A coffee with Sarah Adelman

Sarah Andelman is a key figure in contemporary culture and style. Co-founder of the legendary concept store Colette , she now runs her own publishing house and consulting agency, Just An Idea . Blending literature and lifestyle, this passionate advocate shares her vision of the coffee ritual.

A passion for books: from Little Nicholas to publishing

Lionel: Hello Sarah.

Sarah: Hello Lionel.

Lionel: I'm delighted to meet you over coffee . Sarah, you're a talented collector of vintage finds. You're the co-founder of the iconic Colette fashion house. You're currently the publisher of Just An Idea Books . And you're also the curator of this superb "Layout" exhibition at Le Bon Marché. What's your earliest memory of reading?

Sarah: So, I'm thinking of Little Nicholas . I was seven or eight years old. That's the age I passed it on to my son. And I love reading them, and rereading them again.

Lionel: The book you like to give to your friends?

Sarah: It will be a Just An Idea Books book. The books that I publish, since it's convenient: I have the stock at home.

Lionel: Is there a book you've never finished?

Sarah: I always try to finish them, even if I don't remember the beginning. As long as it's not finished, it stays within reach until I can put it away.

Lionel: Where, for you, is the most beautiful place to start writing a novel?

Sarah: Either a cafe terrace , or in bed.

Lionel: So, what book are you waiting for in bed tonight?

Sarah: I'm currently reading Sophie Fontanel's * Admirable * and Clément Ghys's * Le Flot *. They're friends I'm eager to finish reading.

Coffee as a new aromatic horizon

Lionel: It is traditionally said that coffee is a writer's best friend, what is your first memory of coffee, what is it?

Sarah : My first memory is of thinking I couldn't. And then I came back thanks to the latte . There was a chai-latte transition, then cappuccino . And MOMUS made me appreciate and rediscover coffee .

Lionel: It's a long road back to the true taste of coffee. A place for a coffee? Sarah: A terrace, a museum, a gallery, or some unexpected place.

Lionel: It's often said that milk and sugar are heresy with coffee. I know that's how you like it.

Sarah: No sugar though, just milk .

Lionel: Thank you for taking the time for this interview.

Sarah: Thank you.

Sarah Andelman's perfect match: To accompany her new adventures, Sarah chose the Macha blend .