Step Inside a Brutalist-Inspired Home on the French Riviera

Karine Monié, Thomas de Bruyne
·6 min read

Simply put, making this French Riviera home a reality was a total family affair. The owners—Nicolette, an interior designer and artist, and Christian, an entrepreneur and wine lover—are the mother and stepfather of Jerry Pellerin, who cofounded Caprini & Pellerin Architectes along with Kevin Caprini. This, however, did not mean that designing the apartment-style dwelling was an easy task. On the contrary, the project took 18 months to complete, with high expectations from the start. “My mother has over 35 years of experience in interior design,” explains Pellerin. “Therefore, the challenge was very personal and emotional for me. I had to take her out of her comfort zone so that I could lay out my own architectural and decoration language.”

Located on the upper hills of Cannes, the home boasts dramatic views of the Bay of Cannes, the Lerins Islands, and the Esterel Mountains. It also sits on 150,700 square feet of private grounds with exotic trees and shrubs planted in the 18th century. “I had an eye and an ear on the building for years,” says Nicolette who, along with Christian, had no hesitations about downsizing from their villa. “When we saw the apartments, we immediately understood the potential, bought [one] straight away, and put our previous property on the market.”

Originally, the complex was designed by architects Sir Basil Spence and Eugène Lizero, with the Brutalist stone structure appearing to have been carved out of rock. “In the ’70s, architects enjoyed a lot more freedom and were more extravagant and generous in their creative approach,” Caprini says. “Our motivation was precisely to give life to an apartment that [showcases] the work of the two architects and respects the original codes, while exploring new avenues of design.”

In the corridor, the wall light appliqués are by Kelly Wearstler while the sculpture is a Samuel Salcedo work.
In the kitchen dining area, the adjustable counterweight gold pendant lamp by Florian Schulz pairs nicely with a bench seat.
In the kitchen dining area, the adjustable counterweight gold pendant lamp by Florian Schulz pairs nicely with a bench seat.

Spread over almost 6,000 square feet (3,843 for the interiors, and 2,153 for the surrounding grounds and private garden), the two-story flat is hardly your average apartment. The ground floor has private and service entrances, which are connected through a 75-foot-long corridor with small niches to display the owners’ collection of artifacts. The ground floor also features two en suite bedrooms, a primary bedroom with a bathroom outfitted in an impressive travertine, and a kitchen facing the sea. To the left of the kitchen, a large, light-filled open-plan area includes a lounge, a dining room, an office, and a hunting room. A nearby glassed-in fine wine and cigar room is another showstopper, while the basement level makes room for more everyday needs.

“The main architectural challenge during this renovation was to find a way to organize three very distinct apartments with partitioned spaces and different ceiling heights into one,” Caprini says. The oculus windows and arches of the building openings and exterior terraces inspired the curves of the vaulted ceilings and arched doors of the apartment. “The construction has a cavernous, almost troglodyte look,” Pellerin adds. “We reproduced this atmosphere indoors.”

The monochromatic palette of sand tones and beige hues makes every object and piece of made-to-measure or vintage furniture pop. This scheme is complemented by touches of green introduced on the kitchen credenza wall—which features glazed zellige tiles—and in the primary bathroom, where Caprini and Pellerin installed handmade feather tiles to echo the outdoor palm leaves. The use of five main materials—ash gray Dordogne stone, travertine stone, oak wood, walnut wood, and bronze—also contributes to a cohesive feeling.

Step Inside a Brutalist-Inspired Home on the French Riviera

The kitchen built-in storage was made out of travertine, oak wood, and walnut. The credenza is adorned with green Moroccan zellige handmade enamel tiles.
The kitchen built-in storage was made out of travertine, oak wood, and walnut. The credenza is adorned with green Moroccan zellige handmade enamel tiles.
In the kitchen dining area, the adjustable counterweight gold pendant lamp by Florian Schulz pairs nicely with the bench seat upholstered in green fabric from Paris L’après-Midi and the swivel oak table—both of which were custom made by Caprini & Pellerin Architectes. The vintage chair is by Niels Otto Møller.
In the dining room, the large ceiling suspension is a unique piece by Les Penates. The ceramic plates are by Nicola Fasano of Fasano Ceramiche while the vintage ceramic jugs and candlestick are from Morocco.
The lounge is furnished with two coffee tables. The blue ceramic plate is from Galerie Agnes Sandhal, while the ceramic pine vase is by Studio Floris Wubben. Guy Bareff designed the white ceramic floor lamp. The custom beige sofas are by Caprini & Pellerin Architectes. In the nearby lounge terrace, armchairs by Honoré Deco and an outdoor coffee table beckon.
The primary bedroom features a headboard and nightstands by Caprini & Pellerin Architectes and a brass reading light by Meljac. The vintage Chandigarh bench is by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret. The curtains are Pierre Frey.
The primary bedroom terrace is furnished with a rattan chair by Sika Design and a three-legged vintage mosaic and brass coffee table by Berthold Müller from 1950.
In the primary bathroom, the sink and cabinet in travertine and oak were custom made by Caprini & Pellerin Architectes. The tap is from the Watermark Collection.
As a reference to the 1960s and ’70s, travertine stone was used in all the bathrooms, including the primary. A panoramic sea view makes the room an unexpected star of the home.
As a reference to the 1960s and ’70s, travertine stone was used in all the bathrooms, including the primary. A panoramic sea view makes the room an unexpected star of the home.
In the corridor, the wall light appliqués are by Kelly Wearstler while the sculpture is a Samuel Salcedo work.
In the office, a sculpture by Michèle Raymond is seen near a free-form desk inspired by Charlotte Perriand. The Platner lounge chair is from Knoll while the outdoor fountain sculpture, titled,La Baigneuse, is by Sylvie du Plessis.
In the guest bathroom, sconces by Kelly Wearstler were included. Both the basin in travertine stone with oak bronze effect cupboards and the bath were made to measure. The faucet is from the Watermark Collection.
See the video.

“I never thought that after 35 years of working as an interior designer, I would be able to give carte blanche to anyone for my own home,” Nicolette says. “It was a big step for me to let go. Jerry convinced me and the result is stunning. I am so proud!”

Thanks to Pellerin’s in-depth knowledge of his parents’ lifestyle and personal belongings, everything was tailor-made down to the smallest detail. Molds were even taken of the homeowners’ silverware and spice jars so that they would perfectly fit inside the drawer organizers.

“It is a wow apartment,” Nicolette says, praising her son again. “We love the building so much that we recently purchased the apartment above, where I will create a yoga room, my atelier, and another bedroom.” For the next phase of this project, which will begin soon, Caprini & Pellerin Architectes will of course once again take the lead.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest