Le Provençal, an Art Deco icon perched at the gateway of Cap d’Antibes, was long one of the French Riviera’s finest five-star hotels. It was here that figures like Jackie O, Winston Churchill, Grace Kelly, and Ella Fitzgerald would stay or dine during the area’s glamorous Golden Age.
After sitting vacant since the 1970s and falling into disrepair, the structure has now been gloriously revived by UK-based development firm, Caudwell, as a lavish, 35-residence building. This ambitious project—lead by British billionaire, John Caudwell, whose passion for beauty can be seen in every detail—took over 10 years and upwards of $390 million to complete.
The 256,000-square-foot building, which officially opened its doors last year, is currently 40% sold with each of its seven super residences still available for buyers seeking the crème de la crème of the French Riviera. One of the most legendary gems of its trophy collection, Villa Jardin, was just unveiled and is asking €29 million ($33.5 million USD) fully furnished.
Brimming with intentional design touches and a grand legacy, it’s been decorated by Caudwell Design to channel the Duke and Duchess of Windsor as well as the artful nature of the French Riviera. The controversial duo stayed in these exact rooms in 1938, two years after the Duke of Windsor abdicated the throne, as a guest of hotelier Florence Gould. They had an affinity for Antibes and were house-hunting in the area. When the Windsors signed a £2,000 per year (£175,000 today) lease for Château de la Croë on Cap d’Antibes, they continued to use Hotel Provençal as a base while their new retreat was refurbished.
What was once their spacious VIP suite has now been configured into a 6,458-square-foot, five-bedroom villa including a guest house, pool house, and private pool. Its architecture, devised to blend Art Deco authenticity with fresh elegance, showcases floor-to-ceiling glass windows and doors, marble parquet flooring, stained glass windows, and original fluted columns.
Caudwell Design leaned into motifs that Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor, would recognize and appreciate when adorning the spaces. Arriving at the serene yet dramatic entryway, wall lights by Anglo-French designer Hannah Woodhouse and sea-shell ceiling lights by local Nice designer Massimo Mangiardi set a polished, coastal tone. This airy atmosphere spills effortlessly into the great room, where a predominantly white and neutral palette emphasizes the garden views.
Turning to the dining room, hand-painted silk wallpaper by de Gournay delivers the first substantial splash of color. Its leafy, verdant look harkens to the forests and parks of nearby Juan-les-Pins, but also to the Duchess’s fanciful taste. Famously, her dining room by Stéphane Boudin at Villa Windsor in Paris also featured nature-oriented, hand-painted Chinoiserie wallpaper panels.
The interlinked guest house is the next spot that surprises with joyful hues. Inspired by the French Riviera’s artistic history and the Windsor’s maximalist decor at Le Moulin de la Tuilerie, their country house just south of Versailles, it serves up unabashed yet refined playfulness. A kaleidoscope of color, texture, pattern, and bespoke furnishings by Rick Baker mingle in the living room while the bedroom swirls with ocean blues that instantly put you in vacation mode.
A terracotta home office, moody media room with a hidden bar, and double kitchens for high-impact entertaining round out the villa’s main level, then it’s a quick journey upstairs to find the rest of the beautiful bedrooms. Each with their own personality and aura.
Naturally, the primary suite with its own balcony is the most luscious. Ethereal and soft, it transports you to Provence or the English countryside with linen fabrics, a custom bed with an upholstered headboard by Italian design studio Dante Negro, and white and green bed curtains by designer Tissus d’Hélène.
It’s not often you find a residence with a pool house within a luxury building, and Villa Jardin is the only home at Le Provençal to boast this perk. Steps away from the bedrooms, the contemporary abode unfolds with a kitchen, bar, shower, and vast terrace leading to the private pool.
As well as enjoying crystal-clear ocean and garden views from here, a new owner can dive into suave alfresco hosting immediately since it will come furnished with groovy Locus Solus armchairs by Jacquemus+Exteta, a dining table and teak chairs from Belgian designers, sun umbrellas, and loungers. The only thing missing is a bottle of Côte d’Azur rosé, which is easily amendable.
For ultra-wealthy buyers looking for a South of France getaway, much like the Windsors were, time and energy is currency. In fact, it can be more important than dollar amounts. Caudwell Design has thought through every aspect of Villa Jardin, sourcing antiques and custom pieces from designers and artisans worldwide, to take the work off a future owner’s hands.
At the steep price of €29 million, all someone needs to bring is their clothes, and even that could be taken care of with Le Provençal’s concierge services, supplied by neighboring Hôtel Belles Rives, if desired.
John Caudwell asserts, “Interior design should have three component parts: It should be beautiful, it should be practical, and it should have longevity.” This radiant residence, as well as the rest of the landmark building and its amenity spaces, has been painstakingly designed to excel in all three areas. Every inch reflects an extraordinary effort of creativity, labor, and unwavering high standards. For example, the billionaire says it took roughly 8 years to design Le Provençal’s expansive wet spa, an endeavor he was deeply involved in.
On the rewarding process of transforming a former 300-room hotel into a 35-residence masterpiece, the passionate developer shared, “It was like a jigsaw puzzle you just had to keep working at.” His next time-intensive puzzle, 1 Mayfair in London, is in its final stages and expected to be just as breathtaking.
