Once you have reserved a property and are waiting for it to be finished the next key step is choosing a kitchen, selecting furniture, and arranging the decoration. When you buy a new development built by Avecoeur then kitchens, furniture, decorations and appliances are included, however, for most new developments in France these items are not included which is why we offer this additional service. If you have lots of time on your hands and speak French then doing this yourself could be an option but for many people it is a hassle, stressful and just far too time consuming. In addition, if you are planning to rent it out fully furnished for holiday lets then you will need to know all the items required as mistakes are typically punished by bad reviews and the issue of unhappy guests. Avecoeur offers a service which deals with all of this for you so you can relax knowing that your property is being furnished & decorated by experts. Below we will explain in more detail how the process works, and the phases involved.
Consultation with the interior design team
As we are property developers ourselves, we have our own interior design team on hand to offer their expert advice and come up with ideas to suit your personal tastes. Once you have agreed to the conditions of our service an initial meeting will be set up between you and our interior designer to discuss ideas and to decide upon a particular ambience for your apartment. Perhaps you want to go for a fresh and modern look if it’s a seaside apartment or perhaps you prefer a cosy feel if it is a ski chalet. During this consultation you will also be invited to suggest a budget for us to work to or alternatively, we can suggest a budget dependent on what you are after. For example, you can nicely furnish a 2 bedroom apartment for 10,000 Euros, which would do the job nicely and be comfortable however if you want to create a unique, high end space then you could easily be spending 30,000 Euros.
Furniture selection
When choosing furniture, it is important to decide whether you are looking to rent your property out or not beforehand as this will often change which items are selected. If it is mostly a holiday rental property for investment, then we would suggest sturdier items that are easier to replace and which don’t cost a fortune or stain/mark easily. You generally don’t want to be picking a 10,000 Euros white sofa for example if your plan is to rent it out as it will inevitably show wear and tear quicker than something with a shade of colour that is made from sturdier materials. We work with many suppliers across France to cater for a wide spectrum of tastes and budgets so we will be able to make suitable suggestions according to your demands. A complete list of all items will eventually be created and sent to you for approval which you can either accept, revise, or even suggest some items that you have picked yourself to be included.
Decoration
Furnishing is only part of the puzzle as decorative items will need to be selected to reflect the mood that is being created whilst also remaining within budget. Curtains (which will need to be sent to a seamstress to fit the window/door) will usually need to be installed for example as well as light fixtures, paintings, mirrors etc.
Kitchens & appliances
Typically, new properties in France are not sold with a kitchen included so this needs to be selected and installed. Much like the furnishing and decoration aspects, Avecoeur will make suggestions for kitchens according to the ambience you are going for and your budget. Again, the budget for a kitchen can vary enormously; a decent kitchen for a 2 bed apartment will cost around 5,000 Euros including the appliances such as a dishwasher, fridge, freezer etc but if you want to go for the latest and most expensive appliances along with a granite or marble kitchen top then the budget could be more like 20,000 Euros. We will help guide you with this and get quotes based on your given budget. Once the kitchen and appliances are selected, we will then liaise with the developer (or the foreman if our own development) to allow the kitchen supplier to be able to enter the property to take his/her measurements about 6 weeks before the property is due to be delivered. This is the typical time between measurements and installation of the kitchen in the property. Other items such as washing machines and tumble dryers will also be suggested for most properties.
Interior finish selections
Depending on what stage in the development build Avecoeur is brought on board, if early enough, we will also be able to advise on paint colours, tile choices, doors, taps, handles etc in order that it fits in with the ambience that is being created and matches the furnishing and decorations being selected. If these have already been decided, however, this is not a problem, and the furniture and decorations will be chosen bearing in mind the interior finish selected. If early enough Avecoeur can also advise on the interior layout where interior walls can be shifted around, and extra cupboard space or extra bathrooms installed to make the most out of the space.
Delivery of items and Installation
Typically, there could be around 5 to 10 different suppliers used for furnishing and decorating your chalet, villa or apartment and each one will have its items ready at a different time so the picking up of these items in a van will need to be coordinated so that the property can be ready as soon as possible. Deliveries can sometimes need to be rescheduled with the supplier or items can arrive damaged and a new delivery date set and Avecoeur will deal with all of this to make sure all items are present and in good condition. Often, furniture will need to be put together and this will be done by a team of handymen who will also deal with hanging pictures, mirrors, light fittings etc. The only additional expense for the owner is when an electrician is required because it is a particularly complicated installation of an electrical appliance.
Removing packaging
After all the items have been delivered and installed there is usually a mountain of packaging that needs to be removed and disposed of correctly. Our professional teams or installers will deal with all of this, so you won’t have to make multiple trips in your car to the rubbish dump to clear it all up.
Final clean
Finally, we always suggest a deep clean is done once everything has been installed. This is because the constructor rarely includes a deep clean when it delivers a property and the comings and going of all the various people involved to make it ready for use/rental will usually create some mess. This is not included in our fee but can be easily arranged.
Connection to utilities
When a property is handed over it the contracts with the utility providers are typically not in place, so time is needed to select the best suppliers for your electricity, water, gas, telecoms etc and then to spend time on the phone setting up the contracts and payment system with each. Avecoeur offers to do this time intensive activity as part of its service at no extra charge.
All in all, using this service you can relax and feel secure that your property will be ready for rentals or your personal use and avoid any unnecessary headaches.