If our homes are a reflection of our personalities, what can we conclude about the people whose tastes in architectural design lean towards the eccentric? Case in point: French designer Pierre Cardin, who bought a cluster of round-shaped residences close to Cannes – aptly nicknamed Palais Bulles or Bubble Palace – during an auction in the early 1990s.
The oddball complex comprises several interconnected pink terra cotta domes with 28 spherical rooms, multiple swimming pools, a 500-seat amphitheater and several gardens. It is also among the most expensive homes in Europe – Cardin listed it for sale in 2017 with a reported asking price of €350 million.
Cardin was drawn to a property designed by avant-garde Hungarian architect Antti Lovag, saying: “It is a place where I feel good and round shapes have always inspired me.” He further compared it to a woman’s body, elaborating that “everything is absolutely sensual” – these sentiments are perhaps not surprising given that this was the designer that brought women the famous bubble dress in 1954, so named for its billowy silhouette from the waist down.
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