At our place, the art of the table comes down to two items: something to drink from, something to cut with. The house on Rue des Écoles never claimed to set a twenty-piece table — it equipped people who ate lunch sitting on their bags. Our tableware section sticks to this program, with one single requirement: that each piece holds up just as well on a tablecloth as it does on a tree stump.

Few items, and none too many

Mugs.An enameled mug keeps coffee at the right temperature while you drink it, and can be placed almost anywhere. The lighter stainless steel mug slips into a bag at the last minute and is equally at home on a desk or by a roadside.

Knives.The Opinel n°07 Baroudeur knife opens cans, packages, and sausages. The Higonokami folding knife comes from Japan, crafted according to a principle unchanged for over a century: a blade, a tail to fold it, and nothing else. It's an object one enjoys opening. The Sardine knife, true to its name, serves without fuss. All fit into a pocket, which remains the natural destination for a French or Japanese pocket knife.

For gifting.Tradition dictates that a knife must be exchanged for a coin, lest it cut the friendship. We leave everyone to judge the superstition. For the more cautious, we also sell mugs.

Beyond that.An empty mug has never solved anything: our grocery storetakes care of that. For the rest of your setup, see the houseand lifestyle accessories. And if lunch drags on, the bookstoreis at the end of the hall.