Villa Noailles

Villa Noailles sits on a hillside above Hyères, one of the earliest and most influential modernist houses on the French Riviera.

Who commissioned this house, and why does it look so different from its neighbors?

Between 1923 and 1927, architect Robert Mallet-Stevens designed the villa for Viscount Charles de Noailles and his wife Marie-Laure, a couple famous for bankrolling and championing avant-garde art of their day. Rather than asking for a traditional Riviera mansion, the Noailles gave Mallet-Stevens unusual creative freedom to build something experimental. The result broke sharply with the region's ornate villa tradition: clean geometric volumes, flat roofs, and large window openings that let the interior spill toward the surrounding hillside.

What made the house a magnet for artists?

The Noailles used their new home as a stage for the artistic circles they supported. Writers, painters, and filmmakers passed through regularly, and the villa itself became a backdrop for their work, including early experimental cinema shot on the property. That social history is part of what makes a visit interesting today - the building isn't just an architectural landmark, it's a physical record of how European avant-garde culture operated between the wars, blending private life, artistic patronage, and design experimentation under one roof.

What can visitors actually see inside and around the building?

The house is arranged as a series of stacked, terraced volumes following the slope of the hill, an approach that was unusual for domestic architecture at the time. Several rooms retain elements of their original layout and fittings, including spaces originally built for physical exercise - a novelty in 1920s residential design. Outside, the gardens depart just as sharply from convention: geometric lawns and cubist-inspired planting schemes replace the softer, naturalistic parks typical of grand houses from the same period.

How is the villa used today?

The City of Hyères now owns the property and runs it as a cultural venue open to the public. Exhibitions and events centered on architecture, fashion, and design take place inside, and the villa also serves as a venue for arts festivals hosted in the town. A visit typically combines original period rooms with spaces adapted for temporary displays, giving a sense of both the building's origins and its second life as a cultural institution.

How do you get there, and what's nearby?

The villa stands above the old town of Hyères, in the Var department in southeastern France, within easy reach of the coast and the city of Toulon. Driving up means navigating the narrow lanes of the historic center, and parking near the villa is limited, so walking up from town is often the more practical option. The approach on foot is worthwhile in itself, passing through Hyères' old quarter with views opening up over the town and surrounding hills as the path climbs.

Frequently asked questions

Who designed Villa Noailles? Architect Robert Mallet-Stevens designed it for Charles and Marie-Laure de Noailles, building it between 1923 and 1927.

Where exactly is the villa located? On the hillside above the old town of Hyères, in the Var department in southeastern France.

Can visitors go inside? Yes, the villa belongs to the City of Hyères and operates as a cultural venue with exhibitions and events open to the public.

What makes its architecture stand out? Its geometric volumes, flat roofs, large glazed openings, and cubist-style gardens mark it as one of the defining works of early French modernism from the 1920s.