Villa Jardin, Le Provençal, Cap d’Antibes
8 June 2026
Location: Le Provençal, Cap d’Antibes, French Riviera, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, southeastern France
Original Design: Architect Lucien Stable
Renewal Design: Architecte des Bâtiments de France and Paris architect Richard Martinet of Affine Design
For Sale: $33.58m Duchess of Windsor Holiday Home on French Riviera, Listed For Sale in Cap d’Antibes
Duchess of Windsor’s holiday home between the 1930s and 1970s, a residence originally designed by Cannes architect Lucien Stable for American multi-million Frank Jay Gould.
UK billionaire John Caudwell has worked with Architecte des Bâtiments de France and Paris architect Richard Martinet of Affine Design to refurbish, restore and modernise the former Windsor residence into a new architect designed five-bedroom trophy residence complete with guest house, private swimming pool and landscaped gardens.
Newly listed for sale and priced at €29m Euros ($33.58m US Dollars) it is the biggest new luxury residential listing on the French Riviera this Spring 2026.
Photos of €29m Euros ($33.58m US Dollars) Duchess of Windsor Holiday Home at Le Provençal in Cap d’Antibes
Photo Credit: CAUDWELL
CAUDWELL UNVEILS ‘VILLA JARDIN’ AT ‘LE PROVENÇAL’: TROPHY RESIDENCE WITH LINKS TO THE DUCHESS OF WINDSOR NOW CONTEMPORARY ULTRA-LUXURY HOME
At Le Provençal, the converted Art Deco hotel on the French Riviera, luxury developer Caudwell has unveiled a spectacular heritage residence with links to the Duchess of Windsor, now known as ‘Villa Jardin’. The five-bedroom trophy home provides 6,458 sq.ft. (600 sq.m.) of luxurious contemporary living space, 9,900 sq.ft. (919.67 sq.m.) of private balconies and garden terraces and a 36.5 ft (11.11m) long private swimming pool.
Offering stunning garden and ocean views, opening onto spacious private terraces, ‘Villa Jardin’ has a main duplex residence, an interlinked guest house and a separate pool house with kitchen, bar and shower/changing facilities.
With a beautiful interior design by Caudwell 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 homes. The accommodation includes a grand entrance hall, three spacious reception rooms, gallery for objets d’art, media/cinema room, study and five bedroom suites with a private passenger lift and staircase linking the duplex floors.
Le Provençal and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor
Like Caudwell Design, the fresh blues, lush greens and warm sunsets of the French Riviera have given artistic inspiration to many an aesthete including Cy Twombly, Jean Cocteau, Pablo Picasso (the trio an inspiration for the design of ‘Villa Jardin’) and also influenced the interior design of noted Riviera residents such as Coco Chanel, Duchess of Windsor and Florence Gould. Both Caudwell’s ‘Villa Jardin’ and the Windsor residences have features which capture the essence of the South of France and its uplifting lifestyle.
The Duke and Duchess of Windsor’s links to Le Provençal started in 1938 when they travelled from their Paris home, the Château de la Maye in Versailles, to the French Riviera looking for a second/holiday home on Cap d’Antibes. Wallis had first visited Cap d’Antibes in the summer of 1934, stayed in Cannes during the 1936 Abdication Crisis, and developed an affinity with Antibes.
During 1938 the house-hunting Windsors stayed at Le Provençal (then Hôtel Provençal, one of the Riviera’s finest 5-star hotels) in a substantial VIP suite as a guest of hotel chatelaine Florence Gould, the Franco-American wife of American tycoon Frank Jay Gould. The socialite hotelier and the Duchess were connected through Van Cleef & Arpels where they were respectively the No.1 and No.2 biggest clients of the iconic jewellery house and met at Paris bijouterie exhibitions.
The Windsors signed a two-year lease (later extended) on Château de la Croë on Cap d’Antibes for £2,000 a year (£175,000 today), then owned by newspaper magnate Sir Pomeroy Burton who oversaw Associated Newspapers and knew Florence’s father Maximilien La Caze, the French publishing tycoon. Whilst Château de la Croë was being refurbished for Wallis by Lady Sybil Colefax and Lady Elsie Mendl the Windsors used Hôtel Provençal and Hotel de Cap-Eden-Roc to oversee progress.
After the Windsors moved into Château de la Croë the Goulds were guests of the Windsors and in return Florence hosted the Duke and Duchess at the Gould residence, Villa La Vigie, and the adjacent Hôtel Provençal where Florence would throw legendary soirées attended by guests including the Windsors, Coco Chanel, F.Scott Fitzgerald and Salvador Dali.
Following World War Two, the Windsors returned to Château de la Croë, living in Antibe until they surrendered the lease in 1949, acquired in 1952 a country house Le Moulin de la Tuilerie (The Mill) just south of Versailles and in 1953 their Paris mansion (Villa Windsor) at 4 Route du Champ d’Entrainement. The Duchess of Windsor’s attachment to the French Riviera continued for the rest of her active life and she holidayed there regularly in between the 1950s and 1970s.
Overview of Villa Jardin
Now the substantial VIP suite at the former Hôtel Provençal has been transformed by Caudwell into one of the finest new marquee residences at Le Provençal,. The grand entrance hall of ‘Villa Jardin’ is finished in pure and tranquil shades of white with marble parquet flooring, stained glass windows offering views into the adjoining main reception room, bronze finish doors to the passenger lift, a niche with a built-in bench and a staircase with a dramatic double-height picture window.
Sea-shell plaster wall lights by Anglo-French sculptural lighting designer Hannah Woodhouse and sea-shell ceiling lights by local Nice designer Massimo Mangiardi adorn the hallway, a reminder of the adjacent beachside promenade and Mediterranean Sea.
The main double-reception room has its original Art Deco inspired columns (Art Deco the Duchess of Windsor’s favourite architectural style) with French windows and doors with white linen curtains opening onto ‘Villa Jardin’s’ extensive garden terraces.
Designed with white interiors and colourful accessories creating a sunbleached, holiday vibe, the reception room has been dressed as two living areas and a bar area. Each living area has L-shaped sofas with white textured linen upholstery and stylish teak and white fabric armchairs and a rosewood bench designed by Caudwell. The furniture positioned around dramatic Belgian blue limestone topped floating coffee tables complemented by indigo blue pinstripe design scatter cushions adding dramatic pops of colour (blue the favourite colour of the Duchess of Windsor).
The reception room has Song Dynasty style lamps in a glossy ebony Tenmoku glaze from Pimlico antiques expert Tarquin Bilgen, Chinoiserie loved by Wallis, and a sculptural chandelier, inspired by important postwar sculptor Giacometti, and centre table, both by local Nice designer Massimo Mangiardi.
With two sets of French windows opening onto the outside terraces the adjoining formal dining room has antique ivory silk Williamsburg wallpaper with hand painted green trees and foliage by de Gournay, the beautiful bespoke work recalling the pine forest and palm trees of the local Juan-les-Pins area.
The stunning wallpaper is complemented by a 12-seat timber dining table by French designer Marion Stora, with sculptural Albizia wood base by Mauro Mori and limited-edition green tabletop made of shells, lava stone and rare earth by Pierre Bonnefille.
The table is complemented by a custom chandelier above, Deco style Venezia dining chairs with teal-green pinstripe upholstery by Studio Sam and rattan pedestals and urns by Spanish brand Mahe. The vintage sideboard, in the style of iconic Italian furniture maker Paolo Buffa, is surmounted by green pinecone table lamps by Richard Taylor Designs.
The Duchess of Windsor would undoubtably feel most at home in this magnificent dining room since her dining room by Stéphane Boudin at Villa Windsor in Paris also featured beautiful hand painted Chinoiserie silk wallpaper panels displaying trees and nature in the style of de Gournay and a central mahogany table and dining chairs with custom design upholstery.
Beyond the formal dining room is the double kitchen and breakfast room and extensive back-of-house servery / food preparation/storage facilities. This impressive culinary space has a show/family kitchen with integrated white lacquer finish cabinets and cupboards, with central island/breakfast bar with bar stools by celebrated ethical Australian furniture designer Rachel Donath. Doors lead into a separate professional chef’s catering kitchen, allowing for either intimate family dinners or large scale entertaining.
On the other side of the grand entrance hall is a TV lounge/family room with Indigo blue linen French wallcoverings contrasting with paprika coloured L-shaped linen sofa and bespoke ottoman with Loro Piana finish and a teak and cobalt blue textile-covered Chandigarh armchair, crafted by Phantom Hands, specialists in South Asian Modernism, the vivid colours recalling the Mediterranean Sea and the beautiful warm sunsets of the Côte d’ Azur. Two sets of French doors allow natural light to cascade into the TV lounge/family room creating a bright and airy ambience.
Off the lounge is a walk-in cocktail bar with Moroccan Tadelakt plaster finish walls, sink, bar joinery and floating shelves, all in indigo blue, complete with a built-in champagne/cocktail fridge. The Mill at Tuilerie was also famous for its hidden walk-in cocktail bar, the “Bahamian Bar”, where the Duke of Windsor enjoyed mixing cocktails for his guests.
Adjoining the lounge is a study/home office with terracotta colour walls, the peachy tone a signature colour of the Riviera, with bookshelves and furniture crafted in natural French oak and dark terracotta pinstripe curtains by American fabric designer Rogers & Goffigon. The study/home office has adjacent ensuite bathroom and a walk-in guest cloakroom/vestibule.
Beside the TV lounge there is also a guest bedroom suite with ensuite bathroom, with pastel blue walls (recalling the famous “Wallis blue” that the Duchess liked) with a bespoke Picasso style sculptural headboard to luxurious bed and side tables featuring white Paloma lamps incorporating the Picassco dove, Pablo Picasso a hotel guest in 1937 at Le Provençal.
On the upper floor of ‘Villa Jardin’ the central hallway has a Picasso style sculptural bird cage chandelier, sea-shell wall lights and console tables by French designer Alexandre Labruyère. The upper hallway provides access to a private lobby with gold leaf finish doors opening into the sumptuous dual aspect principal bedroom suite which has four sets of French windows, a spacious balcony and steps leading to the swimming pool terrace. The principal suite has two walk-in dressing rooms and a pair of luxurious ensuite bathrooms.
Serene and romantic, the colour scheme of the principal suite is shades of white with linen sheer curtains, bespoke four poster bed with upholstered headboard by Italian design studio Dante Negro and white/green bed curtains by designer Tissus d’Hélène. Other details include sculptural Italian bedside tables in walnut finish, pine green bedside lamps from Portugal, a custom design armchair by Bray and a mohair rug by Swaziland designer Coral Stephens.
There are two further bedroom suites (both ensuite) on the upper floor. The first has taupe Abaca finish seagrass wallpaper, natural wood bespoke bed and Italian walnut veneer bedside tables with ceramic vase lamps. Opening onto a private balcony, the second suite has a white and pine green colour scheme with a bespoke four poster bed by Worcestershire cabinet maker Alan Eldridge, faux-bamboo side tables and Chinese antique style turquoise moon jar lamps.
Villa Jardin: The Guest House
From the main double-reception room on the ground floor a glass gallery for displaying objets d’art connects to the guest house wing of the residence. The guest house lounge has French doors opening onto the garden terraces, the room’s ambience and dressing providing laid back living and bright, joyful and colourful interiors. This aesthetic is delivered through a vivid contrast between the white walls and bookshelves and the playful colours, boldly patterned textiles, such as Carnival Multi by Lauren Hwang New York; rustic touches and textured metallics of the stylish interiors.
Features include yellow curtains, polychromatic built-in sofas, bespoke furniture by Rick Baker, colourful accessories and rug with twisted rib finish by Swaziland designer Coral Stephens. The guest house lounge echoes the drawing room at The Mill, where interior designer Stéphane Boudin and the Duchess of Windsor contrasted white walls and joinery with colourful furniture.
The guest house bedroom suite comprises a spacious bedroom, walk-in dressing room and bathroom. The suite continues the laid back living style of the lounge. The white walls have a Picasso-inspired mural with a bespoke design four poster bed as the centrepiece complemented by bedside tables in a bamboo finish, a feature Giraffe chair by Juliana Lima Vasconcellos and rustic Oak furniture. The blue and white colour scheme includes the headboard, furniture upholstery, blue vintage Jacques Blin side table lamps and curtains by George Spencer Designs (in a trellis design) and Molly Mahon.
Villa Jardin: Pool House, swimming pool & terraces
‘Villa Jardin’ opens onto extensive terraces and a private swimming pool, the terraces dressed with classic tubular Locus Solus armchairs by Jacquemus+Exteta and from Italy a range of cosy sofas, pine green ceramic tiled side tables and contrasting sculptural white side tables.
The pool house features a kitchen, bar and pool shower/changing facilities, with an outdoor dining area dressed with a dining table by Belgian designer Philippe Colette and teak dining chairs by Belgian design house Gommaire.
Le Provençal: Overview
Fronting onto Avenue Notre Dame and Boulevard Edouard Baudoin at the gateway to Cap d’Antibes, Le Provençaloverlooks the Mediterranean and was originally the Hôtel Provençal built in 1926-27 by architect Lucien Stable for American millionaire Frank Jay Gould and his socialite wife Florence.
Recently completed and offering homes available for immediate occupation the £300 million plus (GDV) Le Provençalprovides 35 residences up to 9,440 sq.ft. (877 sq.m.) in size, with contemporary interiors and a luxury specification, including lateral apartments, penthouses and villas, all with secure garaging. The adjacent five-star Hôtel Belles Rives manages Le Provençal providing residents with concierge, lifestyle services, valet parking and the benefit of privileged reservation at the diverse facilities on offer at Hôtel Belles Rives including a one-star Michelin restaurant, cocktail bar, spa and private beach club.
Le Provençal offers gracious luxury living and amenities unrivalled in the Cote d’Azur. Features include Art Deco styled public areas, cinema, health spa, restaurant, children’s playroom, retail boutiques and six acres of landscaped gardens with a 30-metre swimming pool.
Comment & Sales Contact Details
John Caudwell, British businessman, philanthropist and Founder of Caudwell says: “Villa Jardin is one of the finest trophy residences at Le Provençal and has the luxury of its own private swimming pool, extensive garden terraces, guest house and pool house kitchen/bar. 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. The Duchess was one of many famous guests who frequented Le Provençal during its former life as a grand hotel, the building’s transformation into a residential address marking an exciting new chapter in Antibes history.”
‘Villa Jardin’ is priced at €29,000,000 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 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: (email protected) or visit: www.leprovencal.com
Villa Jardin, Le Provençal, Cap d’Antibes, French Riviera images / information received 080626
Location: Le Provençal, Cap d’Antibes, French Riviera, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, southeastern France.
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