Here, the art of living is given pride of place. Artists' portraits, contemporary furnishings, decorative items, beauty products and restaurants meet everypossible desire.
Plaid, stripes, trimmings and buttonings, cosy fabrics and coordinates for the bedroom, the table and the kitchen. Welcome to Now’s Textile, a new brand of house linen. Starting with breakfast, opt for a daring khaki cotton tablecloth with contrasting stripes. For lunch, go for the Basque inspiration of “Safi” and, in the evening, fall back on the softness of velvet with a reversible parure for the bed. Sales outlets 03 21 38 20 48.
Have you heard ? Bath Bazaar has set its own criteria : to propose specific objects, useful, esthetic and of genuine quality. As the name suggests, solely for the bathroom ! And the result is Byzantium… Over 2,500 items imported from 40 different countries come to rest on the edge of our bathtubs, work their way into our closets, get hung on our walls and gradually take possession of this room dedicated to well-being. From small furnishings to handbasins, not forgetting towels, soap dispensers and a giant American toothbrush, the choice of the materials and the design are primordial. Aluminium, stainless steel, glass and wood, for a natural approach and perfect lines… Nothing’s treated lightly at Bath Bazaar. 11 rue de la Liberté, Nice (04 93 82 44 83).
Gandhi translated the Sanskrit word “Ahimsa” by “non-violence”. A term which conveys the atmosphere of this boutique which bears the same name. Owner Michèle Clavaud displays creations by Mia Zia and Caravane, in a “classy trip around the world”. Recently given an entirely new look, the showroom focusses on the bedroom, bathroom and lounge, with noble materials in soft appealing shades. Ahimsa, 148 rue d’Antibes, Cannes (04 93 43 78 24).
If you would like to give a certain flair to your luncheons and dinner-parties, don’t forget to place a fluted Virebent bottle on the table ! Whether you opt for black, red, orange or green, it will be extremely effective, just like the “Fantasia” coffee-pot which never fails to get noticed. With its elegant body in aniseed green, black, orange or candy-pink, it comes with a non-matching lid. So chic ! On sale from Volupté, 32 rue Hoche, Cannes (04 93 38 20 41).
Fantasy for the bedroom, bathroom, or even the table ! Prints with big flowers kaleidoscope-style, sprinkled with corollas or neo-optic stripes swinging from black to white. Blankets juggle flowers with stripes, carpets flaunt graphic patterns. As for towels, they again offer stripes, micro/macro, asymmetric plaids, zigzags, wavy shapes… The Missoni Home collection lets your imagination run wild ! On sale from Volupté, 32 rue Hoche, Cannes (04 93 38 20 41).
Dazzling and pure, the collections signed Deshoulières & Apilco (a brand within the group) will grace your table with simplicity and appeal. Whether you opt for the Japanese style of “Nara”, a touch of Nature with “Flower”, the delicacy of “Bio” or the subtle originality of “Aqua”, white is always the order of the day. Table linen that guarantees refinement, intemporality and impeccable taste. Deshoulières, sales outlets 05 49 61 50 00.
La Riviera has been replaced by La Fnac. Which, by moving into premises of 4,000 sq. metres, has become one of the largest stores in the provinces. In the book department, now occupying 1,000 sq. metres instead of 400, you’ll find over 50,000 titles, a good choice of comic books and a corner devoted to the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region. Same thing goes for music and video (25 new listening booths for the first, three demonstration rooms in the Home Cinema area for the second). Relaxation has also made its appearance with brand new areas, and there are new discoveries too. Finally, for inveterate surfers, six Internet stations have taken their place in the store’s cyber-space. Fnac, 44/46 avenue Jean-Médecin (04 92 17 77 77) Nice.
Girmi had to wait until it celebrated its 50th anniversary before crossing the border into France. With a highly symbolic item : the “Caffèconcerto”, an expresso machine which prepares in no time at all expresso presto, cappuccino cresson and magnificent macchiato. It’s also madly “des-ign” and now available in golden yellow. And since “la dolce vita” comes straight from Italy, it even has a heating system for the cups. Le Temps Retrouvé, 8 rue de la Liberté, Nice (04 93 37 47 60).
This year, it comes in black - or white. Though the black isn’t really black : it hovers between brown, taupe and slate. The same goes for its counterpart, which veers towards cream, écru… with a cloud of milky white. It’s all a matter of nuance between what’s chic, subtle and eternal. Emotions are stirred on the rim of a dish in fine stoneware, velvety and smooth, of geometric and graphic design. It is cradled in a nest of plates and reflected in the density of crystal. Mikasa, sales outlets 0 810 810 759.
It all began in 1908. And almost a century later, the adventure is still alive and well. For this specialist in top-end-of-the-range kitchens, each stove becomes a symbol of France’s culinary tradition ! It’s thus in a setting on a par with its products that La Cornue has opened its new showroom. 500 sq. metres entirely devoted to the art of living and dining stylishly with the added bonus of a specialized design office to handle kitchen projects. La Cornue : widely renowned products and widely recognized expertise, at the disposal of gourmets, greedies and gastronomes ! La Cornue, Atelier d’Architecture Culinaire, 1570 chemin de Saint-Bernard (04 92 95 37 37).
Zofia Rostad has long won our appreciation. Before falling into a deep slumber, we slide gratefully into her sheets and matching bed sets. Her most recent designs for Elvé are stunningly original. Those with more classic taste will opt for “Menphis” with its positive/neg-ative effect in indigo blue and brown, while fans of abstract art will choose “Baltique” and opt-imists will curl up in “Gardenia”, whose colours range from turquoise to violet, not forgetting parma and azure blue. “Mes chats” is reserved for cat-lovers. Elvé, Sales outlets 01 53 77 25 50.
A musical box which plays the tune of the song “C’est si bon, de partir n’importe où…” while also containing seven special teas, that’s the latest offering from Mariage Frères. Made of beechwood covered in paper, with a suggestion for each day of the week : Marco Polo, French Breakfast Tea, Earl Grey French Blue, Chandernagor, Thé à l’Opéra, Thé au Tibet and Nil Rouge. Mariage Frères, order by calling 01 43 47 18 54.
When the aquarium takes centre-stage and becomes a feature of home decor, it takes on quite another dimension. Daniel Klose, who could well be described as an aquatic architect/decorator, claims some top-notch references and indisputable know-how. For his company in fact has two faces, the second being items fashioned out of resin : giant cascades, fake rocks more convincing than natural ones… His clients include the Palm Beach, the SBM in Monaco, Le Flamingo… This consultancy firm, which already covers all of France, Switzerland and North Africa, is now setting up projects in Dubai. Making light of frontiers, on land or sea. Premium Aquatic (04 97 21 03 28).
You’ve never seen anything like it ! “Thermovit” is a transparent glass radiator providing direct radiation of heat. A real work of art, the king of discretion and an emperor of originality, it emits a welcome, all-envelopping warmth without drying out the air. Looking ahead, and sure of its success, its designers have also produced a towel-rack version, equipped with a remote-control thermostat. Clever with it ! On sale from Valente, 67 avenue Clémenceau, Cogolin (04 94 54 46 84).
“Multisphère”, “Toupie”, “Chen-ille”... Designer Vicky Weiler, creator of Tung Design, has reinvented the art of the vase. Mostly in blown glass (occasionally, but rarely, in porcelain), it has become very original and takes another look at what one actually does with this container. Take “O de O”, for instance : a set of six soliflores each focussing on a different colour. Idem for “La Pluie”. Tung Design, Sales outlets 01 40 12 33 96.
Stéphane Bouix worked in the tourist industry as a travel organizer for a tour operator. Sébastien Carensac is a specialist in marketing and new technologies. Of their shared experience, a website has been born, specializing in swimming pools. It is intended for all those wanting to acquire, build or maintain a pool. You’ll find answers to questions on regulations, maintenance and safety equipment… And you’ll also be treated to a survey of extras such as furnishings. A few clicks and you’ll be presented with handy tips, photos of realisations, a book-list and the “pool newsletter”. In parallel, Stéphane and Sébastien have developed two complementary sites, www.annupro-piscine.com and www.promotion-piscine.com
Caroline Lafond doesn’t give a fig for winter, pessimism or depression. She goes for colour, unusual shapes, unexpected objects, essential little nothings. It’s hard to resist those boxes all dressed up by Point à la Ligne, crockery signed Annie Hazan or lamps designed by Léa Morin. And what can one say about that fake or silver jewellery, except that it’s divinely frivolous ?… As for Caroline, she’s just like everything around her : full of good humour ! De Millo Fine Art, 23 rue de Millo, Monaco (00 377 97 77 15 03).
In our house, you’ll find comfortable, good-looking and contemporary furniture ! That’s the scenario imagined by Giorgetti. Three designers, Chi Wing Lo, Antonello Mosca and Massimo Scolari have been entrusted with the major part of the 2004-2005 collection. The first is responsble for “Ela” and “Oli”, the second for the “Maharajah” couch and “Hermitage” (double beds with composable bedheads), while the third proposes storage units, aptly named “Home”. From Da Vinci, 16 avenue Maréchal Foch, Nice (04 93 62 64 29).
Since interior decor is now a matter of fashion, Galeries Lafayette has opened Lafayette Maison at Cap 3000. After Paris last March, now the Côte d’Azur ! In 4,000 m2, the themes revolve around our daily lives : it’s time to cook, lay the table, check the lounge, treat myself… All the various styles rub shoulders here ! Naturally, leading labels are on display : kitchen accessories from Cristel, Lagostina, KitchenAid…, tableware from Bernardaud, Christian Lacroix, Mikasa…, plus Kenzo, Bassetti or Elsa C. to adorn your bedrooms and bathrooms. Not forgetting Galeries Lafayettes’ own brand, which covers the art of the table, house linen and gifts. This new address is to be thought of as a place where a cheerful, optimistic tale is played out, inspired by the joys of family life. Lafayette Maison, Galeries Lafayette, Cap 3000, avenue Donadéï, Saint-Laurent-du-Var (04 93 14 82 12).
A really original idea which has already won a resounding success in the USA. Your face is engraved in 3D in a crystal cube. Called “EclaDâme”, it’s a winner because of its simplicity. A photo is taken of the subject (requiring just a few seconds), then the model is recorded in 3D on a computer and sent by E-mail to the Laser Riviera laboratory. Final phase : a laser engraves the face in the crystal. Real craftsmanship ! From 79 € to 139 €. Laser Riviera, 35 rue Pastorelli, Nice (04 93 55 58 25).
