A day in the life of Olivier Bec

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Olivier Bec is 34. He agreed to meet with us in the heart of Paris, close to the Palais Garnier opera house. The bright and spacious apartment he lives and works in is exquisitely furnished, featuring, amongst others, Eames chairs, Pierre Paulin sofas, and Serge Mouille lamps. Nothing out of the ordinary for the man who, as founder of UBER-MODERN, is tasked with providing exclusive furniture to clients as diverse as the Fondation Louis Vuitton, Hermès or the Barreau de Paris. He walked us through one day in his life.

This apartment is nothing short of amazing. How long have you lived here for?

We’ve been here for three years. It also serves as my office and a showroom for our clients who might want to get a closer look at some of the items we sell.

What do you do for a living?

I created UBER-MODERN with my father six years ago. We are furniture distributors. We sell Swiss, Italian, and Scandinavian brands.

Can you tell us more about your selection of brands and designers?

For example, we distribute USM, Swiss-made modular furniture. We also sell Vitra, Artifort’s Pierre Paulin collection, Serge Mouille. We only sell new furniture, no vintage. Everything is distributed under licence.

What kind of clients do you work for?

We work with a variety of clients. Architects, fashion or high-end brands, lawyers, and private individuals. In the furniture industry, there’s office furniture and home furniture. I find myself somewhere between both: I sell both design classics and items specifically designed for work environments.

You work exclusively in Paris?

Paris is a great city for this kind of business. There’s a very healthy cultural life, and people are very interested in the subject. They go to exhibitions; they’re very receptive to design. That being said, I have plenty of clients here, but I sometimes get to work on more exotic projects, from Casablanca, Lebanon, to London, and Val d’Isère ski resort!

What did you do before you started UBER-MODERN?

Contrary to most people in this business who attended interior design schools, I graduated from a business school in Grenoble, where I grew up. Back then I was already very passionate about furniture, which I’d already taken to buying and selling. After graduating I worked for Xerox for two years. It was a real 9-to-5 office job where I learned how to be organised and thorough. My next job was with a furniture distributor, a well-known company founded in the 50s, where I was too often left to my own devices. I ended up becoming frustrated by the company’s organisation and the lack of any career prospects, and decided to create my own business.

How did you finally make the jump?

I didn’t think I’d do it as quickly as I did, even if I’d been thinking about it for some time. My father supported and encouraged me, which helped a lot. I already knew all the suppliers, and I continued to work with the same network of people while attempting to develop my address book by visiting every one of Paris’ architect agencies (laughs)! I’m fortunate enough not to have to do that anymore. I have return clients, architects that come to see me because they appreciate my work.

You work with your father. What is the day-to-day collaboration like?

It’s great! It’s different from the standard father and son work relationship, where the son takes over the family business. He really discovered the industry, and what I do for a living when he became my business partner. We already got along very well and it’s a really cool experience to share.

How do you choose the brands you distribute?

It’s a mix of what I like and what our clients request. This is also why I sell a lot of classics: it will always be much easier to sell a piece of Vitra furniture than any item from an unknown brand. I have to find a certain harmony between what will sell easily and what appeals to me.

Your flat is also your office. How do you manage to balance both?

The nature of my job actually makes it rather easy: I’m always out and about, visiting building sites, meeting clients, etc. Most of the time I spend here I spend on the phone or answering emails. I rarely make appointments here. I have no problem at all separating my professional life from my private life, even on weekends. And I find these regular breaks to be salutary.

At what time do you start work in the morning?

I’ll start working at 9:30. I don’t always wake up at the same time, though. Every other day I go to l’Usine, a gym in the neighbourhood. On those mornings I get up at 7am, get to the gym for 7:45, train for an hour and a half, shower at the gym and come back home to start working. I find working out in the evening makes it easier to find excuses to skip sessions. In the morning there are no excuses. When I’m not going to the gym I wake up at 8am and spend some time on my phone while waiting for my girlfriend to put the coffee on!

Speaking of which, what do you have for breakfast?

An Americano coffee brewed in a French press, some cereal with almond milk, and a piece of fruit. I have the same thing every day!

Your travel a lot for work, what’s your favourite way of getting around?

I’m located in the centre of Paris so I can go to most of my meetings on foot. That being said, I ride my scooter most of the time, and as a consequence, by the end of the day I really need to wash my face!

While we’re on the topic, what’s your grooming routine like?

I use the Horace cleanser and moisturiser. What I love about the moisturiser is that it’s not too oily, and it doesn’t have a strong scent. I’m not too fond of heavily-scented products, which is also why I use a very basic Sanex soap. Other than that, I use the Horace toothbrush and Marvis whitening toothpaste. And I’m hooked on your toothpicks. I love chewing on them, much better than chewing gum.

Other than furniture, what else do you enjoy?

I’m an amateur analogue photographer. I occasionally publish some of my work on the Purple Travel website, mostly architecture-related pictures. I do a lot of racetrack driving too. I drive a Lotus Elise or a Porsche GT3. I’m also currently training for my motorcycle license.

Do you party?

When I’m in Paris I mostly have drinks and meals with friends. When I’m in Ibiza I tend to stay out later (laughs)!

Do you often go to Ibiza?

I have a house there which I rent out most of the time. I sometimes work from there too. I also like to travel elsewhere; I often visit my brother who lives in the US, or my friends who are spread out over Europe. Wherever I find myself, I always keep an eye on my emails. I can pretty much work from anywhere!