Here, the art of living is given pride of place. Artists' portraits, contemporary furnishings, decorative items, beauty products and restaurants meet everypossible desire.
Gérard Taride is a child who followed in his father’s footsteps : as suggested by his “Happy Colt” with pink dots... Plunge the 6 year-old son of an artist (Bernard Taride) into a bath and he will soak up his own share of creativity... It was in contact with his father’s entourage and during the heyday of the School of Nice that Gérard (born in 1963) caught the bug for art. From Ben’s playful openings and Arman’s “accumulatif” studio, discovered at the age of 6, to playing with the group Plein Sud from the age of 18 for a full decade - bringing several successful albums -, Gérard capitalized on all the bridges linking art to the more popular world of music. A lesson he retained when then testing his talent with equal passion in interior decor, film and design. This expertise led him to create the concept of XXL furniture (15 shops in France) : more recently, his company Pure Design handled the staging of the home decor fair at Nice Etoile. “The mass market does not bother me,” he says. Like Warhol, he produces series of his icons (Mona Lisa, Mao...), humorously mixing cult objects, items of mass consumption against a backcloth of neo-psychedelics, cutting, altering, re-routing materials (steel, perspex, aluminum), using digital technology in all its forms. For Gérard Taride, one concept alone is important : “Art should be a spectacle for everyone !”
The concept is simple : you open the Mac Flowers cans, water them and admire the results ! You can grow small cherry tomatoes, red peppers, herbs such as basil or mint, in your home. To give an air of nature to your interior ! 5.99 €. www.macflowers.eu
Barbecook has opted for maximum safety and extremely simple use. Thanks to its QuickStart lighting system, its hearth is operational in 15 minutes. The trick : the base is filled with water, thus increasing its stability and giving the possibility of extinguishing glowing ash. In sales at Villaverde, 1165 chemin des Combes, Antibes (04 97 21 21 77).
“I believe in the power of trees.” A remark that partly explains the current work of Emmanuel Laurent Briffaud and his fondness for reproducing them. The artist began studying architecture in Nantes before going to the “Beaux-Arts” in Marseille, in the design section. In Italy, he learned about the restoration and conservation of artworks. But it was in Brussels that he began his artistic production. The year 2000 saw his return to the Côte d'Azur. Co-founder of Atelier 2, he organizes cultural events combining the visual arts, poetry, sculpture, theatre, dance, music and architecture. His latest offering ? An installation in part of the premises of the old CAL factory in Grasse : a nave which is a model of simplicity and purity. The first exhibition presented his recent work. Including his trees, a combination of wood and rubber, cement, steel and glass.
Already at the origins of the opening of Etat d’Esprit in Nice, Marie and Simon Ehrlich are at it again, this time in Cannes, with a shop called Blanc d'Ivoire. You’ll find all their favourites in a collection of the same name, “with our way of seeing things”, as they say. Interior decorators, the pair will advise you in your choice of curtains, carpets, rugs, furnishings... Blanc d’Ivoire, 2 place du Commandant-Lamy, Cannes (04 93 38 78 83).
There’s just one small step from the world of fashion to that of the art of living. Maud Lesur took it the day she met the director of the Hotel Métropole in Monaco. For the past five years, this former fashion journalist for “Madame Figaro” has played the part of a mistress of the house who adds a touch of soul to the hotel. Joël Robuchon, for example, entrusted her with the design of the uniforms for the Yoshi staff. 2009 sees the completion of her first worksite : a restaurant. “I don’t intend to rest on my laurels, I’m always looking for new opportunities.” 06 26 92 84 46.
Jessica is an Art Deco freak, with the accent on Deco ! She grew up with an interior architect as a father before joining the world of art. In 2007, she launched an on-line boutique, then decided to put Mistinguett in front of a showroom. Jessica is, in fact, at the helm of premises with a mezzanine where she proposes items that have caught her eye, as eclectic as they are unexpected. As witnessed by her erotic corner, soft and tasteful, hardly likely to make anyone blush ! Joe the Polar Bear and a limited-series bookcase from Ibride rub shoulders with armchairs designed by Draga Obradovic. “Mistinguett is the first boutique in France to stock them.” Exclusivity that extends to Sturm und Plastic and its furniture with a frosted effect. With a glance back in time, there are also re-editions of great classics. Mistinguett is off-beat, a bit eccentric, and a gold-mine for fans of the ’thirties and ’fifties ! Mistinguett, 8 rue Lecerf (04 92 19 17 51).
The opportunity couldn’t be missed to create an extension of Venulys in front of the existing store. The entity thus gains in strength. “Venulys Home is fully dedicated to the house,” confirms interior designer Christophe Samain. In an ambience of warm colours, one’s gaze alights on items unearthed in flea-markets, Parentesi Quadra and Porta Romana products, and Safretti’s very fashionable bio-ethanol hearth. Fans of authenticity will adore the Firelight Glass oil-lamp, and fashion victims will certainly be unable to resist the collection of ultra-trendy bags. A shop-cum-design office, Venulys Home is the ideal complement for Venulys. 8 rue Lecerf, Cannes (04 93 68 52 45).
The purpose behind decogalerie.com is to democratize access to contemporary design for interior decor. The site proposes a selection of unique items and limited series and becomes a springboard for new talent. Simple and effective. www.decogalerie.com
At the heart of Saint-Tropez, just behind the Place des Lices. It is here, in 330 sq. metres, that Universal Décoration is opening its new showroom in the Var. The store presents all the beautiful new novelties from Pedini, plus a few bathrooms, in partnership with Delfino. Then for kitchens, we discover the round leather model, “Lamborghini”, the new “Dune” and, of course, “Integra”. And rediscover the firm’s own designs, such as this kitchen with an adjoining wine-cellar or the “Strati” island block, signed Universal Décoration.
Fa Maggiore and Fogliarini Arredamenti are two entities linked by the same family. For almost 50 years, the Fogliarinis have promoted Italian chic. Roberta, one of the heirs and a designer by training, explains “the philosophy of the home”, her role as adviser, her knowledge of the market, the brands represented : Bulthaup, B & B Italia, Molteni, Varenna... "Though it is mainly our own style that we wish to impose through them. "Fa Maggiore, via Roma 186, San Remo (00 39 01 84 57 03 73). Fogliarini Arredamenti, via Provinciale km 9,6, Perinaldo (00 39 01 84 67 20 23/24).
Dress your refrigerator in "Magnetic Skin” ! Cut it to the size of your fridge (available in 60 x 85 cm, 60 x 150 cm or 60 x 180 cm) and stick it using magnets. A wipe of the sponge and it’s clean. You can also brighten up your dishwasher with these digital prints that behave like a second skin. From 64 €. www.funnydoors.com
Total surface area increased to 150 m2 and a selection of ultra-contemporary tiles make Cera’Style an essential port of call. The trend is for tiles in unusual materials, large formats, sober shades, cohesion between floors indoors and out. “The latest novelty is tiles one by three metres, and even three metres by three, three millimeters thick.” Cera’Style proposes the very best Italian brands and is the exclusive dealer in the Alpes-Maritimes and the Var for Nextep, ceramic stoneware tiles with a surface coated in leather. Cera’Style, 45 route du Plan, Grasse (04 93 70 00 32).
“Frilly” is graceful and delightfully insolent ! “I designed this chair as an extra large shape that as undergone deformation and pleating to obtain a textile effect.” Patricia Urquiola has succeeded in making it light and fluid, sensual and feminine, mischievous and bold. In sales at Kartell, 21 rue de la Buffa, Nice (04 93 87 94 69).
Of his past in the world of fashion, he has retained a sense of proportion and volume, for combinations of colours and materials. Today, Didier Bobhot benefits from his rich experience as an interior decorator, and is capable of responding to all kinds of requests. As evidenced by two recent projects : a small apartment, decidedly masculine, and a libertine club. The first is directly inspired by a hotel room in New York. The second, L’Anonyme, a club in Cannes, had more specific requirements. “Being a libertine address, I had to adopt the ambiance without falling into bad taste.” A challenge that he met with maestria ! (06 68 56 94 21).
“I wanted to create scented candles like small colourful melodies, a bit playful, a bit mysterious.” Mona Di Orio, already known for her perfumes (she was a pupil of Edmond Roudnitska), now makes scented candles. Produced by the world’s oldest wax manufacturer, La Maison Cire Trudon, they are composed of natural vegetable wax. The little piece of coral that adorns the lid is a souvenir of her grandfather, a coral diver in Ischia, near Naples. 53 €. In sales at Taizo, 120 rue d’Antibes, 06400 Cannes (04 93 39 57 58).
A new way of using a coffee service ! Fellina Sok-Cham has designed “Kookii”, a set made of white porcelain and bamboo, which works like a puzzle : the little spoons fit into the cups and saucers slide into the tray at the same time as they compose it. Clever ! 45 €, Lexon. www.singulier.com
The first, Henri Darricau, won’t work without the second, his wife Catherine. A duo that has functioned perfectly for over 15 years in Cannes. “Our boutique Siroko completes our interior design and decoration activities. It is a showcase with a contemporary ambiance that covers the best that is currently being produced worldwide. Most major brands are, in fact, represented.” It also serves as an office, with sample catalogues, plans..., of sites in progress and projects too. Because if Siroko’s activity still revolves around private apartments and villas, in all four corners of the world, the future looks pretty intense. “Our specialty, and what we love doing most, is turnkey projects. The idea of controlling a project from A to Z, dealing with the entire home or apartment, is a challenge as exciting as ever.” When clients give them a totally free hand, Catherine and Henri Darricau give priority to warm contemporary styles “homes that are wonderful to live in, and part of our era”. 3 rue Florian et 9 rue du Commandant-André (04 93 68 99 21).
Molteni continues its collaboration with Rodolfo Dordoni. By creating "Wood", the designer has put his signature to a creation which opens a new window on the domestic scene. A timeless atmosphere, halfway between the purest classicism and contemporary design. In sales at Segraeti, Le Métropole, Monaco (00 377 97 77 34 30).
Never short of ideas, Stéphanie Marin ! The designer has imagined a forest of small trees to eat, in natural, untreated wood. You can steal fruit, candies... From “Albert”, the model 20 cm high to “Bao” (1 metre high), through “Olivier” (50 cm), she has reinvented the arts of picking and snacking. 32 avenue Henri-Dunant, Nice (04 93 52 89 26).
