Between the Tuilerie garden and Place Vendôme, immediate immersion in the Parisian “art de vivre”.
Photos: @Harupimedia

They chose the rue du Mont Thabor to set up Talent Developer’s Parisian offices. Estrella Maillet and Philippine Freiman opted for the heart of the capital, where there is no shortage of renowned hotels and gastronomic restaurants. A way of embodying the French art of living, from their first contact with young professionals and students looking for an internship or apprenticeship.

“We had to be in the centre of Paris.” Philippine Freiman, Director of Operations at Talent Developer, reasoned “practical” and “easy access, especially for foreigners”. Choosing to set up offices on rue du Mont Thabor is in fact to privilege the proximity of metros, bus stops and taxi ranks. But it also means offering an immediate immersion in the Parisian art of living and the art of entertaining and hosting, between the Tuileries gardens and Place Vendôme. Among Talent Developer’s neighbours are the hotels Meurice, Ritz Paris, Park Hyatt, Mandarin Oriental, Nolinski… or restaurants such as Matsuda, L’Absinthe, Carré des Feuillants, Flottes… “Every morning, I like to walk past Place de la Concorde, take the Rue de Rivoli and walk along the Tuileries,” says Estrella Maillet. The founder of Talent Developer says she is sensitive to architecture, buildings and monuments, to “stone” as she describes it. It was therefore obvious to put down luggage, files and computers just a stone’s throw from the Vendôme column.

A little bit of home at the office…
Photos: @Harupimedia
A nod to chefs and gourmets with this worktop, from a professional kitchen, turned into a desk.
Photos: @Harupimedia
Nature and greenery invite themselves at Talent Developer.
Photos: @Harupimedia

“It’s just like at home”

On the decoration side, the idea was to avoid “too cold”, “too rigid”, in short “too much office space”. Here, no false ceilings, the original moldings and parquet floors have been preserved. Plants embellish the windows. A professional kitchen worktop has been turned into a large connected table, where the computers are plugged in. For entertaining and hosting, the living room-kitchen is the place to be. Table, armchairs, coffee machine, oven and dishes for lunch… nothing is missing. “It’s just like at home”, comments Philippine Freiman. In fact, most of the books in the library come from her home. As a result, a biography of the architect and designer Gio Ponti stands next to a book about the director Stanley Kubrick, as well as Alexandre Dumas’ “Dictionnaire de cuisine”. As for Estrella Maillet, the duo’s handywoman, she designed and created all the curtains. In addition to this, a few details were added, like allusions to hotel codes. Such as the sponge hand towels placed in the toilets, or the scented candle which personalises the place. For the young people who visit, the aim is thus to make them aware of a certain decorum, without overly impressing them. The idea is to welcome them according to the rules of the art, without taking them off guard. The happy medium: this is what Estrella Maillet and Philippine Freiman have sought to achieve, by mixing refinement and family photos, tradition and casualness.

Un peu de chez soi au bureau…
Article written by Anne Eveillard for Talent Developer