Pierre Cardin’s Bubble Palace
French designer Pierre Cardin is known for his ultra-mod “Space Age Futurism” fashion and furniture designs in the 1950’s and 60’s, but his home at the Bubble Palace takes this look to another level. Designed by Hungarian architect Antti Lovag, Bubble Palace has no right angles– the beds, swimming pools, walls, doors, and windows are all ovals, circles, and spheres.
The spectacular 28-room, 13,000 square foot estate is situated on a rocky cliff within Massif de L’Esterel, a volcanic mountain range that overlooks the Mediterranean Sea in the South of France. Due to its unusual shape, Bubble House was constructed using non-traditional methods. Rather than erect a wooden frame, builders had to use a series of round mesh shells that were fixed in place with metal rods. Concrete was then poured over each section, forming the seamless bubbles of the home’s eccentric exterior.
Over the years, Bubble House has been host to a number of swanky soirées. In 2002 MTV hosted James Bond’s 40th birthday, and last summer Dior held an indoor/outdoor fashion show featuring their resort collection. Funnily enough, 71 years earlier in 1946, Christian Dior himself, who had just opened his own Fashion house in Paris, hired Cardin as a tailor. From there, Cardin went on to found his own company and design clothes ranging from avant-garde haute couture, to stylish ready-to-wear.
Cardin’s attraction to circles and spheres is quite apparent in his designs, from the rounded shape of his iconic “Bubble Dress”, to the patterns on the fabric he used, to the curved forms of his furniture creations. “The circle is the symbol of eternity… I love the circle. The moon, the sun, the earth are pure creations, boundless, without beginning and end.” It’s no wonder he was drawn to the organic forms of Bubble House– in such a creative industry, it is essential to be constantly inspired by your environment and surroundings. It’s safe to say Cardin found just the right spot.
