My Place, My Space

“The home should be the treasure chest of living.” Le Corbusier.

We lived in an amazing city, Berlin, with its truly international, diverse history, architecture and challenging bureaucracy. We had a lovely apartment that felt as if we where in a treehouse and it had a gentle but fun energy. The colours were perfect with soft hues of sky blue, cafe latte and cream. But my heart lies near the sea in all seasons and I have a strong connection with the French culture. The South of France is an escape from the cold, grey Northern winters that seep in to your bones.

We wanted to find a small, affordable place where the sky is blue. We searched in various parts of France and even viewed Spain as an option and always with the following criteria:

Direct flights, short journey with easy transport
Near the sea or close by
Warmer weather – particularly during winter
Access to traditional and cultural events
No need for renovation – been there, done that
At least 1 bedroom and lots of light
Some cafes and shops in easy walking distance

The Selection

Here is where the Feng Shui comes in – location first, apartment second. After visiting various villages, towns, small cities in Spain and France, we just couldn’t find the location that sang to us. Then we visited Fréjus late June as the sun was heating up and the tourists were appearing. It is a lovely mix of tradition, fun and near the sea. With the benefit of being close to the glamour of Cannes and Nice.

Having found our place, we needed to find our space. Looking at apartments, my practice is to go up to the entrance and pause, connect with my chi and walk in. It has to sing in 5 minutes – I have spent longer time buying a pair of shoes. My personal best is selecting an apartment in 7 hours!

We had 5 apartments on our list after months of viewing websites. We found a wonderful, local agent who immediately grasped what we were looking for and took us through final processes. A sign of good energy. We visited the ‘wild ‘card’ first, a last minute find by the agent. It had the lowest price but reviewing photos, the bedroom looked small and we weren’t sure about the layout. It was close to restaurants and near the main square, we wanted more space and felt it was a no.

We Fell in Love

We were convinced we would buy one of the places on our list but none matched the photos and needed updating. As we visited the other 4, we realised we had found our space – the wild card. We revisited the apartment, had dinner at the restaurant opposite that night and made an offer which was accepted. We went through the French processes which requires a bit of patience and a bucket load of documents including an English and a French marriage certificate!