{"id":32803,"date":"2025-07-18T10:00:46","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T08:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazine.luxus-plus.com\/?p=32803"},"modified":"2026-03-08T16:44:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T15:44:07","slug":"summer-saga-creators-retreats-episode-03-pierre-cardin-and-the-palais-bulles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazine.luxus-plus.com\/en\/summer-saga-creators-retreats-episode-03-pierre-cardin-and-the-palais-bulles\/","title":{"rendered":"SUMMER SAGA: Creators\u2019 retreats \u2013 Episode 3\/9: Pierre Cardin and the Palais Bulles"},"content":{"rendered":"

From Miami to Tangier, via the French Riviera, Cascais and the Hamptons, the biggest names in fashion have found summer retreats far from the catwalks and spotlights where they can express their creative genius. Mythical villas, family homes, secret workshops, and castles\u2014each of these exceptional places embodies the spirit, audacity, and art of living of their famous owners.<\/p>\n

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This summer, LUXUS MAGAZINE takes you on a weekly tour of a prestigious residence: a nine-part journey through the iconic vacation spots of the world’s greatest fashion designers. In this episode, we follow in the footsteps of Pierre Cardin and his Palais Bulles in Th\u00e9oule-sur-Mer.<\/p>\n

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Nestled in the hollow of the red rocks of the Est\u00e9rel, the Palais Bulles seems to float between the Mediterranean Sea and the sky. Designed by Hungarian architect Antti Lovag in 1975 for industrialist Pierre Bernard, this architectural vessel made of ochre spheres became the summer retreat of fashion designer Pierre Cardin in 1992. A place of retreat and creation, but also of parties, shows, and artistic encounters.<\/b><\/p>\n

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With its organic lines, portholes opening onto the sea, lush patios, and suspended swimming pools, the Palais Bulles is a living manifesto of formal freedom<\/b>. It embodies the idea ofa house without angles<\/b>, where architecture and nature interact in a rare sensory harmony.<\/p>\n

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Pierre Cardin, avant-garde fashion designer \u00a9Pierre Cardin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Pierre Cardin never did things like everyone else. In fashion, he was one of the pioneers of futuristic haute couture<\/b>, dressing modern men in space suits<\/b>, asymmetrical capes<\/b> and sculptural dresses<\/b>. In the art of living, he always sought to amaze, to renew and to break with convention. When he discovered the Palais Bulles in 1992, Cardin spoke of \u201cthe craziest love at first sight\u201d<\/b> and added, \u201cI bought it as a sculpture you can live in.\u201d<\/b> He acquired it to use as a retreat and a place of total expression. He always loved unusual places: the Th\u00e9\u00e2tre des Ambassadeurs (renamed Espace Pierre Cardin in the 1970s), the Ch\u00e2teau du Marquis de Sade in Lacoste… Here, in Th\u00e9oule-sur-Mer, he set up a creative sanctuary where fashion, design, architecture, and nature merge into one.<\/p>\n

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A living sculpture: the manifesto of organic architecture<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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The Palais Bulles \u00a9Pierre Cardin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Made up of around 30 red-tinted concrete bubbles covered in marine paint<\/b>, the Palais Bulles stretches over more than 1,200 square meters<\/b> and comprises a reception hall that can seat 350 people, a panoramic lounge, and 10 suites<\/b>, each decorated<\/b> by contemporary artists such as Patrice Breteau, J\u00e9r\u00f4me Tisserand, Daniel You, Fran\u00e7ois Chauvin, and G\u00e9rard Le Cloarec<\/strong>\u2014a swimming pool, waterfalls, and hanging gardens<\/b> covering an area of 8,500 square meters, and an open-air amphitheater measuring 370 square meters with seating for 500<\/b>.<\/p>\n

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Hungarian architect Antti Lovag<\/b> designed the space as a sensory, almost carnal exploration. \u201cIt’s like entering a human body,<\/b>\u201d said Lovag. \u201cYou move from bubble to bubble, like from organ to organ, to the rhythm of breathing.\u201d The curved walls open onto panoramic sea views, the roofs undulate, and portholes filter the light. Here, each room is a cocoon resembling an almost organic troglodyte architecture<\/b>. There are no strict partitions, no straight lines. You sleep in cells and think in curves. The materials<\/b>\u2014concrete, leather, glass, mosaics<\/b>\u2014evoke in turn the mineral, the carnal, and the aquatic.<\/b> This is a house that is as much to be lived in as it is to be contemplated.<\/p>\n

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Light and water: the two muses of the Palace<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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Every moment of the day transforms the Palace<\/b>. In the morning, the portholes project circles of light onto the walls. In the evening, the pools reflect the flaming sunsets. Antti Lovag designed each opening to trap the sun’s rays and make them dance on the concave surfaces.<\/b> What strikes the eye is the omnipresence of water<\/b>. In waterfalls, basins, and infinity pools<\/b>, it flows, trickles, and plays with shapes and sounds. In the basement, it appears in the portholes, a moving mirror of the sea in the distance. The whole becomes a liquid and luminous symphony.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Palais Bulles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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A place for living and celebrating<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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\u00a9Pierre Cardin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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For Pierre Cardin, the Palace is not just a residence. It is a living place.<\/b> He exhibits his creations there, invites artists, and hosts shows and concerts.<\/b> The outdoor amphitheater hosts performances by young theater companies. The circular salons become galleries. The receptions are grandiose: dinners in circles, fashion shows, screenings… Arnold Schwarzenegger lifts Cardin onto the stage in front of 800 guests. Brands such as Dior<\/b> organize their fashion shows there. Jacquemus <\/b>spends his dream vacations there. The place inspires, fascinates, and galvanizes.<\/p>\n

A listed heritage icon<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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In 1999<\/b>, the Palais Bulles<\/b> was listed as a 20th-century architectural heritage site by the Ministry of Culture<\/b>, in recognition of this unique work of architectural sculpture on such a scale. It remains a manifesto of a vision and a unique emblem of 1970s design. Its location in the Est\u00e9rel mountains<\/b>, its reddish-brown color, and its harmony with the volcanic rock make this palace as integrated as it is spectacular. It is impossible to tell whether nature sculpted the building or vice versa.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Palais Bulles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The Cardin legacy: between memory and the future<\/b><\/h3>\n

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Today, the Palais Bulles is no longer just a private retreat. Labeled \u201cRemarkable Contemporary Architecture,\u201d this iconic place has been transformed into an event space, hosting exclusive receptions, fashion shows\u2014such as Dior’s in 2015\u2014and numerous film shoots, particularly during the Cannes Film Festival. Put on the market ten years ago for \u20ac200 million, the property was initially valued at \u20ac350 million by Pierre Cardin himself, before he agreed with his real estate agents. However, the villa never found a buyer. Since the death of the fashion designer in December 2020<\/b>, a legal battle has been raging between his heirs: family, colleagues, and friends are fighting over a colossal inheritance, which includes the Palais Bulles and a commercial empire built over decades.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Maison Bernard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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A few miles away, the Maison Bernard\u2014Antti Lovag’s first completed work for Antoine Gaudet\u2014offers a public alternative: transformed into a museum, it allows visitors to explore the radical architectural universe of the master of curved forms. A place of heritage, design, and utopia, the Palais Bulles now stands as the fragile heir to a rare architectural style. Will it become a museum? An artists’ residence? A luxury hotel? The Pierre Cardin Foundation has transformed the site into a dynamic cultural space dedicated to creation and transmission. But maintenance costs, the rarity of the style and limited access raise questions. Yet it would be a shame for this gem to remain frozen in time. As Pierre Cardin would have wanted, it must evolve, live and welcome today’s creators.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Maison Bernard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The Palais Bulles, a bubble frozen in time, awaits a new lease of life.<\/h3>\n

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However, the Palais Bulles remains at the heart of a battle over the inheritance<\/b> between Rodrigo Basilicati Cardin, Pierre Cardin’s grand-nephew and CEO of the group, and the 22 other heirs of Pierre Cardin<\/b>. In early July 2025, the Court of Cassation upheld the invalidation of the controversial will<\/b>, found a year and a half after the couturier’s death, which named Rodrigo as sole heir<\/b>. This decisive ruling could reshape the future of the Palais Bulles. The final judgment<\/b>, expected by the end of 2025<\/b>, will definitively decide the fate of the immense estate left by the designer.<\/p>\n

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Next episode: Gabrielle Chanel and La Pausa in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin<\/p>\n

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Read also > SUMMER SAGA: Designers’ retreats \u2013 Episode 02: Gianni Versace and Casa Casuarina<\/a><\/p>\n

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Featured image: montage of Pierre Cardin’s portrait and the Palais Bulles \u00a9Palais Bulles<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From Miami to Tangier, via the French Riviera, Cascais and the Hamptons, the biggest names in fashion have found summer retreats far from the catwalks and spotlights where they can express their creative genius. Mythical villas, family homes, secret workshops, and castles\u2014each of these exceptional places embodies the spirit, audacity, and art of living of their famous owners.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":555,"featured_media":32802,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"%%post_title%% %%sep%% %%sitetitle%%","_seopress_titles_desc":"The third part of our summer saga takes us to Th\u00e9oule-sur-Mer, to Pierre Cardin's Palais Bulles, the futuristic retreat of the star fashion designer of the 1970s.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"both","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":301,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[276,533,560,53,762],"class_list":["post-32803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-address-book","tag-architecture-en","tag-fashion-2-en","tag-france-en","tag-mode-en","tag-voyage-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.luxus-plus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32803","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.luxus-plus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.luxus-plus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.luxus-plus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/555"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.luxus-plus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32803"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.luxus-plus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32803\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.luxus-plus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.luxus-plus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.luxus-plus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32803"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.luxus-plus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}