A few months ago, we took a trip to Paris and spent an afternoon at the Musée de l’Orangerie, a museum we return to again and again. It’s the kind of place that immediately slows you down: quiet rooms, soft light, and artworks that make you want to stay a little longer.

We found ourselves pulled into the worlds of Claude Monet and Henri Matisse. Color that feels both bold and gentle, and beauty that doesn’t need to shout. The visit stayed with us long after we left, and it quietly became the inspiration for the bags we created.

A detail we loved discovering is that originally, the Orangerie was built in 1852 as a greenhouse for the Tuileries Garden’s orange trees. A space designed to protect something delicate. Years later, when Monet donated his Nymphéas (Water Lilies) panels, he didn’t simply offer paintings; he helped shape the way they would be experienced. Working closely with architect Camille Lefèvre, the museum was redesigned to create two oval rooms, arranged like an infinity symbol. Conceived to let you feel surrounded by the work and held inside it. 

Two weeks ago, we took a girls’ trip back to Paris, but this time with our new Le Petit Lefèvre bags. We returned to the Orangerie wearing them, stepping into the very rooms that first sparked the idea. It felt full circle in the best way: inspiration brought to life, and brought back to where it began.