The futuristic home is listed for an undisclosed price by Michaël Zingraf, an Affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate.

Every so often, we come across a unique property that almost defies description. The Bubble Palace looks like something you’d find on Tatoonie in the StarWars universe - although we think it could be something SpaceX may one day build on Mars.  

The property has 10 suite pods with 11 bathrooms, built over 6 levels on the Massif de L'Esterel, a red-hued mountain range in Théoule-sur-Mer, near Cannes. There are 3 swimming pools, waterfalls, and a 500-seat amphitheatre with views overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. 

The unique curvy design features almost 13,000 square feet of space in clusters of interlinked pod suites, as round inside as they are outside, with round doors, elliptical windows, and wave-inspired staircases. 

The property was designed by Hungarian architect Antti Lovag, known for his organic architecture and experimentation with sculptural approaches to residential design. 

He did not consider himself to be an architect but rather a ‘habitologist’: “Architecture does not interest me. It is humanity, the human space that interests me – creating envelopes around human needs. I work like a tailor. I make made-to-measure envelopes; envelopes that can be reshaped at will”. For Lovag, architecture was a "form of play- spontaneous, joyful, full of surprise" and he wanted to go back to the roots of our ancestral habitats, i.e. the cave. (The bubble house is said to be a modern interpretation of a cave dwelling.)

He designed his first prototype for a “bubble house” in 1969 for French industrialist Pierre Bernard (Maison Bernard is now open to the public), but it was the Palais Bulle that would place Lovag at the forefront of 1970’s radical architecture. 

The Bubble Palace took 14 years to build, from 1975 and 1989. After Bernard’s death in the early 90’s, the property was purchased at auction by fashion designer Pierre Cardin as a summer home and creative sanctuary.

 “Clinging to the rocky Estérel, this palace has become my own bit of paradise. Its cellular forms have long reflected the outward manifestations of the image of my creations. It is a museum where I exhibit the works of contemporary designers and artists.” 

Known for his Space Age designs, the property was a natural choice for Cardin, whose rise to fame is noted with the smashing success of his “bubble dress” design in 1954. The Dior Resort 2016 Fashion show took place at the Palais Bulles, notable not only for its instagram-worthy backdrop: Cardin was head of coats and suits at Christian Dior when he launched his own fashion house in 1947.

He wanted the property to become a destination to appreciate creativity and artistic expression, and each year he hosts one of the most sought-after festivals on the Riviera (outside of the Cannes Film Festival, of course). His glamorous parties attracted high-profile actors, models, and fashion icons to party in style at Palais Bulles. 

The futuristic home is rumoured to have been on the market in 1989 for $455 million and then $355 million in 2015, but never sold and was taken off the market. 

All photos belong to the listing agency.