Thibault Vidalenc
Interview by Abel Guillaume
Abel Guillaume:
Your job requires you to travel a lot. What are your favorite destinations?
Thibault Vidalenc:
Indeed, I was born in France and for the past eight years, I have been living in Belgium, in Brussels. I spend a lot of time in London. I go to Paris every ten days for my business, especially for hotels and restaurants. I try to spend several weeks a year in Saint Barthélemy, where I have a house created by Summum, Villa Moustique, where I love to come.
Abel Guillaume:
How long have you been coming to Saint Bart?
Thibault Vidalenc:
The first time was in August 2000.
The island was then in the throes of a new era.
Then I came regularly, in August and February. Then I always came back in February once a year. I didn't come just one year the year after Irma, unfortunately. And then I bought this house from an American trust in August 2019.
So it took me 19 years to find a nice house. When I was younger, I didn't have the means, and then I couldn't find one.
Abel Guillaume:
What made you decide to buy this particular one?
Thibault Vidalenc:
The view, the architecture. I love this architecture of Caribbean island houses. And then I loved the driveway. When I got to the gate, it was an abandoned house because it hadn't been maintained since Irma and then there was a lot of damage, including the garden was completely overgrown. The whole house was abandoned, but from the gate, from the arrival of the house, I said to myself "This is it.
Abel Guillaume:
You wanted a truly colonial, Creole, Caribbean-style home?
Thibault Vidalenc:
I didn't want a cube.
And in fact, I fell in love with it. When I was younger, I went a lot to Moustique Island, and when I arrived at this house, I felt like I was in Moustique, this colonial style.
Abel Guillaume:
And for the interior decoration, did you bring back a lot of furniture and antique pieces?
Thibault Vidalenc:
Yes, I hunted for absolutely all the furniture and objects in the house between Paris, Brussels and London, and even Saint Tropez and Cap Ferret. I stored everything in a furniture repository and had it all brought in by boat. That's probably why the house is a bit... original, after all.
Abel Guillaume:
Yes, it was really designed unlike many houses in Saint Barth, a bit like a family home?
Thibault Vidalenc:
Yes, my two daughters come almost every school holiday. In fact, they come two or three times a year. It's a real family home, we get on well there, it's our vacation home.
Abel Guillaume:
A question I like to ask myself: what music will set the mood in your home?
Thibault Vidalenc:
What comes to mind is Holiday. Yes, Holiday by Madonna.
There's an 80s feel to this house, too, in the colors.
The year of construction, which can't be far off, can be seen in the pool's colors and ambience, and is also very much in keeping with the times.
Abel Guillaume:
Exactly. Is it true that you don't rent out your house, or only a little?
Thibault Vidalenc:
It really is a family home, so I didn't buy it to rent out.
But we can see that it's very popular, because we get a lot of requests for photos, shootings and things like that. It's often cited as an example of what can be achieved with something that's not a rental house, that's contemporary, that's classic Saint Barth.
Abel Guillaume:
How did the work go? Weren't you always on site?
Thibault Vidalenc:
Frankly, it couldn't have gone better. I'm knocking on wood because I hope the next ones will be in the same vein. Because, yes, I wasn't there, because back then you couldn't travel. And I was doing FaceTime video conferences. And the surprise was even greater when I arrived, where everything was perfect.
On time and on budget, that's what's important.
But above all, the fact that you really work upstream. You don't take on a project for the sake of taking on a project. You take the time and dig deep into the project!
We're really looking forward to the extension.
Abel Guillaume:
It's really going to add to the property, magnify the part of the land that, for the moment, is the tip. And it's going to create this postcard landscape that's going to be unique. Do you have any ideas for future projects in Saint Barth?
Thibault Vidalenc:
My partner, Romain Costa, got me involved in a new acquisition, Nao Beach, the new beach restaurant. I was delighted when they asked me to join them.
The hotel business has only been getting back on its feet for the past year and a half since confinement.
Abel Guillaume:
And Paris, any new projects?
Thibault Vidalenc:
I'm currently rebuilding a hotel, floor by floor.
The Hôtel Gabriel, rue du Grand Prieuré, in the Marais. During the lockdown, I redid the West-end Hotel and the Saint Germain Hotel.
I'm also tackling the Les Chouettes restaurant on rue de Picardie.
In fact, I'm always remaking things. I never stop. That's what I like about it too!
