Villa Monaco — A Luxury Retreat for Art, Architecture & Design Lovers on the French Riviera
The French Riviera has drawn artists, architects and collectors for more than a century — from the Belle Époque villas of Cap Ferrat to the modernist masterpieces of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, and from private art foundations to world-class museums, few destinations combine culture, architecture and Mediterranean living quite like the Côte d'Azur. This reputation is not simply historical. It continues, actively and visibly, into 2026.
In its Summer 2026 art lover's guide to the French Riviera, Art Basel — the most authoritative name in the international art fair calendar — mapped a curated route through the coast's art destinations and named a small selection of luxury properties from which to explore them. Villa Monaco was one of only three properties on the entire Riviera that Art Basel highlighted.
Named as one of three luxury properties on the entire French Riviera
"Book the luxury locations — Villa Monaco, Villa des Artistes in Nice, and Villa Beauvallon Hyères — and explore more art world destinations with Airbnb Luxe."
The selection matters because it is unusually well-earned. At Villa Monaco, design is not decoration — it is part of everyday life. Every room has been carefully curated with original furniture, lighting, decorative arts and design classics from across Europe, creating a home where guests live amongst iconic twentieth-century design while exploring one of the world's richest cultural landscapes. This article is a guide to both — the villa's collection, and the architectural landmarks within easy reach for guests staying with us.
Part One · The Collection
A Private Collection Rather Than a Holiday Rental
Many luxury villas offer beautiful interiors. Villa Monaco offers something more personal. Over many years, the villa has been carefully assembled with original furniture and decorative objects representing some of Europe's most influential designers, manufacturers and artistic movements. Rather than following a single style, the collection brings together French Art Deco, Viennese Modernism, Italian post-war design, German industrial design and contemporary European craftsmanship. The result is an elegant, welcoming home where every room tells a different story.
France · Art Deco & Modern IconsThe Elegance of French Design
France has shaped international furniture design for more than a century, and the villa celebrates this heritage throughout its interiors. The living room, pictured above, is centred around the instantly recognisable Togo sofas designed by Michel Ducaroy for Ligne Roset. Since their introduction in 1973, the Togo has become one of the most celebrated pieces of modern French furniture — admired for its sculptural, floor-hugging form, exceptional comfort and quiet influence on almost every subsequent generation of low-slung upholstered seating. The bedrooms continue in the same idiom, with contemporary Ligne Roset beds combining refined craftsmanship with understated elegance.
The dining room features a set of four dining chairs whose form and proportions are inspired by the work of Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, one of the greatest masters of French Art Deco. Their elegant lines and luxurious materials recall the glamour of Paris in the 1920s. Throughout the villa, guests discover original French Art Deco side tables from the early twentieth century, alongside an elegant Art Deco office table attributed to Jacques Adnet, whose work helped define modern French interior design.
At the heart of the dining room stands a striking Roche Bobois travertine and glass dining table from the 1990s — a later chapter of French design history, balancing natural stone with contemporary architectural form. Suspended above, a magnificent chandelier by Christofle, the historic French silversmith, provides an unmistakably French sense of refinement.
Even dining reflects local heritage: guests take meals using the original "Monte Carlo" silver cutlery produced by Royal, the historic silversmith from nearby Nice — a subtle, deliberate connection between the villa and the Riviera itself.
Italy · Sculptural FormsItalian Craftsmanship & Post-War Design
Italy's influence on international furniture design is equally celebrated across the villa. The dining area features the elegant Regia dining chairs designed by Antonella Mosca for Ycami during the 1980s — an excellent example of Italian post-war design. Nearby, a set of Marcello Cuneo's Luisa dining chairs demonstrates the refined simplicity that characterises Italian modernism.
The living room is complemented by Paolo Piva's celebrated Alanda coffee table for B&B Italia — its geometric steel base has become an icon of twentieth-century furniture design and remains highly sought after by collectors today. Adding another layer of Italian craftsmanship is an exceptional nineteenth-century Venetian Murano mirror, entirely hand-engraved by master glassmakers whose techniques have been passed down through generations.
Josef Hoffmann's Lasting Legacy
The villa also pays tribute to one of Europe's most influential architects and furniture designers, Josef Hoffmann. The elegant black leather Kubus JH13 sofa, originally designed in 1910, remains one of the defining works of the Vienna Secession movement. Complementing it are the celebrated Purkersdorf armchairs, designed by Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser, whose geometric forms helped shape the foundations of modern furniture design. More than a century after their creation, these pieces still feel remarkably contemporary — which is precisely what has kept them in production, and in serious collectors' rooms, for so long.
Germany · Precision & Industrial DesignGerman Modernism & Outdoor Craft
German design is represented across lighting and outdoor furniture. Original tubular ceiling and wall lights designed by architect Rolf Krüger for Staff Leuchten bring an unmistakable modernist character to the villa. Introduced in 1967, the design received the prestigious iF Design Award in 1968 and remains an important example of German industrial lighting.
Outside, handcrafted sun loungers by German manufacturer April Furniture combine precision engineering with minimalist aesthetics, perfectly suited to the Mediterranean climate.
Belgium · Outdoor LivingBelgian Design on the Terrace
The terraces are furnished with elegant pieces by Royal Botania, the Belgian company founded by Kris Van Puyvelde whose name has become synonymous with luxury outdoor living. The collection transforms the villa's outdoor spaces into sophisticated settings for relaxing, entertaining and enjoying the panoramic view across Cap-d'Ail, Monaco and the Mediterranean.
A Touch of American History
Among the villa's most unexpected treasures is an original 1918 barber chair from New York. Beautifully restored, it introduces an authentic piece of American design history into an otherwise European collection — and reflects the owner's conviction that exceptional craftsmanship is worth pursuing wherever it is found, regardless of geography or category.
Design is not decoration here. It is part of everyday life.
Part Two · The Design Trail
The Riviera's Great Architectural & Cultural Landmarks Beyond the Villa
Art Basel's Summer 2026 guide highlighted the extraordinary density of art foundations, museums and architectural landmarks along this stretch of coast. Many of the most important are within an easy drive of Villa Monaco — which is precisely why we were included in the guide. Below, the eight sites we most often recommend to guests interested in design and architecture, matched to the distance table further down this page.
Villa E-1027 — Eileen Gray
10 min · RoquebruneA short drive from Villa Monaco stands E-1027, the extraordinary seaside house designed by Irish architect and designer Eileen Gray between 1926 and 1929. Widely regarded as one of the masterpieces of Modernism, the villa transformed ideas about domestic architecture through its innovative planning, integrated furniture and close relationship with the Mediterranean landscape. Restored after decades of neglect and reopened in 2021, E-1027 is now managed by Cap Moderne (Centre des Monuments Nationaux) as a National Heritage site.
Open 1 April – 31 October 2026 · Tours 10:00, 11:00, 14:00, 15:00 (French & English) · Ticket €30 · Booking essential — tours regularly sell out weeks in advance · capmoderne.com
Bonus The same ticket includes access to Le Cabanon, the tiny 3.66m × 3.66m holiday cabin Le Corbusier built for himself on the same site — a modernist manifesto in miniature.
Palais Bulles — Antti Lovag
1h 15min · Théoule-sur-MerDesigned by Hungarian architect Antti Lovag for industrialist Pierre Bernard and later owned by fashion designer Pierre Cardin, the Palais Bulles challenges every conventional idea of architecture. Its flowing circular forms, interconnected ochre spheres and dramatic Mediterranean setting have made it one of the most recognisable private homes in the world — a manifesto of "habitology," Lovag's philosophy of curved, organic living space.
Important Palais Bulles is a private residence and events venue, not open to public tours. It can be seen from the Corniche de l'Estérel and along the coastal road, and is regularly used as a filming location (Dior 2015, Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie, and Travis Scott's K-Pop video, among many others). For private events and rentals: cardinworld.com
Maison Bernard — the "bubble house" you can actually visit
1h 15min · Théoule-sur-MerFor guests wanting to actually experience a Lovag "bubble house" from inside, Maison Bernard — Lovag's first completed work, just a few kilometres from the Palais Bulles — is open to the public by guided visit. It has been transformed into a museum and hosts an artists' residence programme, allowing visitors to explore the radical architectural universe of the master of curved forms. A better cultural experience than the private Palais, and only a short additional drive.
Fondation Maeght — Saint-Paul-de-Vence
50 min · Saint-Paul-de-VenceWidely regarded as Europe's finest private modern-art foundation. Created by gallerists Aimé and Marguerite Maeght with their close friends Miró, Giacometti, Braque and Chagall, the foundation weaves Sert's modernist architecture into the Mediterranean landscape — courtyards, terraces, fountains, mosaics, sculpture gardens. This summer, a major solo show of works by Ellsworth Kelly occupies the interior galleries; site-specific works by Miró, Calder and Giacometti populate the grounds year-round.
More fondation-maeght.com
Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild — Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
20 min · Saint-Jean-Cap-FerratA pink Belle Époque palace on the narrowest part of the Cap Ferrat peninsula, surrounded by nine themed gardens (French, Spanish, Florentine, Japanese, exotic, stone, rose, Provençal, and the celebrated musical fountain garden). Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild's private collection of decorative arts — porcelain, tapestries, furniture from Versailles-era France — is displayed almost exactly as she left it. One of the most complete Belle Époque interiors on the Riviera, and a bright contrast to E-1027's modernism.
Villa Kérylos — Beaulieu-sur-Mer
15 min · Beaulieu-sur-MerAn extraordinary early-twentieth-century reconstruction of an Ancient Greek noble villa, built for archaeologist Théodore Reinach on the seafront at Beaulieu-sur-Mer. Every mosaic, fresco, piece of furniture and household object was recreated using historically documented Greek techniques and materials. The result is neither replica nor pastiche but a serious act of architectural scholarship — and one of the most singular buildings on the Côte d'Azur.
Fondation CAB — Saint-Paul-de-Vence
55 min · Saint-Paul-de-VenceA more recent addition to the Riviera's cultural map — the Fondation CAB (Cultureel Art & Beauté) presents a rigorously curated programme of minimal and contemporary art in a striking modernist setting near Saint-Paul-de-Vence. A natural pairing with a Fondation Maeght visit on the same day.
Nouveau Musée National de Monaco
10 min · MonacoMonaco's national museum of contemporary art operates across two historic Belle Époque villas — Villa Paloma above the harbour and Villa Sauber near Monte-Carlo — with a strong programme of changing exhibitions. Combined with the sculpture trail through the Principality itself (works by César, Botero, Arman and others placed openly in public squares and along the seafront), Monaco effectively functions as an open-air gallery in its own right.
The Base
Why Villa Monaco Is the Perfect Base for the Design Trail
The value of Villa Monaco's location is measured in the density of what surrounds it. Every one of the eight landmarks above is within roughly an hour's drive of the villa gate — and the median drive is just fifteen minutes. This is the sortable summary. It is deliberately built for planning: pick a landmark, plan a day, return to the villa for dinner and design at home.
| Destination | From Villa Monaco | Why Visit |
|---|---|---|
| Monaco & NMNM | ~10 min | National museum across two Belle Époque villas · public sculpture trail · galleries |
| Villa E-1027 | ~10 min | Eileen Gray's modernist masterpiece · Le Corbusier's Cabanon on the same site |
| Villa Kérylos | ~15 min | Ancient Greek villa reconstruction · Beaulieu-sur-Mer seafront |
| Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild | ~20 min | Belle Époque interiors · nine themed gardens · musical fountain |
| Fondation Maeght | ~50 min | Europe's finest private modern-art foundation · Ellsworth Kelly this summer |
| Fondation CAB | ~55 min | Minimal & conceptual contemporary art · pair with Maeght |
| Palais Bulles | ~1h 15min | Antti Lovag's iconic bubble palace · viewable from the Corniche de l'Estérel |
| Maison Bernard | ~1h 15min | Lovag's first completed work · the "bubble house" open to visitors |
This is exactly the kind of density Art Basel's 2026 guide was pointing at when it recommended a well-located base rather than a hotel: no single site is far enough to require an overnight elsewhere, but there are enough of them within reach to fill a full ten-day stay without repeating a museum.
A Three-Day Programme
An Art & Design Itinerary from Villa Monaco
For guests visiting for the first time, three days is the sweet spot — enough to see the essentials of the design trail without rushing, and enough to properly enjoy the villa itself. The route below is what the concierge team most often builds when guests ask.
Monaco & the Local Design Trail
- Morning — Villa E-1027 by guided tour (book weeks in advance)
- Late morning — Le Cabanon, Le Corbusier's tiny 3.66m × 3.66m modernist manifesto (included in the same ticket)
- Lunch — a seafront restaurant in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
- Afternoon — Villa Kérylos at Beaulieu-sur-Mer, followed by Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild on Cap Ferrat
- Evening — return to Villa Monaco · dinner overlooking Monaco
Saint-Paul-de-Vence · The Foundations
- Morning — Fondation Maeght (allow at least three hours for the sculpture gardens and the Ellsworth Kelly show)
- Lunch — the medieval village of Saint-Paul-de-Vence, or La Colombe d'Or (the legendary artists' inn)
- Afternoon — Fondation CAB for minimal & conceptual work
- Late afternoon — walk the ramparts of Saint-Paul-de-Vence at golden hour
- Evening — private chef at the villa · dinner on the terrace
The Estérel & the Lovag Route
- Morning — coastal drive along the Corniche de l'Estérel · view of Palais Bulles from the road
- Late morning — Maison Bernard for the visitable "bubble house" experience
- Lunch — a seafront restaurant in Théoule-sur-Mer
- Afternoon — the return route back east, with time for either Cannes (Musée de la Castre and old town) or a slow drive along the coast
- Evening — dinner at one of Monaco's Michelin-starred restaurants (see our Michelin guide)
Design Lives Here
Design Is Meant to Be Lived
Museums invite us to admire great design. Villa Monaco invites you to live with it. Whether enjoying breakfast beneath elegant French lighting, relaxing on an iconic Togo sofa, dining on original Riviera silverware, or discovering the architectural masterpieces of the Côte d'Azur that are minutes away, every stay becomes an immersive journey through European design history.
That immersion is what Art Basel's Summer 2026 guide recognised when it selected Villa Monaco from among every luxury property on the Riviera. For travellers who appreciate exceptional interiors, architecture and culture, the villa is more than a luxury rental. It is a carefully curated home where art, design and the Mediterranean lifestyle come together to create an unforgettable experience on the French Riviera — and, in a rare configuration for this coast, an actual base from which to explore the region as the artists and architects who shaped it once did.
Frequently Asked
Art, Design & Villa Monaco — FAQ
Why did Art Basel select Villa Monaco in its 2026 Riviera guide?
Art Basel's Summer 2026 art lover's guide to the French Riviera named just three luxury properties as recommended bases for exploring the coast's art destinations: Villa Monaco (Cap-d'Ail), Villa des Artistes (Nice) and Villa Beauvallon (Hyères). Villa Monaco was included both for its central location on the eastern Riviera — within short reach of E-1027, the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco, Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and Villa Kérylos — and for its own curated collection of European twentieth-century design.
Can I actually visit Palais Bulles?
Not in the usual sense. Palais Bulles is a private residence and events venue, not a public museum. It can be seen from the Corniche de l'Estérel and is regularly used as a filming location for fashion shoots and music videos. Guests wanting to experience Antti Lovag's "bubble house" architecture from inside should visit Maison Bernard instead — Lovag's first completed work, in the same architectural language, open to the public by guided visit.
How do I visit Eileen Gray's Villa E-1027?
E-1027 is open from 1 April to 31 October 2026, with four guided tours per day at 10:00, 11:00, 14:00 and 15:00, in French and English. Tickets are €30 per person. Advance booking is essential — tours regularly sell out weeks in advance. The reception and ticket office are at the Cap-Martin Roquebrune railway station. The same ticket includes access to Le Corbusier's Cabanon on the same site. Book at capmoderne.com.
What design pieces are in the Villa Monaco collection?
Highlights include Togo sofas by Michel Ducaroy for Ligne Roset, dining chairs inspired by Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, a 1990s Roche Bobois travertine and glass dining table, a Christofle silver chandelier, "Monte Carlo" cutlery by Nice silversmith Royal, Regia dining chairs by Antonella Mosca for Ycami, Marcello Cuneo's Luisa chairs, Paolo Piva's Alanda coffee table for B&B Italia, a nineteenth-century hand-engraved Venetian Murano mirror, Josef Hoffmann's Kubus JH13 sofa, Hoffmann and Moser's Purkersdorf armchairs, Rolf Krüger's iF-award-winning Staff Leuchten lighting, April Furniture and Royal Botania outdoor pieces, and an original 1918 barber chair from New York.
Can I combine E-1027 with other landmarks in a single day?
Yes — E-1027 pairs especially well with a same-day visit to Villa Kérylos at Beaulieu-sur-Mer (fifteen minutes from Villa Monaco) and Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild on Cap Ferrat (twenty minutes). E-1027 tours are typically morning; the Belle Époque villas open through the afternoon.
Is Villa Monaco a good base for a design-focused holiday?
Yes — this is precisely why Art Basel's 2026 guide featured the property. Every major landmark on the Riviera's design trail is within roughly an hour of the villa gate, with a median drive of about fifteen minutes. Guests can plan a landmark per day, or two on a full day, and always return home to the villa's own collection for the evening.
Are the pieces in the villa originals?
The collection includes original and period pieces (French Art Deco side tables, the 1918 barber chair, the nineteenth-century Venetian Murano mirror), continued-production classics from the original manufacturers (Togo sofas from Ligne Roset, Alanda coffee table from B&B Italia, Kubus JH13 by the licensed contemporary maker), and pieces whose form is inspired by or attributed to named designers — as noted throughout this article. The point of the collection is the coherence and quality of the whole, rather than the auction-house value of any single object.