Pierre Cardin's Bubble Palace overlooking Cannes is up for sale

Fashion designer Pierre Cardin has listed his iconic Bubble Palace overlooking Cannes for sale.

On a block of more than over 7000 square metres and comprising 26 curved pods, this seaside home known as Palais Bulles was designed by Hungarian architect Antti Lovag for French businessman Pierre Bernard, who died part-way through its construction.

Building began in the 1970s and Cardin acquired the property in 1989, working with Lovag to complete the building as per Bernard’s wishes.

Its 1200 square metres of living space are surrounded by walls and an interior constructed from an unconventional mix of concrete mesh, plastic, foam and polyester.  

In the past, Lovag has said Cardin’s third bubble house was informed by his belief in architecture as a “form of play – spontaneous, joyful, full of surprise”.  

His philosophy towards construction was “I don’t know what it’s going to be like, I don’t know when it’s going to be finished, and I don’t know how much it’s going to cost”. He credits its unusual appearance as a byproduct of “habitology”.

Other sources suggest the home was inspired by Inuit villages, or early prehistoric dwellings carved out of spherical shapes,

The house is also the subject of a book, The Palais Bulles of Pierre Cardin, and has been listed as a historic monument by the French Ministry of Culture. 

According to The Independent, Cardin began working in the fashion industry after World War II, initially for Christian Dior before going on to launch his haute-couture collection in 1953 and his first pret-a-porter collection in 1959. His now-iconic geometric fusion of fashion and design, the Cosmos collection, was released in 1964. 

Cardin split his time between Paris and the Palais Bulles, which he used for parties, fashion shoots and events such as the recent Dior’s Cruise 2016 show.

No public price guide has been given for the unusual property, which is listed through Charles-Henri de La Grandière.