Martine's Idea of "Maison Chic"

Maison Chic, July 2011

French Property Insider
Volume IX, Issue 23
June 9, 2011
Paris, France
FrenchPropertyInsider.com

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Bonjour French Property Insider Subscriber,

The agent in Nice pressured me to sign the "Compromis de Vente" (pre-sale agreement) as quickly as possible on the apartment on rue Massena, placing blame on our Notaire for the delay -- as it is NEVER the seller's fault! So, I did all I could to speed up the process and scheduled the signing for this past Tuesday. Only 30 minutes prior to arrival they had received a copy of the "Réglement de Coproprété" (by laws of the homeowner's association). Upon review, the document clearly outlined that rental of any furnished apartment in the building was forbidden. "Quelle surprise!"

Naturally the seller and the agent had assured me there was no issue with the rental of the apartment from the get-go, so the questions are: Was this version out-dated (1978) and the regulation had been amended at some time since? Had they lied? Or not known? Either way, it was irresponsible to have allowed the process to go this far without verifying that I had the right to rent the property.

With no panic nor real concern, we phoned to get confirmation from the seller's Notaire that they would requisition a copy of the correct and registered document, but that would take another two weeks. I also agreed to sign, but with the contingency that the regulation be changed prior to closing.

No doubt, however, is that without the associations' permission to rent the apartment, another will have 'bitten the dust' and I'll be back to square one in Nice looking for another apartment to fulfill my Riviera dream. Ugh. Perhaps these are all signs pointing me away from Nice and to some other project. I'll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, my focus turned toward other exciting matters. Magazines Maison Chic (France) and Casa Chic (Italy) published byLotus Publishing (Italyl) have published a 23-page spread in their July issues devoted to Le Palace des Vosges, our fractional ownership property in the Place des Vosges!

Magazine director Maria Letizia Tartaglini opens the issue with the following phrase (translated): "Marie-Antoinette, the movie by Sofia Coppola, has provided the source of inspiration to the decor of 17th-century stables transformed into an apartment by interior designer, Martine di Mattéo."

This is OUR Martine di Mattéo, who has also transformed 13 of the apartments offered byParler Paris Apartments and Paris Palais Apartments, a half-dozen others available through other agencies and is currently working on several more which will be added to the roster this coming year.

Martine may not be the queen of France like Marie-Antoinette, but she is the queen of Contemporary Château Chic -- a term we've created to describe her brilliant use of contemporary-style comfort with château elegance that fits today's Parisian lifestyle. She marries rummage sale antiques with reproduction furnishings, chooses high quality materials and adds rich fabrics and textures to turn a box of an apartment into a palace. Starting with good 'bones' (a property with good attributes), Martine can add the 'smoke and mirrors' to create a successful theme-park-like luxury rental apartment.

In some of her later projects, she has collaborated with mosaic artist, Véronique Husson, who designed both Le Provençal andLe Saint-Tropez/La Brigitte. Motifs in tile at the hand of Husson add an even further artistic element to the décor, much like the addition of artist Pascal Amblard's paintings, which you will find in Le Palace des Vosges as well as in many of the others.

One thing that strikes you upon entering any Di Mattéo designed apartments, is how comfortable one feels from the first moment -- that every item is so cohesive with the other elements. It's subtle, but effective. As Martine herself says, she tries to tell "one story." Whether the decor is Shabby Chic, Art Deco or Modern, nothing feels out of sorts, and all is harmonious in style, color and pattern.

Martine and I met when she was fresh out of taking courses to perfect her interior design skills, although she had many years experience in retail display. Our first collaborative project was Le Penthouse Voltaire about five years ago. Since then, our clients and we have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship. We suspect this will continue for years to come -- as it's a marriage made in heaven, our children being the apartments -- and the fruits of our labor.

This issue of French Property Insider is devoted to Martine di Mattéo, her devotion to her work, her clients' properties and her clients and to our goals to provide oases of French heaven in the midst of a sea of Ikea-clad rentals for less discerning guests.

Shares in Le Palace des Vosges are currently available for sale -- four weeks per year of usage for each of the 13 owners. Unsold weeks are available for vacation rental. To learn more, visit:

Purchase: http://www.palacedesvosges.com
Rental: palace_des_vosges.html or palace-des-vosges

To Martine, bravo on your success.

To view the article in its entirety, download the pdf by clicking here:http://www.palacedesvosges.com/Maison_Chic_July_2011.pdf

A bientôt,

Adrian Leeds
(with Martine di Mattéo at Le Palace des Vosges' Inauguration)
Editor, French Property Insider

Email: fpi@adrianleeds.com

P.S. Don't miss the newest House Hunters International episode: Historic Country Homes in Normandy -- Episode HHINT-2411H, airing June 12th and July 8th. Visit House Hunters International-Normandy for more information.