For every one of his many mistresses, King Leopold had a villa constructed around his own residence, the size of which was in proportion to the mistress’s importance. Geographically, this particular villa has always been considered exceptional, and all the more so due to the somptuous parties held there during the twentieth century.


The new owners of the villa decided to give free rein to their passion for the decorative arts, and nothing was spared in the restoration of this already legendary Belle Epoque villa.


This Pharaonic project employed the best French and European craftsmen and companies for almost five years. Around two thousand people participated in the project, either in their atelier or in situ.

The Creation of a Palace

 

Une villa sur la Côte d’Azur

Architecte : Jean-Claude Matti

Décorateur : G.F.

In the spirit of Charlotte de Rothschild  who created the Villa Ephrussi, the present owners decided to make a work of art of each room. Indeed, this palace was created around exceptional acquisitions, of the furniture to the panelling and painting. Our work, at the instigation of G.F., consisted of bringing life and consistency back to the most prestigious of these décors, amongst them two famous panels, one by Ledoux and the other by Lancret.


This adventure, during which we worked on ten complex décors, enabled us to develop a repertoire of traditional techniques that are rarely used today because of the difficulty in their deployment: water gilding with reparure, marble stucco, lacquer, rabbit skin glue, gold embellishments… All these techniques were used in restoration, complements or copies of ancient works of art, restitutions and creations.


We honoured all our commitments during this historic project, which were often submitted to very short delays. Henceforth we are able to serenely envisage the most far-reaching projects.