Inside a designer's colourful takeover of Paris' legendary Paul Bert Serpette antiques market

For this month's Fête des Puces, Paul Bert Serpette invited French designer Julien Sebban of Uchronia to reinvent ten booths as well as the entrances to the legendary Parisian antiques market.

Paul Bert Serpette: a Parisian icon reimagined

'Paul Bert Serpette has remained so popular and iconic because it has managed to preserve its authenticity while constantly reinventing itself,' says Sebban, who is also a regular visitor. 'It is a place where the past and present are in constant dialogue, the exhibitors cultivate a level of expertise and passion that gives the market a unique soul.'

Describing it as friendly and refined, Sebban agrees it is a quintessential Parisian experience and an unmissable visit for anyone in the city. Every year, the market comes alive (or perhaps more alive than usual) for the annual Fête des Puces (25-28 September), a four-day festival for which the Saint-Ouen markets stage live events and stay open into the night.

For one of the entrances, Sebban has created some monumental inflatable sculptures that respond to the theme of 'Paradox' and playfully weave past and present. Guests are greeted by fragments of ancient statues, including busts, arms, torsos, and entire silhouettes that include a replica of Michelangelo's David, rendered as an orange inflatable, reflecting Uchronia playful, multichromatic design approach.

Further interventions include oversized decorative objects assembled into giant totems, and iconic chairs shown within transparent domes.

Guests of Uchronia invited to also leave their mark on the marché include Gilbert Kann, Cordelia de Castellane, and Pierre Frey, who contributed with scenographic installations for some of the dealers.

Sebban's intervention within the market honours the visitor experience that, as a regular, he very much cherishes. 'You lose yourself in a maze of charming little alleys, where each stall holds an unexpected discovery,' he says. 'There is a strong creative energy here that makes you want to linger for hours. To someone who has never been there, I would say that it is much more than a market: it is a sensory and cultural experience, a place where people come as much for inspiration as for bargain hunting.'

Paul Bert Serpette, 110 Rue des Rosiers, 93400 Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine