MoMA, creative reception!

Valérie Arboireau, creator of Merry Cristal has just opened in the heart of Nice a workshop house where you can spend the night, share a seasonal meal and above all… take in the eyes as art creeps everywhere!

“I had no plans to restore a house. The point is that my workshop was getting too small! It was by chance that we met that we were able to recover this old retirement home in the heart of Nice! I had until then a wonderful apartment that I had just redecorated but this opportunity had to be seized! »Declares Valérie, enthusiasm in her voice. It took them to give new life to a house previously occupied by 17 residents… “It was dismal, imagine 17 small dark rooms, with cramped bathrooms. This bourgeois house dating from 1905 had been divided up on all sides. Initially, we took the party with Peter Larsen (his spouse and designer) to bring down partitions, false ceilings, alarm bells and everything that could recall this medical universe. The magic operates, the luminosity gains space. The couple opts for two large rooms on each level. “The rooms are in the image of the occupants” explains Valérie, “on the first level, we climb a few small steps before arriving in Peter’s studio, which is both a conference room and a television corner. It is a very white, pure space that contrasts with his colorful and present creations. “The second space located at the cellar level plays with contrasts,” it is a fairly large room, 50m2 and dark. Rather than wanting to lighten it up at any cost, we decided to make it warm and almost caulk it, painting it ox blood red. We have kept a single white wall where we display the performance boards, but this space can also become a cinema space. ”

Garden, living room

“In Nice, we are outside eleven months out of twelve” smiles the young woman, “the garden is thought of as a room which is an inherent part of the house. »A garden imagined as a common room where we spend our time of rest and relaxation. Where we have breakfast in the sun and where we enjoy endless dinners in the evening … “When we arrived, the garden looked like nothing. There was great potential with an orange tree, a tangerine tree, a fig tree and a huge palm tree. Handling the spade does not scare me (this is my initial training) I recreated what I like to call a defrocked priest’s garden! I had the help of my mother, whose passion is the conservation and planting of so-called “Belle Epoque” plants, her Var garden can even be visited! We have redesigned a large Mediterranean space, a real mix of colors and smells. ”

Salvage house

The interior of this artists’ home where friends pass and where Zita and Pedro, the two house cats stay, has been furnished mainly thanks to salvage. “I have a personal look, William the father of my daughter who allows me, through his professional activity, to change the look of the house in abundance. The game is to find and put it all together. The large wooden table that we use for our dinners is an old casino table! And then it allows me to expand my chandeliers, my first creations, which I adorn with flowers, scarves… ”Real difference here, the creations are for sale. You can crack in Nice and take the object! “I like the idea of an artistic crush within the framework of an intimate stay. There is no snobbery, just people who talk, ”says Valérie. Two rooms welcome you at Valérie and Peter’s, the Claude François room furnished in a 50s spirit. Pop atmosphere, flashy color, orange and turquoise blue! “It’s a very cool room with a mezzanine, on the wall there is a vintage poster of Claude François! »Second rest area, the Jazz à Juan room, more intimate in chocolate tones. “I started with a poster from 1963 in order to think about the decoration of the room” explains Valérie. A bathroom is shared by these two rooms, “we designed it on the old staff locker room. There was no light, a low window and white tiles. So, we decided to make it a crazy piece, Malabar pink, very kitsh with crystal appliques and fake flowers! “A meeting place before being a guest house, the MoMA is designed as a warm space,” our guests share a life in the midst of the artists who pass and exhibit. We organize dinners with local personalities… and always with ease! »La MoMA 5, avenue des mousquetaires 06100 Nice Tel +33 (6) 60 57 49 59 www.moma-nice.com