Seillans

My good friends Bill and Carole Lomas, who have a real estate firm too - "Maison 2", sold a wonderful 3-bedroom property in Seillans, a village in the Var... With a stunning view.

They asked me to do a painting, of the house itself, so I started a 70 X 50 cm aquarelle, on my favourite mouldmade Arche "torchon" (rough grain) 300 grams watercolour paper

I always start with the parts that I like best, and often they are the windows and doors, because there's "mystery" there! In this case, a nice, light and happy atmosphere...

Slowly working on the rest of the house - and while I am painting, my appreciation for the house grows and grows So that, after I'm finished I so want to be and stay there... but of course I can't - the new owners of the house are the lucky guys and I am pretty sure they'll be totally happy out there!

Magnificent, authentic estate in Valbonne

On no more than 3 minutes walking distance from Valbonne Village there is a great property-secret that I'd like to share with you: one of the most prestigious properties in the countryside behind Cannes... A couple of years ago RHF's top consultant Jeroen Zaat sold it to a lovely English family and I created the painting you see up here at the time. I remember it was hard to choose which of the beautiful parts I was going to do, there were so many! It is a stunning, completely renovated old mill (Moulin) from the 16th century - so close to the centre of Valbonne village, one of prettiest and liveliest villages in the heart of the Cote d’Azur!

The owners gave many a good party in it and I know for a fact (because I was there) that the villa and everything around it, is very appropriate for that!
The main house itself has 600m² of living space and is set on a private estate of 13 acres bordering on the river Brague. It is completely secluded and every view from it is over private land. The villa has a total of 9 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms, including a downstairs 'guest wing' with 2 double guest bedrooms plus a separate two-bedroom annexe.

To access the residence, you go through the private gates, that are situated 100 metres from the old village of Valbonne!

The immaculate, extensive gardens are a perfect playground for all ages. There is a large pool, heated of course, with a fully equipped pool house. A new orchard with greenhouse, along with a large new playhouse/atelier is situated on top of the hill where the new full tennis court is also situated.
The river Brague is filled with fresh water trout, there is a man-made pond with fish, ducks and turtles, as well as a waterfall. A footpath runs around the entire property for a lazy afternoon walk. And just outside the property there's a large nature reserve. For the real walkers: it is a 3 hour walk along the river to the medieval village of Biot -- and the beach.

You 'll agree that this must be one of the finest properties on the market today - in a very exclusive location! And it is now back on the market - Riviera Home Finders' Jeroen Zaat has it in exclusivity. If you are interested in this property or want more information you can contact him directly or via the RHF website!

The Cote d'Azur lifestyle

Just a short note to say we're still alive at RHF, we're working very hard finding homes for various clients... Luckily this hard work takes place in the South of France, and a girl has to have lunch on the beach from time to time - with or without clients, feet in the sand, sun on your hair - and I am talking end October !! I made the aquarelle above (the beach of Golfe Juan) a week ago... isn't it wonderful over here!
If you are in the rain and the cold in the North thinking "wish I was there"... don't hesitate to give us a call - we have the properties to go with your your longing for the Côte d'Azur lifestyle!

La Garde Freinet

I have been painting a very nice house with a great view, in La Garde Freinet!
La Garde-Freinet is a nice old town, 20 kilometers from St Tropez. Pleasant, typical South-French, with lots of shops and restaurants. The old part of the village is built in the 16th century. There you'll find the romantic, narrow little streets, sometimes carved through the rocks. Near la Garde Freinet were - and are - chestnut groves. The town is popular by the locals and people from nearby villages as well as tourists, for their local chestnut jam (confiture marron) and chestnut honey (miel chataignier). You can buy them at the famous "Confiturerie des Gambades".

St Tropez II

As I mentioned before, the St Tropez area is very popular! Here we have a lovely, modern style villa, again in St Tropez. Soon to be sold by my colleage Pia Frei, out of the RHF office on the Place Celli in the center of Saint Tropez. And not only our clients love it there! I am very fond of St Trop also, we sail there a lot and are looking forward to the "Voiles de Saint Tropez" in October - a big prestigeous, international regatta, with a lot of fun on the glamorous "land" as well! Sailing and then partying with colleagues and celebrities, who wouldn't like that....

This is a pic of an earlier Voiles de St Tropez... I'll keep you "posted"

St Tropez

The coming posts will all be about villa's in (the neighbourhood of) St Tropez! This trendy, vibrant area is very popular all of a sudden with Riviera Home Finders' clients!
The villa shown here is painted by the talented aquarellista Marina Teding van Berkhout - from the Marina Artists Team - worth a compliment as she made it look like the fantastic house that it actually is...
It has a terrific seaview

Of course it has all luxury and quality finishings, a 60m² salon, 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, cave, floor heating and air conditioning...

It also has an independent appartment and a poolhouse, with the pool , which measures 11 x 4.50 meters and has a large sun terrace.

The villa is constructed with a main house and two wings so that it can optimally profit of the sun
If you want to be where the action is, go look on our site, in the St Tropez area - we have a couple of houses left but they are selling fast! Watch this space for more...

Villefranche II

The town "Villefranche" dates back to 130 BC. It was officially established by Charles II, Duke of Anjou, in 1295, to protect the coastline from pirate attacks. The Citadelle, the venue where "my" Salon took place, was created to defend the port and the coastline even better, by the duke of Savoy. The construction started in 1566, based on and using a quite new defense system that integrated innovations of artillery and the use of gunpowder... It is trapeze shaped, the long sides along the sea, a deep canal around it and you need to cross a bridge to enter.
In 1965 the town bought back the citadelle and nowadays it houses the city hall, museums and an open air theatre. The population of Villefranche is around 7000 - still a small town!

Inside the citadelle - an art salon going on.

The Villefranche beach

Outside the citadelle

A nice little corner with my work

Villefranche I

Last week I've participated in a big "Contemporary Art" exhibition - in the Citadelle of Villefranche. I have been there every day from 10AM to 8PM and I'm very impressed by the village... It is truly one of the most extraordinarily beautiful -and happy- spots that I've ever been to.
Quite busy and lively, lots of true old french style, beautiful houses and squares with restaurants and terraces. There are several fabulous beaches, with view on small, bigger and really big boats and of course...the sun!

Our Expo was in the Citadelle, built in 1557. It is an old fortress, with a couple of museums, the town hall and an open-air theatre. And a beautiful park and garden, where people have romantic picnics in the shade when it is too hot on the beach. Always open for everybody. It looks so real, you feel as if you enter the 16th century when you walk over the bridge. More about the Citadelle in a later post, have to go there again to remove the paintings (the expo has finished) but as you may have noticed, I like it there, very much! If Riviera Home Finders ever opens a Villefranche office - I'll be the first volunteering to work there!

Villa in Valbonne V

A post about a perfect property close to Valbonne! Our agent Jeroen Zaat (the best there is for prestige properties!) has a luxury villa in his portfolio that he would like to highlight because of its many fabulous characteristics:

- The total surface of the villa is around 400m², surrounded by 5000m² flat terrain.

- The location is perfectly quiet and has nice views over the mountains.

- The villa itself has a huge living room with fireplace and office corner, opening to the terraces.

- Large heated swimming pool of 16x6m with electric cover, surrounded by large terraces - A summer kitchen and a fitness room.

- A full size tennis court

- Double garage - and ample parking for several more cars.

...And then of course a dining room, kitchen, pantry, laundry room and heating room and in the other end of the house three large bedrooms with their bathrooms, the master suite with a large dressing and bathroom with bath and shower. Upstairs a mezzanine with library and fourth bedroom with bathroom and dressing...

There is a separate guesthouse with three identical bedrooms (of course with their own bathrooms), which open to the terrace and the pool area. On the back of the guesthouse is an independent studio. This studio could serve as guardian's quarters (kitchenette, bedroom and bathroom opening to private terrace).
The property is kept in perfect condition and has reverse cycle airconditiong/heating in every room.

The price? €3,450,000... not unreasonable - and for that amount the property can be purchased fully furnished - including 2 cars!

For even more information visit our website or contact Jeroen Zaat

Castelleras

Just finished a painting of this beautiful Chateau - that has only one link with Riviera Home Finders in sofar that it would be a great location to have our next reception or party! Castelleras is a small village close to Valbonne and neighbouring Mouans Sartoux. When I saw the chateau de Castelleras for the first time, I thought it was a very old building, upgraded and changed through the ages, but as it turns out, it was (re-)constructed within a year - and not so very long ago: in 1927! It is built by the famous french architect, visionary and ecologist Couëlle (OK! there's another link -RHF has very exclusive villa's of his design in their portfolio). Couëlle, who at the time was only 26 years old- used the knowledge that he had gathered, while saving and reconstructing 12th, 15th and 16th century chateaux in the Provence and the Pyrenees from their ruins...
He used the existing ruins of the 'oppidum' or fortified village where the "knights of Sartoux" once lived, to build a beautiful, balanced and very charming chateau...
The Chateau de Castelleras is now mainly used for weddings and receptions. And as you can see from the pictures, it is another great spot with that fabulous athmosphere, style and class that you can only find here, in the South of France...

Cannes Fireworks from the boat

Every year on 14 July you can find the Riviera Home Finders crew on the water, enjoying the view on the Bastille-day celebration fireworks from the Med!

The beautiful Classic yacht "Adria" with RHF on board...

We forget the daily property-business (well - not quite, we're still available by phone)for a day of true, South French luxury, on a beautiful yacht...

Wine tasting...

RHF Bossman Richard Green samples the food...

RHF Boardmeeting just before the fireworks start...

And then the fabulous, exciting, more than half an hour, fireworks, with incredible impressive music... Jealous? Want to be part of that lifestyle? Don't hesitate, move to the Riviera and you will be able to experience the sun and the fun and the fireworks. And info about a nice place to live, as always, "chez nous" at Riviera Home Finders...

Biot II

As promised, here's the other painting of the house that is now sold - together with a little bit about the old true south-french village where it is located: Biot.The old centre of Biot is super. A very romantic, friendly French village, with tiny streets that are made attractive with plants and flowers everywhere.
I have lived there myself for a couple of years and I loved it! Hence all the paintings - I couldn't stop (and must admit I made many more... Biot has a museum and lots of art and crafts galleries, great restaurants, a wonderful old factory where glassware as well as art objects are made by hand. It is close to the sea - walking distance - I used to walk to the beach quite often in the summer (ok - almost an hour - and there's a bus too.)

Biot is close to all the important cities, airport and trainstation, as well as to our "silicon valley" Sophia Antipolis. It is a modern village - with an old centre that is alive summer and winter! I can recommend it heartily - as a village to live or to visit...

Biot I

Tomorrow Riviera Home Finders has another sales contract signed, sealed and delivered! Again it was our top-agent Jeroen Zaat who did the deal. The new owner as well as the seller will recieve an aquarelle - the one above painted on a piece of hand made, super rough-grain paper.

The house is located in Biot (between Antibes and Valbonne) in a quiet residential area. It has a surface of 300 m² and a lot of terrain, and a lovely garden with a 5 X 10 meter swimmingpool. The view is wonderful: over the woods right down to the mediterranean...

The villa is in perfect condition with 4 bedrooms, that all have their own bathrooms and access to large terraces. Additionally there is an independent studio with kitchenette and bathroom, and a garage as well as a car port for 2 cars. The price of this house was €1,920,000 - and if that is an interesting price bracket for you, don't hesitate to contact Jeroen Zaat, because he has lots of similar properties on great locations for you! I'll post the other aquarelle after the sale has passed at the Notaire's office and give you some information about the lovely village of Biot!

Cabris II

As mentioned a week ago, I have been painting a house in Cabris for a friends' birthday. The house has a great view, all around, towards Cabris and also towards the sea. They also have plenty of olive trees (enough for their own oil!!) and last but not least, perfect rosebushes all over the place... It is a marvelous house with a great ambience - which I hope you can see in the painting:

Click on picture to see details!

And below an overview of the making of such a painting:

If you are attracted to houses like this and you would like to buy one - we can help you - Riviera Home Finders has a database full of similar beautiful properties - and many others...

Cabris I

Close to Valbonne (Riviera Home Finders headquarters) and all the other lively Riviera villages and cities - yet quiet and away from daily business and noise, lies Cabris, a beautiful village 550m up the Plan de Provence hills. From the top of the village, you have a truly spectacular view towards the sea.The village of Cabris dates back to 1000, though the way it looks nowadays, reflects the reconstruction of the 16th century (after the Black Plague). Southwest of the village lie the ruins of the Chapel of Mostayret. They are built by the Lerins Monks in the 4th century. There is also a tiny lovely 19th-century chapel - the Chapelle de Saint-Jean-de-Pape. The vestiges of the castle of Cabris, mostly destroyed in the Revolution, are still visible from the Place Mirabeau, named after the writer and statesman who often stayed here. Cabris has always been popular with great thinkers and artists, like Marcel Pagnol , Albert Camus and Antoine De Saint-Exupéry.

Exupéry with his mother - on a tile in Cabris

And you can follow their example, by taking the A8 motorway, then the N 85 and finally the D 4. Cabris is only 6 km from Grasse, it has a population of 1370 people

I am writing about Cabris because I am in the finishing stages of a painting for a friends' birthday. He has a house there, with a splendid garden, gorgeous roses and a great view - to the sea from one side and on the village of Cabris from the other... Watch this space...