Palais Bulles ("Bubble Palace") is a large house in
Théoule-sur-Mer
Théoule-sur-Mer (; Occitan: ''Teula de Mar'' or simply ''Teula''), popularly known as Théoule, is a resort village in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. It lies to the east of th ...
, near
Cannes
Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...
, France, that was designed by the Hungarian architect
Antti Lovag. It was built for the French industrialist
Pierre Bernard, and later bought by the fashion designer
Pierre Cardin
Pierre Cardin (born Pietro Costante Cardin; 2 July 1922 – 29 December 2020) was an Italian-born naturalised-French fashion designer. He is known for what were his avant-garde style and Space Age designs. He preferred geometry, geometric shap ...
as a holiday home.
History
The house was built between 1975 and 1989 for
Pierre Bernard, a French industrialist. The architect Antti Lovag hated straight lines as "an aggression against nature" and designed the house as a "form of play—spontaneous, joyful, full of surprise".
[Nadja Sayej]
What Will Happen to Pierre Cardin’s Iconic Palais Bulles?
''Architecturaldigest.com'', 12 February 2021
Fashion designer
Pierre Cardin
Pierre Cardin (born Pietro Costante Cardin; 2 July 1922 – 29 December 2020) was an Italian-born naturalised-French fashion designer. He is known for what were his avant-garde style and Space Age designs. He preferred geometry, geometric shap ...
bought the house after Bernard's death in 1991. While Bernard never actually lived in the building, he said that "
is palace has become my own bit of paradise. Its cellular forms have long reflected the outward manifestations of the image of my creations. It is a museum where I exhibit the works of contemporary designers and artists".
In 2016, a five-year renovation by French architect
Odile Decq
Odile Decq (born 1955) is a French architect, urban planner and academic. She is the founder of the Paris firm, Studio Odile Decq and the architecture school, Confluence Institute. Decq is known for her self-described goth appearance and style. ...
was completed. In March 2017, it was listed for sale with an asking price of €350 million
but did not find a buyer. It could be rented to groups for $33,200 a day.
Following Cardin's death in December 2020, it has been suggested that the building be turned into a public venue for art expos.
Description
The house comprises a reception hall, panoramic lounge, 500-seat open-air amphitheatre, 10 bedrooms, various swimming pools and waterfalls in extensive landscaped grounds.
The Palais has 29 rooms, 11 bathrooms, and ten bedrooms that have each been decorated by a specific artist, including
Patrice Breteau,
Jerome Tisserand,
Daniel You,
François Chauvin
François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis.
People with the given name
* François Amoudruz (1926–2020), French resistance fighter
* François-Marie Arouet (better known as Voltaire; 1 ...
, and
Gerard Cloarec.
In popular culture
Emma Bunton
Emma Lee Bunton (born 21 January 1976) is an English singer, songwriter, media personality, and actress. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the Pop music, pop group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Baby Spice, reflecting the ...
, the British pop singer and former member of the band
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls are an English girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Mel B ("Scary Spice"), Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"), Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"), Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"), and Victoria Beckham ("Posh Spice"). They have sold over 10 ...
shot the artwork for her 2004 album ''
Free Me'' at the house in the summer of 2003.
The house was featured in ''
Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie''.
The house was featured in the music video for the lead single 'K-Pop' off rapper Travis Scott's 2023 album Utopia featuring the Weeknd and Bad Bunny
The French band
L'Impératrice recorded a session at the house in 2024.
References
External links
*
Houses in Alpes-Maritimes
Houses completed in 1989
Visionary environments
20th-century architecture in France
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