You look at the photographs a second time. You zoom in to see how the light falls on the far wall.
This time, you imagine who you would invite. Where you would have breakfast. The room you would retreat to, and the one you would fill with people.
You linger over a terrace. You think of a date, then a length of stay. A week would be lovely. A month, perhaps longer.
I love that moment when you begin to make room for yourself in a place you have never been.
Choosing a place you can see yourself in
In a Paris apartment, I can imagine coming home late, flowers bought on the way, a dinner decided upon that very morning.
In a house in the Caribbean, I think about the people I would like to bring together. The doors we would leave open, the terrace that would become the meeting point for the whole house, from breakfast to the last conversations of the night.
Every address suggests a different possibility. A way of spending your days, being with others and finding privacy.
I believe we also choose places for the person we imagine becoming there. More present. Closer to the people we love. With time to follow our interests. Free to find a different place within our own lives.
That is the wish I try to understand before starting a search. A few days to gather your family, several months to get to know a city from within, a pied-à-terre to return to or a house to buy: the search begins with the part you want that place to play in your life.
The wish to stay
I lived in Bangkok for a year when my son was a baby.
The city stretched out beyond my balcony and, even after months, the view could still interrupt whatever I was doing. I would move towards the window and stay there a few moments longer.
Downstairs, there was the smell of bread and croissants. Something familiar in the middle of the life I was discovering with him.
When I think back to that apartment, these memories return together: the scale of the city and the simplicity of a habit.
A place can impress us on arrival. Attachment grows later, through our days there. We learn which window to open, when to go out, what we like to come home to.
And one morning, we catch ourselves thinking: home.
A holiday villa or an apartment for a short stay
Some addresses give us the pause we have been needing, without becoming a permanent part of our lives.
A house to bring the family together. An apartment from which to rediscover a city with more freedom. A villa where you can invite friends and let the days unfold slowly.
For a holiday rental, too, I like to understand how you want to use the space. A large table makes perfect sense if you love hosting. A bedroom set apart from the others can make sharing a house much more comfortable. Being able to step outside and explore on foot can change your entire relationship with a city.
These details make the selection personal. They give you a reason to choose one house over another, beyond its beauty.
A furnished rental for several months
After a few weeks, you begin to ask different things of a place. Somewhere to work quietly. A bedroom where your child sleeps well. A kitchen whose cupboards you know, a neighbourhood you enjoy stepping into without a plan.
For a furnished rental lasting several months, I consider the daily life that will take shape there: comfortable rooms, equipment, getting around and rental terms. I like to imagine an ordinary day in the place with you. Often, that is when the choice becomes clearer.
The length of stay, overall budget, people joining you and services you need give direction to the search. Availability and terms are then checked with the local contacts involved.
A pied-à-terre to return to, a home to buy
There are cities you want to return to often enough to leave a few things behind. Somewhere you can arrive without starting all over again, pick up familiar habits and invite the people you love.
A pied-à-terre can be rented or purchased. The first question concerns your returns: how often, for how long and with whom? I love the idea of a home you are happy to come back to, where arriving feels a little easier each time.
If the wish becomes a purchase project, the search takes shape around your priorities, budget and intended use of the home. I help guide the selection and coordinate discussions; due diligence and the transaction proceed with the appropriate local professionals.
That freedom takes preparation. It means understanding the surroundings, clarifying the terms and knowing who can care for the property while you are away. A beautiful address deserves a careful look at the life that will be possible around it.
The Maison Nomade approach to finding a residence
You might send me a photograph of a terrace and end up telling me about your wish to bring your family together. You might ask for a central apartment and discover, as we discuss your daily routine, that quiet matters more than you had realised.
That is why I make time for conversation. I want to understand what you enjoy sharing, what you prefer to keep to yourself, how you like to host and how you need to spend time alone.
Through Residences, I help you clarify your plans for a stay, rental or purchase. I select options, explain the choices and coordinate discussions with the right people. A proposal should help you imagine yourself there while making clear what is confirmed, what still needs checking and where compromises may be necessary.
I love places with character. But what interests me most is what happens when they meet the right people. A house takes on another dimension when you already know who you would invite.
Explore the Residences service →
From Le Journal: Travel. Settle in. Savour. Gather. →
What life do you imagine behind the door?
A stay you would like to extend. A city you want to return to more often. A house where you can bring together the people you love.
Tell me about the place you are looking for, or simply what you would like to live there. A few days, several months, regular returns or a purchase: together, we will give your search its shape.