Paris-based stylist Sinead Allen Shea is a mum to two boys, Woody, aged 8, and Claude, aged 4, and is well versed in the cultural melting pot of the Parisian fashion and art scene thanks to her diverse career background and family ties...
While her husband, a contemporary art curator and owner of Galerie Allen, is immersed firmly in the art scene, Sinead is building strides with her international styling work and assisting to revered stylist Olivier Rizzo, working behind the scenes on Vogue Italia shoots and campaigns for Calvin Klein and Prada, to name a few. We caught up with the busy and stylish mum to find out her hot spots to visit in Paris with kids in tow, and unsurprisingly her suggestions are the perfect mixture of fun and fantasy.
Centre Georges Pompidou & the Galerie des Enfants within
The children love the crazy bright exterior of Centre Georges Pompidou and going to the top to see the amazing views of Paris. As museum’s go it’s quite child friendly and open, with all the different spaces and the specially devoted children’s section which changes regularly, there are also kids workshops and friendly family activities like Art Yoga.
Jardin des Plantes
As a family we love every aspect of this park but for the boys the priority is the Ménagerie (a mini zoo but still big enough for a whole afternoon), Grande Galerie d’Evolution + Galerie des Enfants (one building) animals and their environments, and the Galerie de Paléontologie et d’Anatomie which houses an amazing collection of bones and other specimens sometimes slightly shocking (be warned!). Finally they are starting to show an interest in the actual botanical gardens.
Galerie Allen, 59 rue de Dunkerque, 75009
The Galerie Allen has regular artist talks and occasional performances on the weekend, it’s petite proportions are perfect for a short but necessary adult stop, the artists are a mix of French, Australian, Swiss and American including the bright and colourful prints of Corita Kent, the former catholic nun from The Immaculate Heart Community College in California. The exhibition (pictured) is from a solo show by Linus Bill + Adrien Horni.
The Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie
It’s essential to book in advance for the permanent exhibitions as they have allocated times for your visit. The exhibitions are completely interactive, based around science, technology and nature. My guys are totally engrossed in the water section for at least 20 minutes. They love to get involved and they learn and gain knowledge while partaking in the activity.
Parc des Buttes-Chaumont
This park is our local and has everything from pony rides to a hidden waterfall in an easily accessible cave, it’s one of the only parks in Paris where you can actually sit on the grass so it is also perfect for picnics. We find ourselves here every weekend and when it rains we take shelter at Rosa Bonheur (in the park) for pizza and mini table football. You can also head to the see The Guignol of Paris which is a small puppet show theatre that the kids love.