Great story…

October 2008

Despite the present credit crunch, finance shortage and slumped property markets all over Europe, unique designed properties in Provence are still selling in short time.

In January 2007 a group of Swiss investors contracted with the Danish repeat entrepreneur and property developer Bjorn Stiedl to create luxury homes in the heart of Provence for the selective client. The properties were to be placed in unique locations and built to the highest attainable standards using the best materials available.

The first property, La Pierre Ronde, was finished in mid-summer of 2008, and immediately attracted several offers, and has been sold to a discerning client in October.

The property was designed to be a secondary home for the cash rich and quality conscious European professional and his family with too little time on his hands. La Pierre Ronde was purchased by a French family for holiday use, though.

Bjorn Stiedl has designed and developed a large number of properties in Denmark, in the UK and in France prior to this assignment, and he has throughout the last 20 years received great recognition and won several awards for town improvements. Mr. Stiedl’s designs have always been known for premium European design, the best materials and a sustainable development.

After La Pierre Ronde, Mr. Stiedl on behalf of the Swiss investor group continues to develop new properties throughout Provence for the discerning client.

May 2008

High quality and amazing design are key factors in La Pierre Ronde, which is the first property financed by Swiss investors and designed by the Danish property developer Bjorn Stiedl.

This amazing property has after a thorough but tactful renovation now been put up for sale, ready for the quality-conscious proprietor.

In the middle of the town centre of the picturesque Provencal village of Eygalieres in the centre of the Alpilles mountains, Bjorn Stiedl has converted a 330 m2 traditional townhouse to a unique living experience for the large family with the possibility of housing a number of guests who are accustomed to and are expecting to be welcomed in an inviting and sumptuous environment.

You will find La Pierre Ronde directly across from the village church and on the border of the medieval part of the city. A gentle incline leads from the village centre and up to the property, giving it a scenic view from the entrance and down towards the village. A courtyard framing the entire property ensures peace and quiet from the bustling village outside.

The house has 5 bedrooms, most of them with en-suite bathrooms, large living and dining areas, sumptuous furnishings, a fully equipped bespoke kitchen and a number of terraces that naturally link the garden outside with the cosy atmosphere indoors. Glass doors bring the light into the house, and make the beautifully appointed garden an extension of the interior of the house. The local Provencal style has been naturally combined with modern European standards and design, and all materials are of the best quality wood, stone and glass.

The garden has been beautifully landscaped, and there is a tastefully designed sundeck in the private garden area behind the house.

The Provencal village of Eygalieres in Les Alpilles is the place to buy property in France after Cote d’Azur has been run over by the “new money” from Russia and China. The city has an authentic charm, and there is an extraordinary blend of the sun, light and the scent of lavender and herbs that is entirely unique.

The area has been attracting distinguished proprietors such as the royal family of Monaco, celebrities such as Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt and others who seek the reclusive charm far away from prying eyes and the hustle and bustle that Cote d’Azur regrettably has become in the past five yea

January 2007

In the last five years, a growing number of traditional holiday homes in Cote d’Azur have been taken by Russians, Chinese and Indian entrepreneurs with virtually limitless funds and a tendency for blatant show-off. Many of these newcomers have come to riches within the past ten years, and are much more boisterous and uninhibited, leaving a most unbecoming impression on the old inhabitants of Cote d.Azur.

The traditional European holiday home-owners have been leaving the coast in great numbers, taking huge amounts of money with them, and they are now on the lookout for more quiet and secluded places to live. Some have sold their old premises to the newcomers, or have just decided not to invest in a holiday home in Cote d’Azur as it no longer lives up to their requirements.

Areas such as Luberon and Les Alpilles are generally sought after and especially the picturesque village of Eygalieres in Les Alpilles has attracted much of the old money. French families and other Europeans who through generations have enjoyed holidays in Cote d’Azur are now buying massively in Provence. Some are simply exchanging their old residence in Cote d’Azur with a new and better one in Les Alpilles.

The Royal family of Monaco has for many years been holidaying in the area, and the American actor couple Angelina Jolie and Brat Pitt are seriously in the market for a property in Eygalieres. There is now a serious tendency amongst the otherwise highly profiled celebrities to turn their presence down when they are “off-screen”, and a place like Eygalieres is just the place for some much needed peace and quiet.

In Eygalieres, approximately 80 % of all properties that are put up for sale are bought by Europeans who want to make the village their home for the summer. They go for the ambiance, the surroundings, the excellent food and wine, as well as the hospitable locals, all next to none.

A group of Swiss investors who have identified the need for new holiday homes to fulfil this need has contracted with the Danish businessman, repeat entrepreneur and developer Bjorn Stiedl to construct and design unique holiday homes in the Eygalieres City centre.

Bjorn Stiedl is going to design modern and neo-Provencal homes fully furnished and fitted to ensure the high design quality standards throughout. The homes will be designed with the discerning executive in mind, having ample place to house both family and friends, while being both cosy and discreet.

The holiday homes will be designed so that the interior layout and materials will supplement and accentuate the garden and surroundings beyond. All materials will be of the highest standard, mixing classic Provencal wood and stone with modern materials as well.

Bjorn Stiedl explains; “It is a great opportunity for us to create the kind of neo-Provencal holiday home that we would want for ourselves; it should have the perfect mix of the ideal location, great surroundings, and a luxury that lives up the expectations of executives and other discerning clients.”

The first property is anticipated to be ready for the market in the summer of 2008.