Gabrielle Chanel’s Idyllic Villa on the French Riviera Has Been Restored to Exactly the Way She Left It. Vogue Took A Look Inside

Indeed, Marino pored over hundreds of archive photographs in order to restore Chanel’s beloved second home to its former glory, from the piano in the living room (where Grammy-nominated singer Alice Smith performed for guests on Friday night) to the books that line the intimate library, the mirrored walls in Coco’s magnificent bathroom, to the bronze Giacometti lamp that sits beside her bed.

While the property—with its calming sea views, graceful stone staircase and cloister garden—is undeniably spectacular, the decor (with the notable exception of that decadent bathroom) is simple—almost austere, likely inspired by the clean lines and hushed atmosphere of Aubazine Abbey in Corrèze, where the designer spent much of her childhood following the death of her parents, and which was so key to the aesthetic she would later establish at Chanel.

In her speech to guests, Peel noted that she was initially surprised to discover that Gabrielle Chanel did not decorate the walls of La Pausa with artworks, but realized that, “for her home, she collected artists. And she gave them the ultimate luxury, which is freedom, time, and space.” Chanel Arts Culture & Heritage is reopening La Pausa, which will remain a private residence but serve as a “seat of creativity, culture and hospitality”, with the ambition of extending that tradition, she said. “The volatility in our world brings us back to the sources of joy that remain everlasting,” said Peel. “Friendship, art, nature, and truly the primacy of human creativity.”