Discover Villa La Voile, an architectural gem nestled in Cap-Ferrat

Discover Villa La Voile, an architectural gem nestled in Cap-Ferrat

Nestled in the cliff facing the Mediterranean Sea lies one of the most extraordinary villas on the Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat peninsula. Renowned British architect Norman Foster designed it for his own use in 2002 and chose to name it La Voile.

The villa’s design is reminiscent of a sail, with two gigantic parabolic steel arches plunging down to ground level, 25 metres below. These sails serve to orchestrate light and shade within the space, changing the sunlight patterns calculated according to the sun’s path.

As the old stone house on the property was not to be demolished, there was no other option but to renovate it and reinvent its architecture. Sir Norman built his house upside down – with the bedrooms on the ground floor and the swimming pool on the top floor. The vertical structure offers spectacular views framing the horizon, blurring the boundary between inside and outside.

The volume of the main room resembles a cathedral with its 17-metre ceiling height, framed by staircases leading to the other floors. The villa’s social space includes a library, seating areas and dining rooms.

This villa is a must-see from the footpath around Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, so be sure to locate it and admire it the next time you stroll along the “billionaires’ peninsula”.

Source: Pierre Dévoluy, Jean-Jaques Pangrazi: Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and La Voile by Foster & Partners – Casalibrary