La Maison du Pastel

La Maison du Pastel holds the distinction of being the oldest handmade pastel manufacturer in the world, tracing its origins to 1720 when the business was first established in the Marais district of Paris. Now in its current form under the co-ownership of Isabelle Roché and her partner Margaret Zayer, the company has continued to honor and expand upon its extraordinary heritage, producing a breathtaking range of over 1,800 unique pastel shades entirely by hand using formulations developed by Henri Roché, the family patriarch who led the business from the 1860s. The shop at 20 Rue Rambuteau, tucked discreetly within a Marais courtyard, opens its doors to the public on Thursday afternoons and by appointment at other times, creating an intimate and almost otherworldly shopping experience. The walls of the boutique are lined with numbered wooden boxes, each containing rows of gloriously vivid hand-rolled pastels in shades that range from nuanced earth tones to brilliant, saturated jewel colors. The legacy of La Maison du Pastel is inseparable from the history of Western art — among its historic clientele were Edgar Degas, James McNeill Whistler, and Édouard Vuillard. Today, Isabelle and Margaret continue to develop new colors, working closely with contemporary artists to expand the vocabulary of the medium. The pastels are exported to artists worldwide and are considered by connoisseurs to be among the finest available anywhere. La Maison du Pastel holds the prestigious Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant label, recognizing its exceptional contribution to living French cultural heritage.