Here, the art of living is given pride of place. Artists' portraits, contemporary furnishings, decorative items, beauty products and restaurants meet everypossible desire.
Agath televisions meet all our desires. They become invisible with the new range of LCD Mirror screens which reflect their setting when switched off, slip inside the sauna thanks to engineering capable of withstanding extreme temperatures, and dress to match your preference ! Clad in leather, stainless steel or Corian, it's up to you, as for the customizable silkscreening, colour and size of the glass. www.agath.com.
You are unique, your coffee-machine has to be the same. A quick click and you can consult the on-line customization service : choose the one that suits you best and your very own Senseo will be delivered to your home. 150 €. www.senseo.com/favors.
“Elegance teamed with efficiency”. Such is the thought that spontaneously comes to mind when you look at the career of this designer trained in France and Italy. Signs (for the Château de Fontainebleau, Palais de la Découverte...), set design, furniture, objects and interior architecture, the young woman explores all areas of creation. Her vases, for Ligne Roset and Serax (photos), bear witness to feminine sensitivity, like the sofas designed for Désio. Presented at the last “Maison & Objet” trade-fair, “Mellow” proposes seating composed of two superimposed and padded layers, which can be transformed into a spare bed in the twinkling of an eye. Ideal for cocooning with the family, or inviting your children’s friends to sleep over at home. www.florencebourel.fr.
Pol Quadens, one of today’s most prominent Belgian designers and producers, has gone overboard for carbon fibre or Corian offering furnishings of rare elegance and objects flaunting revolutionary lines : examples include “Elix” vases and a dish called “Dune”. Sharing the same interest, Christian Ghion has joined him to produce a new collection. www.ovo-editions.com.
From classic to contemporary… After working at “La Maison des Lices” in Saint-Tropez, Cathy has opened her own boutique, in Cogolin. With “Nouvelle Avenue”, she has made way for modern design and international brands as prestigious as Zanotta, Emu, Fatboy and Contempo. The most recent guest to date, designer Stéphanie Marin, to whom we owe the now famous “Livingstones”, and who signed her name to a showcase in May. Nouvelle Avenue, rue des Frères-Lumière, Cogolin (09 61 05 63 66).
“Flora”, a sun-lounger in galvanized iron, is available in four different colours : fluorescent green, shocking pink, white and graphite. Bright colours that will bring a touch of cheerfulness to your garden and celebrate the summer in fitting style. The practical “Flora” has wheels and is stackable. 300 €. Unopiù, allée Helène Boucher, Mandelieu (04 92 19 57 77).
The prize for the environmentally correct undoubtedly goes to Auro, a brand that produces natural paints made from oils, resins, pigments, waxes and other ingredients all culled from nature. Auro is also proud of its expertise demonstrating that residue from its paint can be composted into a soil rich in nutritional substances. What more do you want ? Ressource, 40 bd de Lorraine, Cannes (04 93 69 00 57).
At long last, a showroom that lives up to the Principality of Monaco, one is tempted to say. Here, furniture means a world devoted to outdoors. With the most prominent brands, such as Paola Lenti and Roda with garden lounges to modulate at will. B & B Italia is also present with its latest collection, along with Gandia Blasco, focusing on immaculate white and stark, clean lines. In addition, and because decoration is a whole, Sabrina Monte-Carlo Déco also proposes house linen (Malo and Pratesi), tableware (the very classic Ercuis and Robbe & Berking, or Guzzini with its touch of fantasy), not forgetting Vondom pots, which become original and daring showcases for the plants to which they play host. Sabrina Monte-Carlo Déco, place des Bougainvilliers, Monaco (00 377 97 97 57 60).
“Area” is a kitchen without handles, noble and elegant. It features sleek, limpid lines and a high-gloss finish obtained thanks to the surfaces being varnished several times over. It offers a choice of frontages and bodies, in white or colour, and a work surface also in white or different colours. Modern, appealing to the eye and practical, a worthy setting for culinary creativity… Albalat Cuisines, 31 bis et ter rue Barla, Nice (04 93 56 66 00).
The star of this summer ! Ice Tropez, a cocktail based on wine flavour-ed with nectarine blossom is the brainchild of Grégoire Chaix. Who called on the imagination of Christophe Pillet to design the bottle. Both container and contents are likely to set the peninsula alight ! www.icetropez.com.
Ora-ito, a name that serves as inspiration ! After breaking it up, this young designer has transformed it to baptize his first collection for Steiner : “Ora-Gami”. A name to which he has added the term “Simplexity”. In other words : “The art of giving apparent simplicity to an object with complex functions”. His armchair in polyurethane (photo), is made from a single sheet, folded and shaped to give the impression that it is in levitation. The coffee table, also based on the Japanese art of folded paper, offers several configurations, while the sofas, behind their rigorous lines, play on comfort with removable cushions. Modularity also found in low-level furniture, providing different kinds of storage. Offerings to be completed by other novelties from the prolific Ora-Ito, from the Laguiole knife to jewellery and chandeliers from Christofle. www.steiner-paris.com et www.ora-ito.com.
The site clubatcost.fr has launched its first line of house linen : Verchant Home. The initial colours were chosen in a survey by the site's subscribers and members. Shades of beige, smoky gray, plum and white to dress the bathroom and its guests. While waiting for beach towels, bed linen and a line entirely made of organic cotton, you will find good-quality products at fair prices. For what makes this site so special is its guarantee of no profit margins. www.clubatcost.fr.
Characterized by its curves, “Dune” has been designed to meet individual needs and new lifestyles. It not only meets basic requirements, but also a brand new way of experiencing the kitchen. With excellent esthetics and a high level of functionality, it becomes the centre of everyday life. Universal Décoration, 10 avenue Paul Roussel, Saint-Tropez (04 94 97 65 68).
Proposed by Pérène, “Pago” has a rather exotic temperament. This bathroom in shiny ambered lemonwood makes the most of the shower area by giving it a generous size and three types of jets. You reached it by a teak pathway, the prelude to genuine moments of vouluptuousness, and slide under a shower that will inevitably be invigorating. A dreamy cocoon in which to relax… Francis et Martine Imbern, RN98, Port Cogolin (04 94 56 05 90).
The ubiquitous Karim Rashid even clads computers. As proven by the “Eee PC Seashell” collection for Asus, from which you necessarily choose Hot Pink. Practicality, performance, colour, user-friendliness, it has everything. For the more sober, it also comes in Coffee Brown. The price ? 379 €. www.asus.fr.
“Moro dal 1934” says the sign. If the showroom has been completely revamped and now flaunts a highly contemporary look, the tale of Moro Idraulica in fact dates back to the 1930’s. Since then, the company has remained a family affair with Raffaella working on the firm's development for the past 20 years. In 2010, Moro is a vast exhibition space for tiles, wall coverings, furniture and accessories for the bathroom, shower stalls, jacuzzis... In floor space of 400 m2 on two floors, the products are staged with the emphasis laid on large modern display units enabling customers to fully appreciate the various tiles, natural stone, mosaic... Among the brands : Cesi, Ascot, Ceramica Fioranese, Zucchetti faucets and, for bathrooms : Inda, Isabagno, Cerasa and Regia. Moro, Via Vittorio Emanuele II, 274, Bordighera (00 39 0184 26 14 03).
We expect it to be comfortable, solid, long-lasting and esthetic. Ikea proposes “Sultan”, a range of mattresses that meet all these criteria. In a choice of foam, latex or springs, they guarantee a good night's sleep. And since nights are precisely the best time to recharge our batteries and ensure a certain quality of life, but above all since we spend two-thirds of our lives sleeping, let's make sure we get the best ! Ikea, ZAC Valgora, Toulon (0825 10 3000).
The ultra-slim “Altima Spa” from Acova offers a smooth facade to accommodate towels. In direct contact with the radiator, they are efficiently dried and heated. Of sobre and unexpected design, this towel-rack is available in stainless steel or aluminium. Richardson, 115 ch de Provence, Mougins (04 93 46 45 45).
Paris-born Christine Themelidis arrived on the Côte d'Azur in 1994 to join an interior design company. With this experience under her belt, she set up her own company 12 years later. In 2010, wanting to offer her clients comprehensive, turnkey service, she entered into a parntership with Tobias Muller and launched “Architecture-Design-Concept”. A firm comprised of an architecture and interior design department, and another focusing on consultancy in home decor. Both backed up by site tracking, the creation of furniture and all the administrative procedures necessary to carry out a project successfully. After handling facelifts for a lawyer’s office, a hair salon and private homes, Christine Themelidis embarked on a major challenge : complete renovation of a property, with a special focus on the garden. AD Concept, 17 chemin de la Louisiane, Opio (04 92 99 17 87 and 06 23 22 92 12).
“Kyton” is above all the expression of a new concept, that of smart but informal homes. The kitchen is both simple, practical and light. And technically, at the cutting edge. It also conveys a welcome notion of freedom and inspiration, firmly rooted in the present.To enhance the project, top quality materials (ground or shiny glass, grey-stained oak, siena, wenge...) and lacquered doors. Sobre, elegant and congenial, it is waiting just for you ! Caprice, 64 route de la Paoute, Grasse (04 93 09 43 40).
