L'atelier de Louis Vuitton, Asnières-sur-Seine

This morning to the suburb of Asnières-Sur-Seine, which has been home to the Louis Vuitton family for more than 100 years.

A blast of cold air from the east had brought winter temporarily back to Paris and downy flakes of snow filled the air, bringing a hushed calm to the quiet backstreets. The house and workshop, now a museum, is aptly-enough located on the Rue Louis Vuitton, though other than for the name of the street, one could have walked right past the front door (as in fact I did before consulting my map) without realising that you had passed the birthplace of the global icon.

Though no production is done on the site, the house is still sometimes in use by the family and is otherwise open to the public, along with an exhibition of the brand's history and product development. The latter has recently undergone extensive redevelopment. The site is currently only accessible on a pre-arranged tours, which are free and can be booked on the museum's website.

The visit was conducted in French and the guide was knowledgeable and friendly, though one was whisked round perhaps too fast to really appreciate the exhibits on display, which ranged from one of the earliest examples of a Louis Vuitton case (from the days before Gaston-Louis Vuitton introduced the famous monogram), to recent collaborations with the fashion designer Marc Jacobs.

The house itself is as beautifully appointed as you would imagine, with surprising details like a Louis Vuitton monogramed lamp-stand and a luxurious fin-de-siecle feel. Well worth a visit!