Hidden within the landmark residence of Le Provençal, at the gateway to Cap d’Antibes, is one of the Côte d’Azur’s most remarkable new homes – Villa Jardin. The five-bedroom villa has its own guest house, gardens, terraces and a swimming pool (featuring Jacquemus deckchairs as bright and welcoming as the Riviera sunshine).
It sounds almost impossible: a private villa within an apartment development.
Yet, as Riviera Edition discovered during a private tour, the contradiction disappears the moment you step through the front door.
Daylight floods the grand entrance hall through a dramatic double-height picture window, and stained-glass panels offer a glimpse of the spacious main double-reception room, dressed in crisp white and opening onto lush private gardens.
Villa Jardin feels private and independent, despite being part of the groundbreaking Le Provençal development.
But what truly sets Villa Jardin apart is its connection to one of the Riviera’s most enduring social legends.
Long before it became a private residence, these rooms formed part of the lavish VIP suite occupied by the Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson, during her stays at the legendary Hôtel Provençal in the 1930s.
Nearly a century later, that connection has been carefully woven into a residence that acknowledges its past without becoming trapped by it.
The man behind that transformation – and the entire Le Provençal vision – is Caudwell founder, John Caudwell, whose restoration of the long-abandoned hotel has returned one of the Riviera’s great landmarks to life, marking an exciting new chapter for Antibes Juan-les-Pins.
Hosted by the British philanthropist and businessman himself, Riviera Edition recently toured Villa Jardin, discovering a property whose story is every bit as compelling as its elegant design.
A Duchess’s Riviera Retreat
The story of Villa Jardin is inseparable from that of Le Provençal itself.
Built during the golden age of Riviera society, for American tycoon Frank Jay Gould, the celebrated art deco hotel quickly became one of the Côte d’Azur’s most fashionable addresses. Its guest list reads like a roll call of twentieth-century cultural legends, welcoming Coco Chanel, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Winston Churchill, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and countless others.
In 1938, after King Edward VIII had abdicated the British throne to marry Wallis Simpson (in France), the Duke and Duchess of Windsor – who were by then living in Paris – travelled to the French Riviera in search of a holiday home.
The Duchess had developed an affinity with the area after visiting Cap d’Antibes in the summer of 1934, and then staying in Cannes during the 1936 Abdication Crisis.
While house-hunting on the coast, the couple stayed at Hôtel Provençal as guests of Frank’s wife Florence Gould. (The Duchess and Florence had met and bonded over a shared love of Van Cleef & Arpels jewellery.)
It’s the substantial hotel suite they occupied, which has been reimagined as Villa Jardin.
The Windsors later settled at nearby Château de la Croë on Cap d’Antibes, but used the suite again (along with Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc) to oversee refurbishments at the château.
Reimagining a Riviera Landmark
That heritage has subtly informed the home’s contemporary redesign.
“With a stunning interior design inspired by the vibrant colours, landscape and artistic heritage of the French Riviera, Villa Jardin has a range of design features that the Duchess of Windsor would recognise from motifs in her own French homes,” says Caudwell.
The interiors, created by Caudwell Design, pay homage to Simpson’s favourite shade of blue, art deco references (her favourite architectural style) and Chinoiserie influences.
The Duchess probably would’ve felt most at home in the new formal dining room with its walls covered in hand-painted de Gournay depicting trees and foliage, similar to the Chinoiserie silk wallpaper panels she had at Villa Windsor in Paris.
In the case of Villa Jardin, the trees have been inspired by the pines just across the road, at what’s now known as Pinède Gould (where the famous jazz festival is held). This is probably one of the villa’s most memorable rooms. While honouring the Duchess, the dining setting feels perfectly suited to today’s Riviera lifestyle, whether for long lunches that stretch into the afternoon or dinner parties beneath the softly lit chandelier.
And if you do love entertaining, there’s a bonus awaiting behind the family kitchen: a fully-equipped professional kitchen, discreetly tucked away to cater for larger gatherings and private chefs.
With John Caudwell as our host, it becomes clear as you wander through the marquee residence that the Caudwell founder has had a hand in almost every decision, in his quest for quality, comfort, craftsmanship and convenience.
He also points out that his construction team’s biggest challenge was that, unlike with a new build where one starts from scratch, they had to create a luxury residence around elements of the original hotel that simply couldn’t be moved or removed. Instead, like with the original Art Deco-inspired columns in the main reception room, they have been exquisitely incorporated in the design.
The Villa Within Le Provençal
Perhaps the greatest surprise is not that Villa Jardin (which means Garden) exists within one of the Riviera’s most iconic buildings, but that once inside, Le Provençal itself almost disappears.
Caudwell calls it “one of the finest trophy residences at Le Provençal”.
Spanning 600 square metres of living space, the residence opens onto more than 900 square metres of gardens and terraces, complete with an 11-metre swimming pool, pool house and separate guest house; not to mention a view across the Mediterranean.
The result is a discreet private estate with a series of secluded outdoor spaces that feel removed from the outside world, hidden behind the Art Deco façade of one of the Riviera’s grandest addresses.
Privacy is perhaps the home’s defining luxury.
Designed for Riviera Living
The outdoor spaces embrace a more playful side of Riviera living.
The bright yellow Jacquemus loungers introduce bursts of colour, while the poolside dining area appears purpose-built for leisurely gatherings with family and friends. Together with the beautifully designed indoor entertaining spaces, the home offers no shortage of inviting spaces for entertaining.
Among the more unexpected features is a secluded home office reached via its own corridor. Quiet and discreet with pinstripe curtains by American fabric designer Rogers & Goffigon, it feels intentionally separated from the main living areas, providing an ideal retreat for work, reading or confidential conversations like those you could imagine between Wallis Simpson and Florence Gould.
The Duke of Windsor is remembered too, with a delightful walk-in cocktail bar off the lounge which reflects his penchant for mixing cocktails for his guests in the hidden bar at his Paris home.
Private Sanctuaries Above
The upper floor – accessed via an exquisite wooden staircase or private lift – is devoted to a collection of bedroom suites designed as personal retreats.
The principal suite is particularly impressive, with a bespoke four-poster bed with upholstered headboard by Italian design studio Dante Negro, French windows opening onto a generous balcony and direct access to the pool terrace.
Twin dressing rooms and two luxurious ensuite bathrooms enhance the sense of hotel-style indulgence, while a calming palette of whites and greens, including bed curtains by designer Tissus d’Hélène, creates an atmosphere of understated tranquillity.
The additional ensuite bedrooms continue the same design language, combining bespoke craftsmanship, natural textures and abundant Mediterranean light.
Hotel Services with Villa Privacy
While Villa Jardin offers the experience of private villa living, ownership of this and any of the other 40 residences at Le Provençal, also comes with access to a level of service rarely associated with a standalone residence.
Residents benefit from concierge and lifestyle services managed by neighbouring five-star Hôtel Belles Rives, together with privileged access to the hotel’s facilities, from its Michelin-starred restaurant and private beach club, to Bar Fitzgerald and spa.
Le Provençal itself offers an extensive collection of amenities, including landscaped gardens, a 30-metre swimming pool, spa (with the most comfortable-looking massage tables, designed by Caudwell), cinema, children’s playroom, restaurant and boutique retail spaces (still to be announced).
A Rare Piece of Riviera History
Priced at €29-million ($33.58m US Dollars), Villa Jardin undoubtedly occupies the upper tier of the Riviera property market.
Yet what distinguishes the residence is not simply its scale or its amenities. It is the unusual combination of history, privacy and setting. Few homes can claim a connection to one of the twentieth century’s most talked-about women, fewer still can offer the feeling of a private villa concealed within one of the Côte d’Azur’s most iconic buildings.
In a region renowned for extraordinary properties, Villa Jardin succeeds in offering something genuinely rare: a home that feels entirely its own while benefiting from luxury apartment amenities and 5-star hotel services, and remaining deeply connected to the story of the Riviera itself.
Villa Jardin is priced at €29-million Euros ($33.58m US Dollars). Other residences released for sale at Le Provençal include apartments priced from €4.05 million ($4.76m) up to €8 million ($9.4m), with marquee residences -including a penthouse with arguably the most breathtaking views on the coast – priced from €15-million ($17.62m): detailed pricing on application.
For further information contact Caudwell on Tel: +33 (0)4 93 33 32 22
E: laetitia.gardere@caudwell.com or visit: www.leprovencal.com
