International designer Pierre Cardin knows a thing or two about avant-garde style and space-age design. He designed the iconic suits worn by The Beatles, dressed The Rolling Stones and introduced the world to the bubble dress – but it’s round shapes that have always fascinated him.
There’s no better example of this than his house, Le Palais Bulles aka the Bubble Palace in Cannes, France, which is on sale now and currently Europe’s most expensive home thanks to its eye-watering price tag of more than £351million.
Round houses were the architecture of choice for eons dating back before the Iron Age. They were built in Europe, Africa, Polynesia and almost anywhere humans congregated. In John Hawkesworth’s The Flame Trees of Thika, it’s said Afrikaners believed evil spirits would collect and live in the corners of square homes and couldn’t understand the British penchant for residing in square buildings.
Mid-century architect Antti Lovag expressed similar feelings when he designed the Bubble Palace which was built between 1975 and 1989. Lovag felt the straight line was “an aggression against nature”. Fashion designer Pierre, who bought the house at auction in the early 1990s as a holiday home, agreed. He was drawn to the property saying, “Round shapes have always inspired me,” and compared it to a woman’s body saying “. . . everything is absolutely sensual”.
The house is unique. Spread over six levels on a cliff with 180 degree views of the Med, it features connecting bubbles each representing a room. With not a straight line on the property, the 10-bedroom residence has all spherical formal and private rooms including curved bathroom fixtures.
The lush gardens contain ponds and swimming pools that artistically reflect the architecture both during the day and when lit at night. At the edge of the cliff is a 500-seat, open-air auditorium with spectacular views of the Mediterranean and the Bay of Cannes. Many notable events have been held here such as the recent Dior Resort Show and the James Bond 40th birthday event.
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LIVE NEXT DOOR TO THE DONALD
A Beverly Hills mansion once owned by Donald Trump has gone on sale, but what makes this property unusual is that The Donald, as he’s sometimes known, still owns the house next door.
Of course, should he win the election, having to live in the White House might be quite the let down considering the vast number of spectacular homes he has owned from coast to coast.
With a budget comparable to some countries, some of his residential properties include his home base triplex penthouse in Manhattan’s Trump Tower; his historic Mar-a-Lago palace in Palm Beach, Florida, and Seven Springs – a 60-room Bedford, New York summer retreat. If he wants a little of the Old South vibe, he has only to head down to his Trump Vineyard Estates in Charlottesville, Virginia, or relax at one of his many golf course properties.
But when he wants to rub shoulders with Hollywood celebrities, he knows that only a grand mansion on Rodeo Drive will do. And Donald being Donald, didn’t just buy one, but two, next door to each other. He’s kept one, which he still owns today, but sold the other home in 2009. The buyers expanded and updated the home and have recently put it back on the market at $29.995million (more than £23m sterling).
The new buyer will be able to brag that they live in a former Trump mansion and next door to one of his current mansions. Located in the 800 block of Rodeo Drive only blocks from the Beverly Hills Golf Club to the west and even fewer blocks north to the Beverly Hills Hotel, local agents say it is one of the best homes in a section of Beverly Hills where homes rarely come up for sale.
The Greek Revival-style, 14,991-square-foot, two-storey home is quite presidential looking on arrival and continues the opulent theme inside starting with the large white Thassos marble foyer and its grand chandelier. Spaciousness is key in both formal and family areas; ideal for entertaining any size group from large fundraisers to intimate family gatherings.
It has 11 large bedrooms, 10 baths ensconced in Brazilian Azul Bahia granite, a pool and regulation-sized basketball and tennis courts. Outdoor terraces are designed in Carrara marble with fountains on approximately three quarters of an acre of land.
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