A Fashion Designer’s Bubbly Palace in Cannes, France
Written by S. Kim Henson
His couture has been draped across runway models for years. But what you may not know about this famous 87-year-old French fashion designer is that he does more than clothing and accessories. Pierre Cardin has a real flair for architecture. Having teamed up with eccentric architect Antti Lovag over the years, Cardin co-designed his own airplane, furniture, and best of all, his “Palais Bulles” home in Cannes, France. So it should come as no surprise that the place is out-of-this-world.
Lovag himself is quite a piece of work. His radical blueprinting of a home from the inside out for habitology’s sake (a term he made up himself and has yet to define) has gained him the reputation of “anti-architect,” even in a field that loves drastic and far-reaching design. When Cardin stumbled across this Cannes project, it was still under construction. But he knew who to call to modify the plan for his unconventional tastes.
Recognizing that the house fits him like a glove, Cardin explains that it’s “perfectly tailored for my hand, my character and my life.”
The clothes designer went with indoor furnishings of polyester, foam and plastic, rather than traditional wood and metal. He also favored pieces that are rounded like the walls over the usual rectangular beds and sofas. Would you expect any less from the designer of the 1954 “bubble dress?”
The interior features plush-carpeted living spaces, where fashion editorials have been shot and hundreds of guests have attended lavish film festival parties. It’s the finest entertaining in Cannes. The lighting is awesome, too. Illuminators vary the levels of brightness throughout. Oh, and by the way, there are 28 bedrooms!
A cool $11 million fetched him not only an unusual piece of architecture, but also this 500-seat amphitheater and garden with round water pools.
Always futuristic and space-age in his design, Cardin’s #1 project is certainly no exception.
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