Ab Kuijer turned a personal search for sunshine into one of the Riviera’s most distinctive luxury real estate platforms.
The grey skies of Amsterdam have a way of making the Mediterranean feel like a dream. For Ab Kuijer, that dream became a decision. In 2006, he packed up his life in the Netherlands and relocated to the South of France, drawn by the sea, the warmth, and the promise of something more luminous. What he found on the Côte d’Azur was not just a lifestyle. He found a market that was broken, impersonal, and frustrating for international buyers, and he saw exactly how to fix it.
From Amsterdam to the French Riviera
Ab Kuijer is not a typical real estate professional. Born in Amsterdam, he built his early career as a journalist, producer, and media strategist, contributing to prominent newspapers, television stations, and magazines across the Netherlands. In the 1990s, he co-founded WAPS, the first legal dance radio station in the country, a move that signaled his appetite for disruption long before the word became a business cliché.
By 1997, Ab had launched his own marketing agency, AbOriginals, which evolved over the years into JuniorSenior, a leading creative firm celebrated for blending youthful curiosity with seasoned expertise. His forward-thinking work in advertising, social media, and database marketing set new standards across European markets. In 2010, he authored “Think Small, Grow Big,” a sharp guide to modern marketing and business growth. That same year, the industry recognized him with the title of Europe’s Best Youth Marketing Expert, cementing his reputation as a genuine thought leader.
When Ab arrived on the French Riviera, he brought every one of those skills with him.
A Market That Needed a Human Touch
The luxury real estate market along the Côte d’Azur is, as Ab describes it, “blurry.” Most properties are listed with multiple agencies simultaneously. Many of the finest homes never appear online at all, traded quietly through off-market channels that only insiders can access. For international buyers navigating this landscape without guidance, the experience can be deeply frustrating.
Existing real estate portals offered little relief. Automated and impersonal, they fill their databases with agency listings and leave prospective buyers waiting, sometimes for days, before a human agent makes contact. In France, where service expectations among international clients are high, that gap between expectation and reality is significant.
Ab recognized the problem immediately. His response was to build something fundamentally different: Living on the Côte d’Azur, a high-end, full-service real estate platform launched with Dutch directness and a genuine commitment to personal service.
People Before Properties
The philosophy behind Living on the Côte d’Azur is visible the moment a visitor arrives on the platform. Unlike every competing portal, the homepage does not lead with property listings. It leads with people. That single design choice communicates everything about the brand’s values: conversation comes first, and understanding a client’s needs matters more than displaying an inventory.
Every inquiry begins with a direct conversation. Ab and his team take the time to understand what a buyer is truly looking for, their lifestyle preferences, their timeline, their vision for life on the Mediterranean. Only then does the search begin. This approach, uncommon in the French market, reflects the service standards that international buyers expect and rarely receive.
The platform covers an exceptional range of locations. While the French Riviera remains the core focus, the portfolio extends to Ibiza, Paris, Portugal, Mauritius, and the UAE, offering high-net-worth individuals and families a curated selection of legacy assets: homes that combine timeless elegance, prime locations, and enduring value.
Building a Network, Building a Community
Ab’s impact on the Riviera extends well beyond real estate. He became a partner in FR2DAY, a popular local news site, and served as president of what was then the British Chamber of Commerce, which he rebranded as the Riviera Business Club, building a thriving international business community in the region.
In recent years, Living on the Côte d’Azur has expanded its digital presence through the launch of The Real Estate Legacy Network, an exclusive alliance of premier international real estate portals showcasing the finest high-end properties across the South of France and beyond. The network reflects Ab’s media instincts applied to real estate: build the right platform, attract the right audience, and let quality speak for itself.
The venture has earned strong client recognition, with verified reviews available through Feedback Company reflecting the consistent, high-quality experience the platform delivers.
Disrupting a Competitive Market With Personality
Ab describes the Living on the Côte d’Azur model as a disruption, though it is one rooted in something refreshingly simple: genuine human connection. In a market dominated by automated portals and impersonal agency pipelines, the platform’s personal approach stands apart. It is not built on algorithms. It is built on relationships, local knowledge, and two decades of marketing and media expertise applied to one of the world’s most desirable real estate destinations.
For international buyers, particularly those unfamiliar with the nuances of the French property market, that expertise is not a luxury. It is a necessity. Off-market properties, multi-agency listings, and cultural differences in service expectations create real obstacles. An experienced buyer’s agent who understands both the market and the client is the difference between a seamless acquisition and a costly mistake.
Living on the Côte d’Azur exists to close that gap, and after nearly twenty years, it does so better than anyone else on the Riviera.
Explore More About Living On The Côte d’Azur
Connect with Living on the Côte d’Azur, Ab Kuijer on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and verified client reviews. You can also download the official French Riviera Real Estate app to discover premium properties, local events, restaurants, attractions, and curated real estate news—all designed to give you an authentic, up-to-date perspective on life along the French Riviera.
