John F. Kennedy and Jackie’s Favored Riviera Retreat Is a Study in Sun-Drenched Opulence inside a Restored 1920s Art Deco Icon

Turning a legendary celebrity estate into a genuinely livable home without making it feel like a museum is no easy feat. Yet, Penthouse Nacre at Cap d’Antibes’ Le Provençal does so beautifully.

Originally built in 1926 for millionaire Frank Jay Gould, the former Hôtel Provençal was a beloved Riviera escape for John F. Kennedy and his family in the late 1930s, and later for JFK and Jackie during their 1950s Mediterranean summers. Ernest Hemingway and Elizabeth Taylor’s parents were also regular visitors in the twentieth century.

Today, developer Caudwell and Parisian design curators Invisible Collection have transformed those historic upper floors into an 8,958-square-foot triplex, now on the market for €40 million ($45 million). It's one of the most legendary properties on the Southern French coast, and undeniably among the world's best homes.

The eighth-floor entrance lobby sets the tone, with a circular oak-and-lacquer table beneath a plaster, brass, and gold chandelier.

A ceramic vase by Maison Jean Roger adds a piece of design history. The maker’s work was once collected by Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Coco Chanel, a fitting detail for a building with such a storied past.

A curved white staircase leads to the ninth-floor entertaining level, designed around 1970s Riviera living.

The main living room pairs pale L-shaped sofas with saffron armchairs, alongside a formal dining area and a striking cocktail bar designed by Willy Rizzo in 1971.

Made from stainless steel and burgundy suede, the piece reflects the building’s connection to the era’s most familiar faces.

Rizzo, a photographer as well as a designer, famously captured Elizabeth Taylor on the nearby beach and the Kennedys boarding Aristotle Onassis’s yacht.

Sliding pocket doors open into a club room finished in pine-green silk velvet, while the bespoke white pearlized kitchen leads directly onto a separate terrace.

On the lower floor, two lounge and games rooms with space for entertaining. One features a blue-velvet pool table, while the other has a crescent-shaped sofa positioned to take in views across the Bay of Golfe-Juan.

There's also a green cinema room and a black-lacquered study inspired by John D. Rockefeller’s office.

The principal bedroom suite is on this level, with streamlined interiors inspired by superyacht design. Shell-shaped wall sconces, two walk-in dressing rooms, a marble bathroom, and private terrace access complete the space.

Four additional guest suites feature collectible 20th-century furniture, including Eileen Gray’s 1927 Transat chair (similar to this one from 1stDibs). At the top of the penthouse, beneath a vaulted ceiling, the principal guest suite includes white interiors, two dressing areas, and three private balconies.

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The main outdoor space features a 12-seat stone dining table, raised sun deck, and 39-foot mosaic-lined swimming pool overlooking the Mediterranean.

Listed through Caudwell, the penthouse comes with the option to purchase its furniture separately and access to the services of the neighboring five-star Hôtel Belles Rives.

Its mid-century modern furnishings and Riviera heritage give it a strong sense of place, while the expansive terraces and open entertaining areas make the most of its Mediterranean setting. We'd never want to leave.

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