Moroccan-born, Paris-based Linda Pinto is the head of Cabinet Alberto Pinto, a design and decor firm whose clients include the Saudi Arabian and Qatar royal families, the owner of Formula One and France’s president.
The company recently renovated the Lanesborough Hotel in London. They’re currently working in New York on 27 East 79th St., a new residential development with eight apartments, with prices ranging from $5.3 million to $19 million for a triplex penthouse.
"It’s a small building with a Parisian-style, limestone facade," Ms. Pinto, 68, told Mansion Global. "Everything that’s done inside is done like a French mansion."
We spoke to Ms. Pinto about why it’s important to have a home you can relax in, why location is more important than an interior look, and more.
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Mansion Global:Describe your dream property.
Linda Pinto: I like to be in the sun. My dream is a large house that’s filled with light, my friends, happiness and is in front of the ocean.
MG: What does luxury mean to you?
LP: Luxury is to have time and take your time. Time is the most important luxury. We’re all running up against something. Flexibility, too—being able to travel and make your own schedule is luxurious.
From a design perspective, it’s about space, the height of the ceilings, light, etcetera. We like big things—big mansions, big rooms, etcetera. The right proportions are important, too.
MG: What’s the biggest surprise in the luxury real estate market now?
LP: High-tech system control has changed everything. It simplifies your life so much. In a country house you can control everything before you get there—turn on the heat, the lights, everything. You push one button.
Also, with cinema rooms, TV, music and everything is connected. You can use your phone to play music all over the house.
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MG: Where are the best luxury homes in the world and why?
LP: It’s very subjective, but in Europe, Paris is a fantastic city. London is, too. Portugal and Italy are beautiful. Everywhere you have fantastic spaces and luxury homes. It depends what you like. It changes with age, too. What I liked 20 years ago is much different than what I like now. Now I like homes that are more modern and much more simple.
MG: What’s your favorite part of your home?
LP: The bedroom and kitchen are the most important in all houses. My bed is my home —it’s my desk, my dining room. I have lunch, dinner and work there, I watch movies there.
And the kitchen is great, because it’s very warm. I like to cook, I like to talk to the cook and I like to cook myself. I have a big kitchen and a big table and my friends and I have lunch there every Sunday. It’s very homey, and casual; it’s less stiff than a dining room.
MG: What best describes the theme to your home and why?
LP: Classic contemporary. I don’t like minimalist, and I don’t like anything too classic, either. For me, a house has to be very warm and welcoming, and you can mix antiques and modern.
People have to feel comfortable to put their feet on the sofa, that’s important.
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MG: What’s your best piece of real estate advice?
LP: The location is the most important part. Everything else you can change.
MG: What’s going on in the news that will have the biggest impact on the luxury real estate market?
LP: The issue of safety and security. The world is very unstable, and people want to feel most secure and have the best quality of life possible.
MG: What is the best area now for investing in luxury properties?
LP: America. Because it’s secure. It’s booming. Every city is very different, and you have choices for lots of different lifestyles—like Palm Beach, Los Angeles, New York. And it’s generally safe. When you think of a safe country, you think about America.
It’s a safe bet for making money rather than losing it.
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MG: If you had a choice of living in a new development or a prime resale property, which would you choose and why?
LP: I’d prefer a historic property with high ceilings and large rooms. Even if I would modernize everything to have all the comforts, the feeling of a historic property is more warm than contemporary homes.
MG: What area currently has the best resale value?
LP: When the work is well done, the construction is well done, and the layout is correct, you can sell whatever you want. Even when it comes to the decor, people don’t care. They can change all that, but the construction quality is important.
When you’re in the heart of Paris, you can sell easily, particularly in the First, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth and Ninth [Arrondissements]. Parts of the 16th, too.