I first came across Paribordobiarritz (PBB) in 2019 at The Centre Pompidou gift shop in Paris where I was immediately drawn to the bold palette and 70s inspired designs and scooped up a dozen placemats to bring home to Brooklyn.  While starting Cain Sloan every time I used the placemats, I imagined carrying them in the store.  After stalking PBB on social media for a few months I finally reached out and they were delighted to work with me.   

PBB is a small brand which produces a range of limited edition decorative and functional objects for the home: trays, trivets, coasters, table mats, trinket bowl, jars and anything else that comes to mind.  

Romain and Muriel are the creative and production force behind Paribordobiarritz.  They are from Paris, have lived in Bordeaux and have family origins in the Basque country all of which serve to inspire their work.  Their philosophy of combining a modern aesthetic with skilled craftsmanship and minimal environmental impact is apparent in everything they make. 

With a background in graphic design, Muriel is responsible for PBB’s distinctive designs and bold color palettes, technical drawings and printing.  She’s inspired by vintage patterns of the ‘60s and ‘70s and Japanese and Scandinavian graphic accents.   Romain taps into his experience as a sound engineer to bring Muriel’s designs to fruition using a digital milling machine that requires significant technical skill and precision. The finished products—in addition to being visually compelling—are an elegant marriage of technology and traditional handcrafted woodworking.    

It’s been lovely getting to know Muriel and Romain over the past few months and we are looking forward to meeting each other in person when we’re traveling freely again.  It can’t happen soon enough!!

--Katherine Wells, Brooklyn January 2021