Antibes - Villa La Calade
- department: Alpes-Maritimes
- common: Antibes
- naming: Villa La Calade
- address: chemin du Pas du Diable - Cap d'Antibes
- author: César CAVALLIN (architect)
- date: 1937
- labelling: 28 November 2000
In 1937, the industrialist R. Meyer acquired a plot of nearly 5000m2 in Cap d'Antibes, along the coast. He then called on the Cannes architect César Cavallin to destroy the pre-existing house and build a new one on the old foundations.
César Cavallin was active in Cannes and Antibes between 1928 and 1964. His activity focused on projects aimed at a seasonal and wealthy clientele, in the Art Deco style: hotels (Hôtel Belles Rives, Antibes, 1929), buildings (Palais Beau-Rivage, Antibes, 1935) and villas (Villa La Brigantine, Antibes, 1937).
For the villa La Calade, César Cavallin will opt for an aesthetic called «liner», inspired by the recent achievements of the masters of the Modern movement (villa Noailles, Robert Mallet-Stevens, Hyères, 1924-1930; hotel Latitude 43, Georges-Henri Pingusson, Saint-Tropez, 1932, etc.).
The naval analogy is reinforced by the use of tubular metal railings, porthole holes and details on the façade, such as the access ladder to the gazebo.
With a surface of about 350 m², the villa, which is distinguished by its sustained pink color, is characterized by the assembly of distinct and asymmetrical volumes. Facing the sea, the west façade is the most worked out. On the first floor, a semi-circular terrace offers a breathtaking view of Golfe Juan. The glass-paved staircase provides access to the roof terrace, overlooked by a gazebo.
Inside, on the ground floor, the vestibule serves the service rooms (pantry, kitchen, service staircase and maid’s room) and allows to reach the living room, Main room illuminated by bay windows opening to the east and west and connected to the dining room located in a semi-circular volume. Upstairs, a corridor leads to three bedrooms, two of which have bathrooms and terraces. The decor and furniture are due to the Parisian decorator Jacques Adnet.
Editor: Eve Roy, 2018
Sources: Mérimée bases and Patrimages of the Ministry of Culture