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EBONY ISSUE - n° 15 - 2018 - € 10 www.theoney d.com
The Art of Sailing Sanlorenzo SX8
QUART ERLY - P.I. 21/07 /2018 Intern ationa l € 10, Poste Italiane S.p.a. Chf 10,50 , UK £ 7,50 Spedizione in Abbon amento Postale
- 70% - LO/MI
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[ REAL ESTATE ]
LIVING IN A BUBBLE Designed with dazzling creative flair by architect Antti Lovag, the Bubble Palace teeters above the bay of Cannes on the chic Côte d’Azur. A spectacular complex of soft, rounded curves, it features virtually no sharp angles or straight lines by Roxanne Hughes
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riginally the home of the French industrialist Pierre Bernard, and currently owned by Italian-born fashion designer Pierre Cardin, the ‘Bubble Palace’
by Hungarian architect Antti Lovag has become an icon of modern design. Built between 1975 and 1989, this revolutionary property of approximately 1,200 sqm is a labyrinth of spherical bubble domes originally intended to mimic early human cave dwellings. Its undulating lines and circular spaces, a trademark of Lovag’s work, were sculpted in concrete over a steel rod structure and comprise 10 bedroom suites, each decorated by a contemporary artist, a reception hall and a panoramic lounge.
Set like a jewel in the crown of the volcanic L’Esterel
The interior décor reflects the curvature of the exterior, with
massif, the property nestles in a lush garden dotted
round beds and sweeping surfaces that are retro and futuristic
with pools, waterfalls and ponds as well as a gorgeous
at once – they feel strangely space age or, at least, the space age
auditorium gazing out over the sea
future as envisaged by pop culture in the early seventies. Most of the rooms have expansive views of the water through the structure’s many round windows (including several domed
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[ REAL ESTATE ]
Ten bedroom suites are decorated with contemporary artworks. All the interior dĂŠcor - from beds to sofas and tables mirrors the rounded lines of the exterior. The part-retro, part-futuristic style has a very strong early-1970 pop art aesthetic
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skylights), which also ensure that the interior is flooded
where I expose the works of contemporary creators.”
with natural light, once again creating an airy, floaty
The gardens are a work of art in their own right: stretching
feeling. Cardin bought the Bubble Palace as a holiday
over six tiered levels, waterfalls spill over the building’s
home at auction in the early ‘90s and for the following
ochre surfaces, pooling into ponds and swimming pools
two decades, hosted a string of celebrity parties and
set in lush tropical foliage.
fashion events at the property, which is well suited to
The building seems to burst and erupt from the ground
events of this kind as its 500-seat open-air amphitheatre
like bubbles of lava, perfectly in keeping with the palace’s
overlooks the beautiful bay of Cannes.
location on this rocky outcrop of the Massif de L’Esterel
For Cardin, the Palace became something of a latter-day
– a volcanic range known for its unusual geology and red
muse and in the book about this architectural wonder,
hues. The palace’s position affords it breathtaking views
‘The Palais Bulles’, he describes his connection to it:
over the Mediterranean towards Nice.
“This palace, attached to the rock of Esterel, has become
Listed for sale with Christies International Real Estate,
my paradise.
the property has a list listing price of £300 million.
Its cellular forms have long been the
embodiment of the image of my creations. It is a museum
www.christiesrealestate.com
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