Luxury developer Caudwell has unveiled an elegant new show apartment at Le Provençal on the French Riviera, the interior design inspired by iconic American singer Ella Fitzgerald, the vibrant Jazz-à-Juan Festival and the ‘Riviera Golden Years’ of the 1960s; the ‘Queen of Jazz’ a regular guest at the former landmark hotel, now transformed into a new £300 million plus (GDV) luxury residential address.
Inspired by the ‘Riviera Golden Years’ when Le Provençal was frequented by jazz musicians such as Ella Fitzgerald, Royals and Hollywood stars, the three-bedroom show apartment is located on the fourth floor of the recently completed residential address. It provides 2,172 sq.ft. (201.82 sq.m.) of lateral living space and 562 sq.ft. (52.21 sq.m.) of private external terraces including a covered loggia.
Fronting onto Avenue Notre Dame and Boulevard Edouard Baudoin at the gateway to Cap d’Antibes, Le Provençal overlooks the Mediterranean and was originally the Hôtel Provençal built in 1926-27 by architect Lucien Stable for American millionaire Frank Jay Gould. The building has an illustrious history that includes Royalty and famous A-list visitors including jazz legends Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong.
Recently completed and offering homes available for immediate occupation Le Provençal provides 35 residences 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. The building’s public areas and apartment specification are a collaboration between Caudwell and Parisian design studio Affine Design, with features including 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.
Legendary American singer, composer and Grammy Award winner Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996) first visited Le Provençal in July 1960 for the inaugural Jazz-à-Juan music festival, a celebration of jazz, that most American of exports, with headline acts from the USA including Fitzgerald and Charlie Mingus.
During the 1960 festival Fitzgerald stayed at Le Provençal, then the most fashionable hotel in Antibes, conveniently located directly adjacent to the festival’s seaside stage and a favourite Riviera haunt of Fitzgerald’s friend Marilyn Monroe. Fitzgerald returned to Le Provençal in 1963 to perform at Jazz-à-Juan, famously appearing at her hotel room window to give an impromptu performance for passers by and fans who flocked to the hotel hoping to see her. The ‘First Lady of Song’ performed again at Jazz-à-Juan in 1964 and 1967, during the latter festival she sang with the band of Duke Ellington and was joined by jazz legend Louis Armstrong.
During her visits to Le Provençal Fitzgerald would stay in a suite on one of the principal floors of the hotel, where the new show apartment is now located. Now the ‘Riviera Golden Years’ have been reborn with the transformed Le Provençal and the unveiling of the new show apartment.
With a glamorous, soulful design the new show apartment has a radiant colour palette inspired by the beautiful colours of the French Riviera with its azure seas, golden sands and the soft blush of a Mediterranean sunset. Warm tones with dazzling gold accents draw from the jazz scenes associated with music legends and Le Provençal visitors such as Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong and the glamorous after-parties and opulent crowd who attend the annual Jazz-á-Juan music festival and other VIP events along the Riviera.
The result is beautifully dressed living spaces which form a harmonious juxtaposition of vibrant features such as sofa scatter cushions in chocolate brown, colourful contemporary artwork and a dark gold feature wall to the reception room, alongside bedroom cushions in rich purples and dark gold. This vibrancy is combined with subtle elegancy in the form of contemporary cream sofas and armchairs positioned around a central coffee table in the reception room and the adjoining dining area featuring a sleek dining table in a natural wood finish bordered by upholstered dining chairs. The understated style reflects Ella Fitzgeralds’ own down-to-earth persona and her humble musical beginnings on streets of New York.
The new show apartment spans the entire depth of the building with the south facing façade providing a large double reception room opening onto a covered loggia offering panoramic views over the landscaped gardens of Le Provençal and the Bay of Golfe-Juan and Mediterranean Sea beyond and the north façade, with generously sized bedrooms opening onto a large terrace, offering views of the Alps.
The entrance hall opens onto the spacious south facing reception room with coffered ceiling and stone flooring, dressed with rattan style rugs, opening onto the loggia. The entertaining space has been arranged to provide a large lounge and adjoining dining area. Full height glazing opens onto the loggia which has a spacious outdoor seating area. The glazing can be opened to create a spectacular indoor-outdoor entertaining area.
The elegant and refined open plan kitchen is located off the main living space and has bronze finish timber cabinetry, with stone countertops and central island with breakfast bar clad in marble. Luxurious finishes are complimented with high specification, including integrated Miele kitchen appliances such as oven, combination microwave, fridge/freezer and dishwasher. Two sets of French doors from the kitchen open onto a terrace, perfect for dining al fresco.
An inner hallway provides privacy and access to the principal and guest bedroom suites, both opening onto a spacious terrace. Both suites have a walk-in dressing room lined with hanging rails and built-in drawers.
Each suite has a luxuriously appointed marble bathroom with custom design vanity unit, with integrated basin and mixer taps, and drawers providing practical storage and opulent focal point. In the main bathroom the brass framed overlapping double-circle mirror is perfectly framed by classic brushed brass art-deco wall lights, while the bathtub is dressed in decorative matching marble frame and front panel. The third bedroom has been dressed as a study/TV snug.
John Caudwell, British businessman, philanthropist and Founder of Caudwell says: “The reopening of the refurbished and transformed Le Provençal marks a new chapter in Antibes history and the rebirth of the ‘Riviera Golden Years’. The newly unveiled show apartment is a striking mixture of vibrancy and understated elegance, paying homage to the ‘Golden Years’, the renowned Jazz Festival and the illustrious musical career and huge cultural impact of Ella Fitzgerald who was a frequent visitor to Le Provençal when it operated as a hotel.”
Lars Christiaanse, Group Director of Sales at Caudwell says: “The new Ella Fitzgerald inspired show apartment forms the latest in a collection of furnished residences we have unveiled at Le Provençal. If you are considering owning one of the breathtaking residences we have turn key apartments available or alternatively for fresh apartment dressing our dedicated team is here to assist you and can take care of every detail, from selecting exquisite pieces to ensuring your home is perfectly styled and move-in ready, so you can embrace the luxury of the Riviera lifestyle from day one.”
The 35 residences are up to 9,440 sq.ft. (877 sq.m.) in size, and include lateral apartments, penthouses and garden houses/villas. The new Ella Fitzgerald show apartment is priced at €7.75 million Euros ($9.7m US Dollars). Other apartments released for sale at Le Provençal are priced from €4.5 million ($5.27m) up to €8 million ($9.36m), with marquee residences priced from €15 million ($17.56m): detailed pricing on application. For further information contact Caudwell on Tel: +33 (0)4 93 65 53 36 E: [email protected] or visit: www.leprovencal.com
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