Always looking for unusual accommodation, American company Airbnb Wow! Launches Ten Million Dollar Fund to Fund 100 Amazing Ideas Consulted more than 2.5 million times since its creation in May 2022. So an international call for proposals was launched. Out of tens of thousands of responses, the only French people to win the $100,000 prize were Ann Thai and Romain Briaux, a pair of Parisian designers. They now have to build a unique cottage on a new property in Nullemont (Seine-Maritime), a village of 138 inhabitants.
For the sake of peace, the Parisians wanted to invest in a property: “We like the dynamism of Parisian life, but to start a family, we want a real place. We don’t have a specific place. With a compass, 200 km around the capital. After that, in Perchy We visited properties in Solon, then Normandy, and in April we fell in love with this old farmhouse with a farmhouse and three buildings by the sea. »
Later, Anne discovered the Airbnb competition, “It made me think about renovating the whole thing, between the old house on the outside and the design on the inside. For the outbuildings, we plan to renovate them and turn them into workshops within three to four years.” After going through several stages – answering the questionnaire, 3D Submitting a file on scenes, a one-minute video, planning and evaluation -, Romain and Anne won the call for projects among 200 finalists and the only French people: “I felt we had a chance,” laughs the young woman.
According to the competition, they now have ten months to realize their idea: “On the site of an outbuilding, four beds, a fitted kitchen, a common room, a terrace with a Jacuzzi and a slide. 90m of stainless steel. Traditional, modern, fun touch. And we have chosen a compromise between the childish side, where we want to spend a weekend or more, so why not have telecommunications, because there will be fiber. We have filed a building permit and are waiting for an answer,” explains Romain.
Airbnb has a one-year exclusivity period
As a result, a project manager and craftsmen were contacted for a project that, according to the latest estimates, will cost about 200,000 euros: “We will pay the rest with a loan. $100,000 will be paid in three installments. At the start of work after providing official documents, interim and delivery. Now every weekend to prepare the ground We go there. Then the professionals step in. They say the allotted time is short but they can play around with weather and delivery times. The slide will be made in the factory,” notes the couple. After delivery, Airbnb has a one-year exclusivity for the rental.
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