At the Domaine de la Belle Étoile residential estate on the exclusive Cap d’Antibes, by luxury developer Caudwell, renowned Côte d’Azur landscape design firm Région Espaces Verts have created within the 3.65 acres (1.47 hectares) of grounds a series of exquisite themed gardens and beautiful al fresco spaces designed as tributes to the landscapes of Provence and the French Riviera.
Overlooking the turquoise waters of the Port de l’Olivette, the extensive landscaped grounds at Domaine de la Belle Étoile skilfully blend both the architectural geometric features of the classic ‘Jardin a la Francaise’, and freer naturalistic planting, conceived as a stunning Mediterranean oasis of greenery.
Among the seamlessly flowing ‘garden rooms’, each evoking a distinct region of the South of France, its pièce de resistance is what is arguably the finest private ‘Roserai’ – rose garden – on Cap d’Antibes. Elsewhere within the organically maintained scheme are an olive grove interspersed with lavender, an aromatic chef’s garden, a three-tier vineyard and a secluded meditation area. The gardens are complete with a breathtaking variety of native trees, shrubs, flowers, fruit trees and culinary and medicinal herbs, many drought-resistant to suit the Mediterranean climate.
Région Espaces Verts was founded in 1989 by Thierry de la Rouère, a Saint-Blaise based family firm, whose son Adrien is the head of site management. Région Espaces Verts create extraordinary outdoor spaces for high profile private clients, designing beautiful villa and rooftop gardens, alongside luxury hotel and other commercial projects across the Côte d’Azur, with environmental sustainability and conservation being key elements of everything the firm designs.
Domaine de la Belle Étoile has been created on the site of the former Hôtel Provençal Tennis Club, which between the 1930s to the 1970s hosted eight tennis courts and a clubhouse, with royal and A-list visitors including Marilyn Monroe, Coco Chanel, the Duke of Windsor, Jackie Kennedy and Charlie Chaplin.
Today, completely transformed, Domaine de la Belle Étoile provides the ultimate turn-key French Riviera family home, with a newly built contemporary main villa, ‘La Belle Etoile’ designed by Nice-based architectural practice Atelier Baraness + Cawker, offering 14,200 sq.ft. (1,320 sq.m.) of luxurious living space.
With furnishings and décor by Monaco-based interior design firm Casamanara, the main villa includes five reception rooms, six bedroom suites, a family show kitchen, a professional chef’s kitchen, an outdoor kitchen, a study, cinema room and glass-walled swimming pool, plus a series of covered loggias and terraces. Within the grounds are also two charming guest houses, Villa Céleste and Villa Capella.
Key features within the grounds of the estate include 10 magnificent 25-metre high maritime pines (Pinus pinaster), once part of a forest, along with five impressive cypress trees and three 100-year-old olive trees. Sweetly scented Pittosporum tobira ‘Nanum’, and beds with fragrant, pale purple Tulbaghia violacea enhance the sense of classical grandeur.
At the heart of the estate, is the most beautiful private ‘Roserai’ in Cap d’Antibes. This enchanting, perfume-filled quadrant, which comes into bloom from May, is a homage to Antibes’ history as the “capital of the rose.” Varieties include the double cream and red striped Rosa ‘Scentimental’, the ravishing vivid pink floribunda ‘Leonardo Da Vinci’, and the citrus-scented ‘Baide des Anges Romantica’.
From the main villa ‘La Belle Etoile’, across the 23m (75ft) glass-walled swimming pool, are views of The Olive Grove, featuring 20 trees of the Olea europaea variety. Their silvery-grey leaves contrast beautifully with the several species of French lavender planted between them, including Lavandula angustifolia and Lavendula dentata, which recreate the atmosphere of the spectacular lavender fields of the Valensole plateau. This area invites residents and their guests to harvest scented sprigs and olives, keeping local traditions alive.
The Chef’s Garden is a gourmand’s dream, full of aromatic plants and herbs, many that flower in glorious colour. With a wonderful traditional French country cottage aesthetic, they include Salvia Rosmarinus ‘Corsican Blue’, Thymus vulgaris and Helichrysum italicum, as well as mints, marjorams and oregano. To evoke the city of Menton, on the shores of the Mediterranean and the Italian border, known as the world’s citrus capital, citrus trees are planted between each bed, including Citrus limon, Citrus nobilis and Citrus x aurantium.
Budding ‘vignerons’ and wine lovers will be entranced by The Vineyard, set over three tiers and now flourishing with four varieties of grapes typical of the South of France: in white, Rolle, typical in the Var and Corsica, and Clairette, a grape variety of used by the boutique Bellet appellation from the heights of Nice; and in red, Folle Noire and Braquet, both grape varieties from Provence.
Within the estate Caudwell has transformed the original tennis clubhouse, once the haunt of celebrities, into a two-bedroom guesthouse known as Villa Céleste. To accentuate its Provençal country house aesthetic, Région Espaces Verts have planted Bougainvillea, the ultimate symbol of summer, in a variety of purples and crimsons, both in beds by the entrance to Villa Céleste and trailed across exterior stone archways and wooden beams.
Several elegant cypress trees also flank Villa Céleste, a traditional French symbol of hospitality, with an elegant water feature with a central fountain adding a more formal, classical touch.
Other spaces within the estate’s grounds have been further zoned for further leisure and relaxation. Near The Olive Grove, a calming Meditation Space is bordered by high hedges of Australian brush cherry, Eugenia myrtifolia, and there is also a Boules Court, that staple of community life across the South of France. Ample space has also been allowed for a helipad and a tennis or basketball court, subject to gaining the necessary consents.
Lars Christiaanse, Group Director of Sales at Caudwell says: “Domaine de la Belle Étoile is the ultimate turn-key Riviera home on the Cap d’Antibes with interiors by Casamanara. It is therefore fitting that the landscaped grounds should be as equally remarkable. Région Espaces Verts have created an extraordinary series of themed gardens that pay tribute to the breathtaking landscapes of Provence and the French Riviera, and at its heart is one of the most ravishing rose gardens on the entire Riviera.”
Adrien de la Rouère, Head of Site Management at Région Espaces Verts says: “For the landscaping and planting for Domaine de la Belle Étoile it was important for us to anchor the gardens in its location, creating a connection with some of the region’s most iconic landscapes. We have carefully curated plants that thrive in the Mediterranean climate, such as olive trees, lavender, jasmine, bougainvillea and phormiums, with form, fragrance and dazzling colour throughout the scheme.”
Domaine de la Belle Étoile is available for viewings by prior appointment. The residential estate, providing the main villa and two guest houses, is being offered to the market on a turn-key basis, fully furnished with interiors by Casamanara and landscaped gardens by Région Espaces Verts. The estate is listed for sale for €58.95 million ($69.25 million US dollars). For sales enquiries, contact Caudwell on Tel: +33 (0)4 93 65 53 36, visit www.domaine-de-la-belle-etoile.com or Email: [email protected]
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