As the French agents for some of the world's most coveted family-run design houses, including Moroso, Porro and Nanimarquina, it should be no surprise that Nathalie and Nicolas Imart have a home that is a testament to their passion for design.
Sandwiched between a synagogue and a Russian church in the oldest part of Biarritz, this two-bedroom apartment boasts magnificent Atlantic Ocean views, but it's hard to drag your eyes away from the interior.
Here, curvaceous Patricia Urquiola sofas and armchairs mingle with Cristina Celestino marble panels, theatrical Giopato & Coombes pendant lights and rare collectible pieces by Memphis Group cohorts Ettore Sottsass, Martine Bedin and Andrea Branzi. Their aim was for the apartment to show how to mix these sometimes very different design universes together.
Having fallen in love with this elegant seaside town while on holiday, Nathalie and Nicolas moved with their young son, Mathis, from Albi, near Toulouse, in 2019. Despite the late-19th-century property's style when they bought it, which Nathalie describes as slightly 'soulless' (everything was beige, and pine flooring gave the room a horrible orange hue), they saw potential. 'We were attracted to the height of the ceilings, the simplicity of the rooms and the light in the kitchen,' she says. It was smaller than they had hoped, but they were hooked.
Working closely with Lyon-based interior designer Claude Cartier, the couple improved the flow of the apartment by installing light oak herringbone parquet throughout and taking away all of the doors in the living space.
'With uninterrupted views from entrance hall to living room and kitchen, it felt more cohesive and cosier,' says Nathalie. Cartier drew on those vistas for the home's palette, taking inspiration from the pinks and terracottas of the nearby buildings, as well as, adds Nathalie, 'the green of their woodworked balconies and the fast-changing blues of the nearby ocean'.
It was also Cartier's idea to add unexpected touches, like the painted semi-circle on the ceiling above the dining table - which, says Nathalie, 'brings softness to an otherwise
very rectangular room' - and the doorways accentuated in black.
Clever storage allows each space to feel 'as uncluttered as possible,' she furthers, while textural warmth is added by a roster of Nanimarquina rugs that includes designs by Ilse Crawford, Doshi Levien and Eduardo Chillida (the famous Basque sculptor).
The result is a home that honours great design while feeling 'fresh, energetic and invigorating', Nathalie adds. And, of course, there is the luxury of being able 'to listen to the sounds of the ocean all day long', she beams. agenceimart.fr; claude-cartier.com