Villa Galactica

Perched on the hills of the French-Italian Riviera, Villa Galactica unfolds across 327 m² spread over four levels. It enjoys spectacular views of the Mediterranean, nestled within 5,989 m² of terraced woodland.

Access is via the upper part of the villa, which includes a double parking area and an elevator connecting to the lower level and the living spaces.

Like a belvedere, a sunlit office with a panoramic terrace benefits from an independent entrance.

The main entrance leads to the second level, opening onto a spacious hall with dressing area and storage. This floor serves a 40 m² master suite with dressing room, shower room, separate WC, and private access to the pool, as well as another bedroom with its own shower room. Both suites enjoy the solarium and its sea view.

A staircase leads down to a luminous 130 m² reception area that includes a large living room, bar, indoor and outdoor dining spaces, a fully equipped Siemens kitchen, pantry, laundry room, guest WC, and a balcony with barbecue area. Outside, a generous terrace and pool overlook the stunning natural surroundings.

The lower level houses two additional bedrooms—one with its own bathroom, the other with an independent shower room—and a large balcony.

The property is completed by extensive storage areas and healthy cellars (around 140 m²), offering potential for further development.

The house was fully renovated in 2014, with all systems redesigned while respecting the original structure. The black Zimbabwe granite countertop is custom-cut to follow the cubic contours of the kitchen, which also features a wine cellar, pyrolytic and steam ovens, and a warming drawer. An elevator integrated into the house ensures smooth circulation between floors, and all bedrooms are fitted with custom blackout blinds tailored to the slope of the windows.

Outside, electric retractable awnings complement the original sunshades, creating a shaded, comfortable area near the pool, while the flat roofs have been used to install photovoltaic panels.

North façade and original landscape plan, © Architecture de Collection

The architecture of this villa evokes an expressionist and pop imagination: with its name “Galactica” and its staggered sequence of hexagonal modules with oblique façades, Jean-Jacques Gonella’s design recalls the futurist currents of the second half of the 20th century – think of the Californian Space Age, exemplified by the Theme Building in Los Angeles, built in 1961 by Paul R. Williams, Pereira & Luckman, and Robert Herrick Carter.

The deliberate distortion of orthogonal grids also places this project within the deconstructivist movement of the 1980s, in radical departure from modernist planning, following the historical path of Claude Parent in France, and foreshadowing the digital architectural experiments of Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid.

The house’s honeycomb layout and the dynamic movement of its façades renew and amplify the experience of space. Villa Galactica both challenges and reinterprets the standards of individual living.