THE AGENCY Interior Design
THE AGENCY Interior Design is the interior architecture firm founded in Cannes by Natacha Nicolet, a graduate in space design and holder of ten-year liability insurance. Six years of practice, thirty years spent working with plans, and a career path unlike other interior architects on the French Riviera: before design, there was law.
A Family History Before It Was a Profession
Interior architecture is a tradition in the Nicolet family. Natacha takes over from Lucien Nicolet, her architect grandfather; her father-in-law was also an architect. From a young age, she was immersed in this world: observing plans, meticulously designing mood boards, visiting construction sites and suppliers.
These years of learning were unofficial, and that’s precisely what makes them interesting. When she decided to train, she already knew how to read a plan, recognize good installation, and spot a hollow estimate. The training simply formalized existing expertise.
From Business Law to Interior Design
Natacha Nicolet first practiced as a business lawyer. One might see this as a break; it is a continuity. A renovation project is an entanglement of contracts, responsibilities, deadlines, and budget arbitrations. Her years in law taught her how to read them, negotiate them, and ensure they hold up.
This explains a working method that is quite uncommon in the profession: quotes are analyzed item by item with the client, commitments are written, and the schedule is not an intention but a document. The firm opens its doors in Cannes after a deliberate career change, supported by official training in interior architecture and decoration.
A Firm That Produces Its Own Technical Plans
What distinguishes the firm is not visible in photos: it’s the plans. Electrical plans, technical plans, sections, and elevations are produced in-house for each project. A concrete engineer is only consulted when a load-bearing wall is involved.
This mastery changes the course of a construction project. Artisans quote based on precise documents instead of estimating, unforeseen events are handled on paper rather than on-site, and structural decisions are made before the first blow. The firm is covered by ten-year liability insurance and professional civil liability insurance for intellectual professions in construction: these are the guarantees of comprehensive project supervision, not just decoration advice.
What Differentiates an Interior Architect from a Decorator?
A decorator dresses a space. An interior architect redesigns it: volumes, circulation, networks, structure. They produce legally binding plans, coordinate trades, and assume ten-year liability for the result.
The confusion is frequent and costly for the client: a decoration project undertaken for a property that required a complete redistribution results in a pretty but poorly designed interior. We prefer to state this during the consultation visit rather than at delivery.
Our philosophy
THE AGENCY Interior Design does not offer a predefined style. Each project must find its identity and meaning in the history of the space to be reimagined and in that of the client. We reinvent ourselves with each project: a bespoke design, combining aesthetics and functionality, that withstands time and enhances your property today and tomorrow.
We love art and sculptural furniture, and we believe in the harmony between a designer object and antique trinkets. We reveal the soul of things and find their rightful place.
“Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away,” wrote Antoine de Saint-ExupĂ©ry.
Our Approach: Quality, Deadline, Budget
The firm’s signature is based on three simple and inseparable principles. We take your budget into account, we guarantee the quality of the service, and we discuss together the time required for its completion. Nothing is left to chance, and these three elements merge to bring the project to life.
Upstream work is essential. The design phase, both aesthetic and technical, is the step that determines the success of the rest. Our partners are carefully selected and are exclusively qualified and recognized artisans. Trust is the foundation of our expertise: the trust you place in us and the trust we place in our service providers.
Where to Find Us
The firm is located in Cannes and operates in Mougins, Antibes and Cap d’Antibes, Mandelieu-la-Napoule, Valbonne, and Saint-Tropez. To discover completed projects, browse our achievements; to discuss yours, contact us.
