Here, the art of living is given pride of place. Artists' portraits, contemporary furnishings, decorative items, beauty products and restaurants meet everypossible desire.
Modern and youthful in appearance, an elegant lounge approach, this blind called “990” is essential for those with limited space. Its forte : its small size and compactness, combined with modern design. It offers fine lines and organic rounded shapes. Available in white, dark brown and metallic aluminum, it is now also proposed (at extra cost) in metallic anthracite, metallic stone grey and creamy white, all self-cleaning. <a href="http://uk.markilux.com/">www.markilux.com</a>
After Pretty You, here comes Pretty Me. A second shop in the Principality, which focuses on luxury and originality in interior design. The showroom is, in fact, an all-round life-style concept presenting the collection of German interior designer Marieux van den Broek, plus items designed by other emerging European artists. Here, the most noble materials rub shoulders with refined fabrics : precious woods, crystal, leather, silk, velvet... Pretty Me, Le Montaigne, 6 boulevard des Moulins, Monaco (00 377 98 80 00 80).
In Nice, her city by adoption, this beautiful Danish girl specializes in creating prints as pertinant as they are impertinant, on different supports that one notices right away in trendy, festive addresses. Handling English humour with real subtlety - a great source of motivation, she says -, she invents logos and juggles with words and materials for her brand, Kaviar. Working on clothing for individuals or companies, this very feminine Viking with a romantic soul has built her renown by proposing T-shirts with playful lettering both back and front. As she adores bright colors, Lisou also makes frame-paintings that she personalizes depending on her clients’ wishes : an exquisite gift to suit all occasions ! Sales office on <a href="http://www.popart.fr/kaviar/">www.popart.fr/kaviar</a> and lisou@popart.fr
Vividly contrasting colours, mixtures of warm and cold notes for ultra-trendy compositions. The tulip is the diva, accepting the company of hyacinths, fritillaries, narcissus, ranunculus, viburnum... The idea : combine the plant with an unexpected container. Customize and create ! <a href="http://www.fleursunpeubeaucoup.com/">www.fleursunpeubeaucoup.com </a>
This hand carved from Ciporex whose fingers form an “OK”, universally identifiable in Yogi, is the first stage of a humanist work-in-progress initiated by Célia Gouveiac. “If a hand has no life-line, it means that its fate remains to be written !” says this Brazilian artist trained at the Académie de Pétrus (Paris), an adept of “carpe diem”. Indeed, the “Yes to Life” concept is required to travel in order to spread this spiritual message all over the world. 1 rue Valperga, Nice <a href="http://www.yes-to-life.org/main/crbst_0.html">www.yes-to-life.org</a>
<u>Nice</u> A 29 year-old stylist in Nice who inherited a love of knitting from her grandmother has just up-dated the cosy world of wool, knitting needles, garter stitch and balls of wool. Just when we thought all this paraphernalia had been relegated to the dungeons ! Well, no ! Emmanuelle Barrere was about 20 when she decided to revive this material as soft to caress as it is to wear. When not designing 100 % pure wool clothing with matching, off-beat accessories (rings, bracelets, Mac covers…) under the name of Emmanuelle Esther, she turns into Ema Tricopathe to set her stamp on furniture. Feminine tags all in provocative knit-and-purl which, already victims of their success, are snapped up as fast as they appear. A new kind of "street art" which is all the rage in the USA where Lolitas, addicts of these new kinds of needles, devote themselves to “knitta please” : a few grams of softness in a very tough world.
It took 3 months to save this oven from oblivion, one of the last of its kind, on which chef Alain Ducasse worked from 1987 at the Louis XV and obtained three Michelin stars. Transforming this object symbolic of the cult of gastronomy into a sculpture was a challenge taken up by its manufacturer Serge Hairabetian (Molteni), together with the SBM. A heavy responsibility for artist Frédéric Vermorel, one of Arman’s former assistants, selected to give a second lease of life to this ton of cast iron with a past. Unveiled in Monaco in September, the reborn oven has now been shipped home : to the Molteni plant in Saint-Laurent-du-Var.
Cécile and Philippe Fouzon wanted their boutique to be rather intimate. The place certainly lends itself to that : a stone wall and a charming atmosphere. Besides the decorative items and furniture they unearth, the couple give priority to tableware, in porcelain, stoneware and ceramics. Brands include Jars, Jacques Pergay etc. Cécile makes raku and, for oneself or for a gift, Table des Matières is an excellent address. 7 rue Jean-Daumas, Cannes (04 93 39 26 53).
Sébastien Coste’s first Honeymoon creation saw the light of day in 1999. It was then a teak bed crowned by a marine canvas roof which was to be installed in Saint-Tropez. Since then, the brand has produced gazebos, day-beds, huts, pavilions and various other kiosks, the art of living outdoors, for a couple or more, in contemporary or more exotic style. The goal is to provide a good measure of comfort and very easy usage while making these living spaces little havens to be enjoyed by day and by night. Protected from sunlight and damp, Honeymoon beds and lounges become natural extensions of the home around the pool, in the garden or even on a beach. Private clients and hotels (L’Hôtel du Castellet in the Var, for example) all applaud these products which also attract architects, decorators and landscapers.
The hearth of the 21st century no longer has any ventilation conduit and offers incredibly flexible design. "Tower" thus becomes a decorative item to be placed here or there, in a lounge or maybe even near the pool. With a frame in steel and tempered glass, it is ecological, runs on bio-ethanol and clearly heralds the hearth of the future. 4664,40 €. Ecosmart, 0 820 200 312.
Cinna launched its website in 1998. Visitors find all the brand’s models, prices of articles, addresses of shops, maintenance tips, portraits of the designers... Today, the word is on-line sales. The first to benefit : “Smala”, a sofa designed by Pascal Mourgue. www.cinna.fr : an address to be learnt by heart !
An ergonomic chair with minimalist design and generous curves whose four legs are embedded in the seat… “One” just won the RedDot Design Award 2008. 169 €. In sales at BoConcept, les Portes de Sophia, 1254 route de la Valmasque, Valbonne (04 92 38 98 60) and Victor Palace, 32 boulevard des Moulins, Monaco (00 377 97 97 67 97).
How do you like your coffee ? “A Modo Mio”, ie. “My own way” ! So you will no doubt applaud this new machine co-signed Lavazza and Saeco. Fifteen bars of pressure are used to grind the beans, the coffee pours in 30 seconds, the exact time needed to prepare a true espresso made in Italy. Aesthetically speaking, “A Modo Mio” flaunts a rounded shape and is dressed in black or red lacquer. Starting from 159.50 € and 5.44 € for a box of 16 capsules. In sales at Darty, RN 202, Forum Lingostière, Nice (0 821 082 082).
<u>Cannes</u> “For well-born souls ...” The saying seems a bit hackneyed. And yet… What is one to think of this young architect with clear ideas and a not insignificant past, especially since it has a future ? Helena Voiland, diploma in her pocket, proved her mettle, for a good five years, as an independent associate. Among the projects on which she worked, design and realisation of contemporary villas, a public yacht marina, renovations of villas and apartments, housing for local workers and a student residence. Plus “Les Jardins de Babylon” in Mandelieu, a private yacht marina and projects that she handled masterfully for developers in Cannes and its vicinity, and you get a slight glimpse of her many skills. Today, the young architect has decided to strike out on her own and has opened her own office. In Cannes, her home town, in beautiful premises christened Agence LN.A., she has created a hub for complementary talents with decorators, designers... Messages that she would like to pass on to her partners : focus on contemporary architecture, of high environmental quality, use new building technologies and think about the long-term impact of any architectural undertaking. “An architectural project is not the work of a single person but a group.” LN.A., 7 boulevard de la République (04 93 99 80 14).
Essential to any kitchen worthy of the name, this foldable, spoon-shaped chopping board is made of flexible polypropylene. Designed by British twins Richard and Antony Joseph, its sides fold back making it easy to pour your foodstuffs into the pot. In fuschia, red, green, blue, white, black or orange, “Chop2pot” costs 17.50 €. Sales office : 05 56 42 11 93.
A deep frosty blue safe with a handle adorned with long chains and an interior dressed up in “trompe-l’œil”. It is in fact the beautiful refrigerator Limited Edition AEG Electrolux by Irina Volkonskii. With this essential item, creams and perfumes are now immune to variations in climate and other assaults made by passing time. Edition of fifty, for fashion victims only. 690 €. Sales office : 01 41 11 38 01.
<u>Vallauris</u> “Reviewing the past to find the first inklings of the future... Water in all its forms will arouse in you the peacefulness of a child and rekindle your joy, laughter and even your recklessness...” An entire programme that Yves Pertosa stages indoors and out, in private homes but also luxury hotels, fitness centres or spas. Highly spectacular, the rain bed (above) recreates the natural element and offers the user unprecedented sensations. As for bathtubs, there’s no shortage of surprises. Acclaimed when it was released, “Honoka” from the Evolution line combines sensual design with a trendy colour. “Oka” features straight lines and an overflow. Then there are spas. For really intense moments, “Flora” fits perfectly into a garden, near a pool or on a terrace. The brand’s latest offering, “Cube” is fitted with several seats and a bench of ergonomic design : its continuous overflow allows you to discover the bliss of large expanses of water thanks to a mirror effect. Riviera Bains Groupe Pertosa, 2720 chemin Saint-Bernard (04 93 65 26 67).
With “Volga”, 37°2 offers an unusual coffee table in fibre concrete. Impact guaranteed as soon as the flames appear (2,400 e)… This year we should see the arrival of “S/Safe” technology (an autonomous security system for ethanol fires). Automatic or semi-automatic, it controls the flame, fuel and quality of the air. It can be used with several types of fireplaces. 37°2, en vente chez La Maison de Léo, ZI les Paluds, Aubagne (04 42 04 05 85).
“Cinéline” is a wardrobe composed of two basic volumes which can be expanded modular style thanks to an additional unit with a door. The main part offers rails, shelves and drawers. The extra unit is fitted with shelves and closet rails. Cinna, 111 avenue Léon Bérenger, Saint-Laurent-du-Var (04 92 12 94 11).
Olivia Giacobetti invites us to test a unique experience on the “Route des Cafés”. A rare olfactory voyage, proposed by this well-known “nose” who works for Nespresso : five scented candles and as many mysterious lands producing the greatest coffees. “Terre Arabica”,”Bois de Maragogype”, “Fleur de Moka”, “Café Flambé” and “Grain d’Emeraude” can be enjoyed at any time and without moderation. 35 € each. Nespresso, 19 bis boulevard Victor-Hugo, Nice (0 800 55 52 53).
