Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Le Palais Bulles


In the early eighties French fashion designer, Pierre Cardin, was looking for a summer home in Cannes. A one time student of architecture himself, he was less than impressed by the cookie-cutter villas that had multiplied all over the Cote d'Azur. He was looking for something over the top, not unlike the avant-garde fashions he created. He happened to come across a construction site that overlooked a magnificent view of the Mediterranean. The house was started in 1975, by the Finnish architect, Annti Lovag. Lovag is a pioneer in ferro-cement bubbles, which removes vertical partitions and angles accommodating more flexible design. Unfortunately, the industrialist for whom the house was being built died before the work was complete. Cardin stepped in and bought "The Palace of Bubbles" for 50 million francs in 1989.

"The circle is my symbol", says Pierre Cardin. "The sphere represents the creation of the world and the mother's womb. Holes, cones, breasts - I've always used them in my designs."









2 comments:

Louise said...

Oh my, I do paticularly like villas so maybe it's not quite cookie cutter enough for my taste! Though the interior, and those views toward the ocean, are rather stunning!

emily said...

omg, that is INSANELY cool.