In the Côte d’Azur, an iconic bubble house ripples across a mountaintop

Alban Blin’s Maison-Bulle is asking for €3.45m

In his 1963 treatise ‘Où vivrons-nous demain?’, the author and critic Michel Ragon highlighted the trend for ‘architecture-sculpture’ among expressive, experimental creatives in France. These artists and architects, clustered mainly around Paris and the Cote d’Azur, eschewed the strict rules of modernism for a more organic, more personal take on French living — made possibly by technological advancements like sprayed concrete on steel reinforcements. Fifty years ago, one of those creatives, the artist Alban Blin, designed and built a house for himself following those guidelines on a rocky promontory overlooking Nice and the Mediterranean. This month, it’s been put up for sale for €3.45m via Architecture de Collection.

The so-called Maison-Bulle (Bubble House) was designed like a series of prehistoric caves over three hectares of olive groves and gardens in La Gaude, a small settlement north of Nice. Dating to 1975, it undulates around a central terrace, offering nearly 500 square metres of intimate nooks, caverns and light-bathed communal rooms that bubble up to the sky. The double-height living room has a dome pierced with portholes that resemble whales’ spouts. Walking the corridors to the bedrooms and bathrooms is like going on an adventure. There are six bedrooms and four bathrooms in all — including a private studio with its own entrance.

Blin constructed his bubble house with layers of concrete, applied with a pump to an amorphous steel frame. He applied a plaster finish to the interior and exterior, in chalky white and terracotta shades, respectively. Shaped entirely by hand, the walls curve up and around the spaces and incorporate built-in storage, alcoves and furnishings.

The outdoor terraces are as extensive as the home itself, centred on a round 20-metre mosaic-tiled swimming pool. They benefit from spectacular mountain views and privacy that is largely unheard of in the popular Alpes-Maritimes. Yet the city of Nice, the arty town of Saint-Paul-de-Vence, and medieval Cagnes-sur-Mer are all within a half-hour by car. The mountain hiking route Baou de Saint Jeannet is 12 minutes north.

See inside the unique French property above.

Photography: Architecture de Collection
Photography: Architecture de Collection
Photography: Architecture de Collection
Photography: Architecture de Collection

Read next: A heritage-listed modernist villa hits the market on France’s Atlantic Coast

This 1977 modernist home cuts a sharp profile in the Burgundy countryside

And from the archive… 3 revolutionary bubble houses on the market

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