L’AGENCE Interior Design creates comprehensive interior designs in Mougins: material palettes, lighting, sheer curtains, textiles, designer furniture, and bespoke furniture. The mission is led by Natacha Nicolet, interior architect and space designer, from her Cannes studio located ten kilometers away, from the initial mood board to the installation of the final object.
Villa California, told through its decoration
This is our flagship project in the commune, and it perfectly illustrates what decoration can achieve when treated as a project rather than just a furniture purchase. For this 240 m² Californian-style villa in Mougins, we were involved from the house’s design phase, which allowed us to design the decoration alongside the volumes.
The chosen approach is warm minimalism. A blend of contemporary and luxurious materials, without losing the authenticity of the location: this is the most difficult balance to maintain in a recent construction, where everything is new and nothing yet carries a history.
Two decisions defined the project. First, the light, crafted through a selection of lighting fixtures and subtle sheer curtains, because in a south-facing villa in the hinterland, the challenge is not to bring in light but to manage it: filtering the harsh daylight hours, preserving the color of the materials, and preventing backlighting from flattening the volumes. Second, the furniture, entirely custom-designed, and specifically conceived to showcase decorative objects inherited by the clients. These objects became the starting point for the palette instead of being constraints to hide, which changes everything: we don’t decorate around new furniture; we build an interior around what already holds value for its inhabitants.
The complete project file, with its photos, is in our portfolio. Our page dedicated to interior architecture in Mougins tells the story of the same project from another angle: that of volume design and layout.
What the decoration mission includes
The mission covers the complete dressing of the space. Material and color palettes. Wall and floor coverings. Cornices, moldings, backlighting, wood paneling. Curtains, sheers, and textiles. Selection of furniture, lighting, and rugs. Bespoke furniture designed when the space requires it. Accessories, objects, and artworks.
Everything is presented in mood boards, then in 3D views, then quoted item by item and room by room before any order is placed, all gathered in a Design Book. You see the result and its price at the same time, which is the only way to make decisions calmly.
Implementation is coordinated by the studio: placing orders, tracking lead times from publishers and workshops, finishing craftsmen, reception, delivery, and installation. This is a design service, not a shopping accompaniment.
For which projects this mission is relevant
For us, decoration is most often the final act of a global project. On California as on our other references, it follows a comprehensive design or a total renovation: this is where it yields the best results, because the volumes, light, and systems have already been addressed.
A decoration-only mission remains possible under two conditions. First, that the property is sound: no redistribution of space or system updates required. Second, that the project’s level of requirement matches that of the studio, because our added value lies in design and coordination, not just furniture selection. Below a certain scope, a lighter accompaniment will serve you better, and we will tell you so during the consultation visit.
If your project involves partitions, systems, or room distribution, that is where you must start: global renovation and interior layout precede decoration, and decoration will be the final, most pleasant act.
Decorating in Mougins: what the building imposes
The commune can be read in two registers, and they do not call for the same choices.
In the old hilltop village, the buildings are ancient and dense, the volumes deep, and light is limited to the extremities. Decoration there works against the darkness: shades that reflect light, accent lighting rather than general ambiance, and materials that do not absorb the little available daylight. Furthermore, interventions visible from the outside require urban planning authorizations, as the architectural character of the village is preserved: this does not affect interior decoration, but it does affect joinery and shutters, which one is often tempted to address at the same time.
Around it, the landscape changes completely: restored Provençal farmhouses, contemporary villas in residential neighborhoods, properties around golf courses. The volumes there are generous, the openings wide, and the exposure direct. The subject becomes mastering the southern light and the scale of the furniture: in a seven-meter-long living room with four-meter ceilings, catalog furniture always looks small, and that is where furniture designed for the space is economically justified.
Our other delivered decorations
Gaïa, in Roquefort-les-Pins, about fifteen kilometers away: total renovation and turnkey decoration of a 260 m² villa, a secondary residence for Parisian clients. It was designed as a Mediterranean holiday home, in a warm and organic register, with stone floors, wooden furniture, bold lighting, and numerous custom-made pieces. It is the closest reference to the style expected in a villa in the hinterland.
Victoria, Rue d’Antibes in Cannes: over 70 m², the decoration plays on volume rather than accumulation, with full-height pivot doors and cornices highlighted by subtle lighting. Romana, in Cannes: bespoke decoration of a villa ground floor with Parisian codes, Versailles parquet, moldings, and Art Deco glass partitions.
How does a decoration mission unfold?
The process follows our three-phase method, focused on its aesthetic side. First, the consultation visit: assessment of the premises, reading the property’s potential, and identifying project constraints. Then, the preliminary design, with mood boards and furniture layout plans, to validate a direction before going into detail. Finally, the final design: 3D views, material and covering boards, selection of pieces, and a global budget estimated item by item.
Finally comes coordination: orders, manufacturing follow-up, finishing craftsmen, reception of deliveries, and installation. This is the longest phase in terms of lead times and the shortest in terms of decisions.
As Mougins is about ten kilometers from the studio, decision-making meetings and installation days are easily organized.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have you already decorated a house in Mougins?
Yes, Villa California: a 240 m² Californian-style villa, where we designed the decoration alongside the volumes, including furniture entirely custom-designed around objects inherited by the clients.
What is the difference between a decorator and your decoration service?
The mission is led by an interior architect: layout plans, bespoke furniture designs, detailed quoting, and coordination of contractors, under ten-year structural insurance and professional civil liability. The scope is broader than furnishing advice, and so is the responsibility.
Do you provide the furniture?
Yes. The studio places the orders, tracks lead times from publishers and workshops, and coordinates delivery and installation. The property is handed over ready to live in.
Do you work with furniture or objects that we already own?
Yes, and this is often what gives the project its character. On California, the bespoke furniture was specifically designed to showcase decorative objects inherited by the clients.
How much does interior design cost in Mougins?
The budget depends on the surface area, the chosen scope, and the quality level of the furniture and finishes. It is quoted item by item and room by room during the final design phase, and finalized with you before any order is placed.
