Le Petit Offbeat Shop

If you're nostalgic for France or in the mood for something á la française, these items might just do the trick!

at home

The French lifestyle isn't something in isolation – we bring it into the home and we love to choose special items that mirror our culture or our environment. These handmade or special items are decorative, useful or both, but they are somehow evocative of France.

french Nostalgia

Sometimes when we return home from a trip, we do our best to hang onto our memories of the wonderful time we had. Here are a few items that might help you do just that – remember.

In the kitchen

Wellness, Beauty and Fashion

books to read

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Bonjour - je m'appelle Leyla!

But don't be fooled by my name... My Turkish father may have won the naming battle but my mother, with 10 centuries of Frenchness behind her, won the education war. 

Born in Paris and brought up in Spain and Canada, I now live in the bucolic Alpine foothills of Eastern France, near the Swiss border.

Offbeat France is about the quirky, the not-so-common and even the mysterious. As I explore my country, I search out its backstories and legends. Here they are. (Along with plenty of food stops and many castles – I am French after all.)