Here, the art of living is given pride of place. Artists' portraits, contemporary furnishings, decorative items, beauty products and restaurants meet everypossible desire.
While people mostly know about her Paris apartment, they are less familiar with the fact that Coco Chanel owned a house in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. It was in this house, photographed for the first time, that Fashion for Floors shot all the pictures for its new catalogue. A first but also a last, as the villa in question is to be completely restructured. "In times of crisis, we must return to basic values, focus on authenticity and offer impeccable quality," says Kamyar Mogadham. This year will be less Pop, with more mature offerings. Among the new models, bamboo, banana trees and vintage patchworks top the bill. We witness the return of ensuality, with materials offering a unique tactile experience. Skins have also won their letters of nobility. Leather takes on a metallic sheen, a very modern and innovative treatment, and carpets form an integral part of the design aspect of our homes. Fashion for Floors, 41 boulevard des Moulins (00 377 92 16 12 16).
Absolument Maison is the brand new 100 % deco label at Galeries Lafayette. Tableware, accessories, house linen… These collections are committed to being organic and ecological in contemporary urban style. Two collections a year and many gifts to treat friends and yourself ! Lafayette Maison, Cap 3000, Saint-Laurent-du-Var (03 93 14 82 12).
Are you eco-friendly ? Yes, if you use products made from recycled textiles such as those proposed by Les Chiffonniers. Hot water bottles, shoes and masks, all organic, made in small series and in France, soft to the touch, participate in the fight against pollution and waste. What’s more, they’re trendy ! www.les-chiffonniers.com
Bathrooms are multiplying our opportunities for enjoyment. Ora Ito thus presents “Altro Supergrif”, rational design, authentic materials and a desire for perfection taken to its extreme. “Soft”, the last bathtub proposed by Ideal Standard, has became the first flexible model to follow the body’s contours. Finally, “Bellagio” from Zucchetti is a collection of aesthetic and ergonomic faucets. Home Store Balitrand, 183 avenue de la Roubine, Cannes La Bocca (04 93 90 59 05).
A beauty cream for home interiors because they deserve the very best. A palette of 120 colours, warm, neutral, bright or discreet. Three possibilities : intense matte, velvety satin or unctuous matte. And why not blend these lovely hues with the manufacturer’s collection of fabrics ? Toiles de Mayenne, because your home is worth it... In sales at Couleurs & Matières, 18 rue Ernest-Renan, Toulon (04 94 36 20 51).
“Porter” is a very special removable tray. You simply have to fit it with a steel support with a handle and, in the wink of an eye, it is transformed into a pedestal table. Installed at the end of a table or sofa, it becomes an indispensable piece of furniture. 85 €, Virages. En vente chez Scandia, 103 rue d’Antibes, Cannes (04 93 39 89 77).
Or how to live both indoors and out. Zzur accepts the challenge by proposing a whole range of items, as comfortable outside as in. Very much in vogue, solid teak and woven resin are available as “chaises longues”, sofas, armchairs, poufs, tables... Worth noting as of today, the showers that take their place around the pool. While the company designs its own line of furniture, Zzur, it also distributes Tribu, Kettal, Dedon, Borek and Plato, the last exclusively in France. 2040 RN 7, Villeneuve-Loubet (04 93 08 01 92).
<u>Saint-Laurent-du-Var</u> Loewe has treated itself to a gallery “allowing clients to appreciate the sculptural and minimalist design of each range, possibilities for personalization and the quality of the materials chosen,” says Laurent Freyz, General Manager for France. On three floors totalling 150 m2, the concept enables visitors to discover the Loewe world : televisions, home movies, integration and installation solutions... They do not come to buy a product, but THEIR product, the one that corresponds ideally to their needs, desires and budget. If design and technology are still the cornerstones of this German specialist, service is certainly not neglected. Advice, delivery, and installation in the home, after-sales service and guarantee (3 years) are all a significant bonus. Seen at the last electronics fair for the public in Berlin, the Loewe Art SL (ultra-slim 9-centimetre TVs), Loewe Individual Mediacenter (a lounge system with CD/DVD-player, FM radio, host station, iPod and iPhone interface) and Loewe Reference 52 (available this summer, a superb home cinema). Fans of irreproachable sounds and images will be over the moon ! Avenue du Maréchal-Juin, Cap 3000 (04 92 12 12 02).
House ouvre aussi ses 250 mètres carrés à des plasticiens émergeants. Design From Arne Jacobsen’s legendary “Egg Chair” to the organic “Stingray” by Thomas Pedersen (3,131 €), half a century has passed without the well-defined Danish line ever being broken. It is to offer purists this ever-renewed heritage of Scandinavian design that Mark Jochumsen has launched his boutique, both a showroom and an art-gallery. For in addition to original pieces designed by the founders and their disciples (Wegner, Mogensen, Koch…), the Danish Design House opens its 250 sq. meters to emerging artists. 135 rue d’Antibes, Cannes (04 93 68 68 66).
Such is the credo of Corine Jahn, who has embarked on the adventure of home decor via her store “Decor'In”. She tastefully presents the best of Lemani : astonishing screens and frames made of wax, together with an appealing selection of candles, scents and objects. Decor’In, 5 rue Alphonse- Karr, Nice (04 60 44 81 53).
<u>Cagnes-sur-Mer</u> “The aim behind my approach is to set my clients dreaming. I voluntarily step outside traditional concepts to create a decor.” At RCF, the focus is on stage-setting, as in the cinema. Nothing is left to chance, and here, thanks to its notoriety, it now sells projects : garden layout, courtyards, facades and even home interiors. The star material is quite evidently polyurethane epoxy resin, a product 100 % natural and highly resistant, 100 % draining (and thus not requiring any slopes) and allowing for the laying of perfectly uniform and seamless floors. For innovative materials, innovative projects : RCF has signed on, among other things, for the landscaping of Marineland in Antibes. At Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, in a private property, the firm has installed a huge wall of natural vegetation. “We also pay great attention to lighting, including LEDs. The use of light is an important factor in stage-setting which enables us to obtain unexpected effects.” Would there not be some magic in that ? No, just skill and lots of imagination. RCF, 5 avenue des Alpes (04 93 20 30 30).
Outdoor lighting has taken centre-stage at Valente Design. When it opened, Christopher Tollemer was entrusted with the showroom’s design. Now he has put his signature to the new floor space of 150 m2 dedicated to outdoor lighting. The designer-decorator has opted for the spirit of a classic French garden, playing on volumes, colours and huge photographs of illuminated trees. Here, one enters a museum where light and its sources show off their many applications. Valente Design, ZA Saint-Maur, route de Collobrières, Cogolin (04 94 54 46 84).
V.I.P. from Casamance gives voile a place of honour. The collection takes a fresh look at this item, offering crisp pleats, subtle metallic effects and Lurex-style stripes. Design, lightness and wafting movement combined with natural hues are an absolute must this spring. En vente chez Début de Siècle, 9 rue Gubernatis, Nice (04 93 62 25 29)
120 square meters, the surface area available to Christine Camera to give free rein to her passion for interior decoration. This self-taught decorator with very sure taste has opted for different ambiances (lounge, dining-room...) with corners devoted to tableware, fabrics (Zimmer Rohde, Sahco Hesslein, Canovas...) etc. Visitors find a selection of well-known designer brands : Axo Light for light fixtures, Antonio Lupi for the world of bathrooms, Giorgetti, Varenna, Manutti… Villeroy & Boch is also well represented through its latest collection while house linen is entrusted to Sonia Rykiel and Anne de Solène. 64 route de la Paoute (04 93 09 43 40). www.caprice-creation-interieur.com
Contemporains, Sacha Lakic has designed “Quantum”, a 3-seater sofa clad in leather with tone-on-tone stitching. The range called Les Voyages now features “Tahoma”, a model whose materials come from controlled and renewable sources. Its solid beech, for example, comes from supervised forests and is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Roche Bobois, 3015 chemin Saint-Bernard, Vallauris (04 92 96 55 70).
A revamp for the Clair Azur showroom. Brighter, more functional, it now extends to 250 m2 and consists of different areas dedicated to well-being and relaxation with spas, swim spas, saunas and hammams. Among the latter, the brand’s latest offering called “Ovation” offers an impresive array of equipment. Clair Azur, Espace Laporte, 1170 route de Nice, Antibes RN7 (0 825 825 818).
Jean-Louis Sacco and Marie-Brigitte Duvernoy, piano-makers and “Meilleurs Ouvriers de France” restore collectors’ gems here in Nice (Pleyel, Gaveau, Erard and Boisselot & Fils). Tired of seeing some late 18th-century models demolished, which no-one plays any more but which have retained their beautiful woodwork, they came up with the idea of dismantling them and making Dadaist sculptures. Reorchestrated pianos which always ring true ! <a href="http://www.pianoazur.com/">www.pianoazur.com</a>
Available in two sizes, the “Hikime Or” teapot is inspired by the great Japanese tradition. Its matt gold spangled surface brings out its polished black handle, its sensual curves promise moments of bliss with the magic of tea. Its designer, a celebrity in the Land of the Rising Sun, is none other than Hisanori Masuda. From 105 €. Also available, the cup (20 €) and its saucer (20 €). In sales on <a href="http://www.palaisdesthes.com/fr/">www.palaisdesthes.com</a> and on 01 43 56 90 90.
“I like the feeling of delivering a finished product.” This blond Italian knows what it takes. After studying architecture in Florence, Michela Fabbri set off for London to get experience and study interior design. When she opened her own agency 4 years ago, she could thus offer a “cast-iron project” : nothing, from the first pencil stroke to the arrangement of flowers, escapes her vigilance. The Michela Fabbri touch ! “When I start building a house, I already see it finished. Decor is a customer service. Each client has his own personality, I have to convey it in his home.” Think a lovely villa, a loft in Mougins, an on-going project in New Delhi, “1,000 m2 of living space”. Her approach differs slightly for sites such as the Royal Mougins Golf Resort. A focus on the place and its visitors with a specific aim. Future plans ? The Dominican Republic and Florence. “A resort in the Florentine hills, where everything will concentrate on well-being.” A return to her roots, awaited with impatience. One day, she will also produce her own line of furnishings. A finger in every pie ? Yes, that’s what she likes. 06 17 24 28 95.
