Juliette Byrne is an award-winning luxury interior designer in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, working from the studio on the King's Road in Chelsea and on site on the Côte d'Azur. Founded in 1988, the studio redesigns, renovates and furnishes villas and apartments on Cap Ferrat and along the coast between Nice and Monaco. Its latest project on the Cap is the complete redesign of a contemporary villa over 18 months, alongside an 18th-century apartment in Cannes, and its restoration of a villa in Dresden won design et al's International Design & Architecture Award.

Juliette leads every project personally with a team of six designers, working with the client's own architect and contractor or with ones she recommends, from the first drawings to installation. The first consultation is complimentary, at the property or at the studio, and there is no minimum project size.

Villa, Cap-Ferrat

Pied a Terre, Cannes

Interior design for homes in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat

Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat is a peninsula between Villefranche-sur-Mer and Beaulieu-sur-Mer, a short drive from Nice airport in one direction and Monaco in the other. Its houses range from Belle Époque and Italianate estates from the Cap's years as a winter resort to contemporary villas with pools and sea views, and apartments around the village and the port. Many are holiday homes, used in the summer and left closed for months at a time.

The design follows from that. Sea views and strong light decide the plan, the terrace is a room in its own right, the kitchen and dining room usually open onto it, and the AV, lighting and air conditioning are planned for a house that is shut for months and then full. On an older villa the windows, French doors and electrics may need replacing before work on the interior starts. The studio works anywhere from Monaco to Saint-Tropez, and its other projects abroad are on the International page.

A contemporary villa on Cap Ferrat, redesigned as a turnkey holiday home

When the studio took on this villa in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, it had been neglected, so the work started outside and in: the windows and French doors were replaced, the house was rewired with new AV, and the layout was reconfigured over 18 months. The kitchen now flows into the dining room and out to the dining terrace, with timber detailing on the units and a bar and worktops in Taj Mahal stone. In the main reception, looking over the garden to the sea, a full-height fireplace clad in Italian travertine is the new focal point, with the seating arranged around it and the view, and a bespoke display cabinet with open shelving and glass detailing was built for the owners' objects.

On the lower ground floor the four bedrooms were redesigned with new en suite bathrooms, and the garage became a media room with L-shaped seating and a gym at the far end. The utility room was reworked, a guest powder room and a built-in home office were added, the floors were re-sanded, and the house was furnished from the decorative lighting to the rugs.

Permits and the copropriété when renovating in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat

Work inside a villa needs no permit, but anything that changes the outside does. Replacing windows and French doors, altering the façade or roof, or adding a terrace, a pool or an extension needs a déclaration préalable or, for larger works, a permis de construire from the mairie, decided under the Métropole's PLU métropolitain, in force since December 2019, with the coastal rules applying close to the shore. Lead times vary, so the application is planned into the programme with the architect from the outset, in the same way as listed building consent in London.

In an apartment, the copropriété comes first. The syndic and the general assembly of owners approve any work that touches common parts, from the façade and windows to the pipework, and the building's règlement sets the hours for noisy work. Designing within those rules from the start means the approvals do not hold the project up later.

How the studio runs a Riviera project from London

An interior design project in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat starts with a complimentary consultation, usually at the property, where Juliette takes the brief and walks the house with the client. The design is then drawn up in Chelsea: concept and mood imagery, floor plans, elevations and joinery drawings, kitchen and bathroom design, lighting, and schemes for every finish, fabric and piece of furniture, each priced and signed off before anything is ordered and collated as a tender package for the contractor.

Once building starts, a contractor chosen by the client or recommended by the studio runs the site, and the studio stays involved throughout, visiting for site meetings and keeping in touch by video call so the design is built as drawn. Clients who live abroad usually ask the studio to take more of the day-to-day decisions within an agreed brief. Every item is ordered by the studio, delivered to the Cap and installed in person, down to the bedlinen and towels, so the house can be locked up and left between visits. Read more about the full interior architecture and design service.

An 18th-century apartment above Cannes harbour

Along the coast in Cannes, the studio renovated a pied-à-terre in a Classical 18th-century building in the hills above the harbour. The apartment had been neglected and was renovated over 18 months with contractors Chartwell Group: the original coffered ceilings, walls and floors were restored, new panelling and cornices were added to the main rooms, and the parquet was re-sanded and stained in a soft grey wash as the backdrop to a palette of neutrals with brass and copper. The project is written up in more detail in the studio's guide to luxury interior design in Provence and the Côte d'Azur.

What an interior design project in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat costs

The cost of a project depends on the size and condition of the property, the level of specification, how much of the joinery and furniture is bespoke, and whether structural work, changes to the exterior or a permit from the mairie are involved. Costs are discussed at the first consultation, after which the studio prepares a tailored fee proposal. Once the client has reviewed the furniture and finishes, every item is costed and documented with complete transparency, and fees are only discussed once the client wishes to proceed.

There is no minimum project size. A furnishing scheme for an apartment, a single room or the refresh of a villa the studio finished years ago are all welcome, and many clients come back to the studio long after handover.

How long a villa renovation on the Côte d'Azur takes

Each project runs to a programme agreed at the outset. On the Riviera the pace is set by the permit where one is needed, the copropriété's approval in an apartment, the contractor's availability and the lead times on bespoke joinery and furniture. As examples, the Cap Ferrat villa took 18 months, including new windows, a rewire and the garage conversion, and the Cannes apartment the same for a full renovation of an 18th-century building. With six designers in the studio, a new project can usually be started promptly.

Award-winning luxury interior design, from Chelsea to the Côte d'Azur

Juliette Byrne has won at the UK Property Awards four times, for the Belgravia townhouse, the Penthouse, Mayfair, the Boutique Hotel, Mayfair and a Chelsea townhouse. A new-build apartment development in Chelsea was recognised at the International Property Awards, and the 18th-century villa in Dresden took design et al's Elite Residential Property Award in 2025, a year after its International Design & Architecture Award. The studio's work in France also includes a family chalet at Chamonix.

Juliette is a BIID Registered Interior Designer and has been listed among the UK's best interior designers by Country & Town House and in House & Garden's Top 100. There is no house style: each home is designed around its owners and the building, by craftsmen the studio has worked with for years, and delivered on budget and on time. Projects have appeared in national and international interiors press; see the Press page.

Frequently asked questions

Do you take on interior design projects in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat from London?

Yes. The studio has completed projects in Cannes, Saint-Tropez and on Cap Ferrat, and runs them the same way as a project in Chelsea: Juliette takes the brief, usually at the property, the design is drawn up in London, and the team returns for site visits and the installation.

Do I need a permit to renovate a villa on Cap Ferrat?

Not for the interior. New windows, changes to the façade or roof, a pool or an extension need a déclaration préalable or a permis de construire from the mairie. The studio plans for the application early so the interior work is not held up waiting for it.

Can you run the project if we are rarely in France?

Yes, and most owners on the Cap are. Within an agreed brief the studio makes more of the decisions on the client's behalf, keeps them updated by video call, and hands over a fully installed house rather than a building site.

Do you work with a French architect and contractor, or bring your own?

Both. The studio joins an architect and contractor the client has already appointed, or recommends ones it has worked with on the coast. The contractor runs the site, while the studio oversees the work through regular visits and handles the procurement and installation itself.

How long does a villa renovation on the Côte d'Azur take?

It depends on the scope and whether a permit is needed. The villa the studio redesigned on Cap Ferrat, a full redesign with building work, took 18 months from brief to handover, while a furnishing scheme with no building work is a much shorter programme.

How much does an interior designer cost in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat?

There is no standard figure, because furnishing an apartment and remodelling a villa are very different projects. Costs are discussed at the first consultation, which is complimentary, the studio then prepares a tailored fee proposal, and every item is priced and signed off before it is ordered.

Can you furnish a holiday home so it is ready the day we arrive?

Yes. Installation covers everything from the furniture and decorative lighting to the rugs, bedlinen and towels, and the Cap Ferrat villa was handed over furnished from top to bottom, so the owners could arrive and use it straight away.

Do you also work in Monaco, Beaulieu and Villefranche?

Yes. Beaulieu-sur-Mer and Villefranche-sur-Mer sit either side of the Cap, and the studio takes on work anywhere along the coast from Monaco westwards, with projects already complete in Cannes and Saint-Tropez.

Where is the studio and how do we start?

The studio is in the Chelsea Design Quarter on the King's Road in London. The first step is a complimentary consultation, at the property in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat or at the studio, to discuss the brief and what you would like to achieve. Use the Contact Us button below or email office@juliettebyrne.com.

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Interior Designer in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat

Interior design projects on the Côte d'Azur