In Mouans-Sartoux, in the hills overlooking Cannes, Marcoux Mathern & Associés has reinvented a 1980s villa into a high-end residence. Integrated into the Mediterranean landscape, the firm’s intervention has transformed the existing structure into a living experience where materials, light, and space combine to create a new art of living.

Villa Elaïa unfolds within a preserved, three-hectare site dotted with olive groves and maritime pines. Here, Marcoux Mathern & Associés embarked on a project as delicate as it was exciting: updating a regional 1980s architectural style without erasing its soul. Structural preservation, respect for the natural site, and enhancement of the existing character guided the entire intervention, conceived with a future market launch in mind.

Reinventing with moderation

At the heart of the project, a unique contemporary touch sets the tone: an exterior gallery with a metal structure, clad in bronze and wooden screens, now connects the main villa to the guest villa. This bold yet restrained volume engages in a dialogue with the more traditional facades and asserts the firm's contemporary signature.

"The real challenge was to take an 80s architectural style and completely modernize it while preserving its soul," explains Pierre-Guillaume Mathern, architect and partner in charge of the project. "We didn't want to alter the character of this traditional villa, but rather reveal its potential: an open, fluid space connected to its landscape. Our intervention focuses on a bold yet restrained contemporary gesture that engages with the existing structure, rather than replacing it."

Inside, the transformation is radical. The original layout gives way to vast open rooms, where a fluid circulation is expressed, punctuated by bespoke elements. The screens, which have become a recurring motif, subtly envelop the structural columns and rhythmically structure views without ever obstructing their perspectives. A parquet floor, created specifically for the project, is laid in a random pattern, adding a subtle vibrancy to the open spaces.

The color palette—a suite of beige, chocolate, and bronze tones—is expressed through a range of refined materials: mineral plasters with rounded contours, micro-mosaics in the bathrooms, and travertine with cavities filled with transparent resin in the master suite. Each bedroom boasts its own custom-designed bathroom, cultivating a cohesive style while offering a unique ambiance to each space.

A villa designed to accommodate

Designed for hospitality, the villa offers generous amenities dedicated to comfort: a cinema room, a gym, a private office, a wine cellar revealed beneath a glass partition in the entrance hall, and a completely redesigned outdoor space around the swimming pool. New social areas are integrated into the landscape: a pool house, a lounge near a preserved ruin, a pétanque court, a playground, and a golf practice area.

“For this villa, it was essential, of course, to tick all the functional boxes, but we wanted to go further,” emphasizes Pierre-Guillaume Mathern. “Each space had to have its own personality, its own unique detail. We worked with materials, textures, and light so that the villa tells a story: that of a place that has been transformed, but without denying its origins. This search for a balance between individuality and universality guided each of our decisions.”

Villa Elaïa draws inspiration from the Mediterranean character of its site: natural materials—wood, stone, and vegetation—extend the presence of the landscape into the living spaces, while a series of outdoor areas invites residents to fully enjoy the estate. Blending preserved heritage with striking contemporary touches, Marcoux Mathern & Associés has created a meticulous and highly architectural transformation with this project, ready to welcome its future residents.