: ALICE WHITE WALKER