Apart from launching stunning shows and much-sought-after collections every season, Chanel is also going back to its roots. The French fashion house has purchased Gabrielle Chanel’s villa La Pausa. Located in the south of France, it is the only one of Coco Chanel’s homes that was commissioned to her liking right from scratch. Chanel announces the acquisition of La Pausa from where the iconic culture and values will radiate. 
During the Twenties, the founder of Chanel had visited the area with her lover, Hugh Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster. Captivated by the five acre plot which was home to wild olive and orange groves, the French fashion designer sought to build the ideal Mediterranean villa.
While the land was bought in the late 1920s, architect Robert Streitz completed the construction of the villa on the French Riviera in January 1930. The house’s architecture has numerous references to that of Aubazine, the orphanage where Chanel spent her adolescence. The furnishings were new, simple and modern, and caused an immediate sensation, according to the house of Chanel. The distant Italian coast can also be seen on the horizon.
The woman, renowned for elegant style and her refined taste, made a lasting mark on architectural design as well with the construction of Villa La Pausa. 
Following the death of the Duke of Westminster in 1954, Chanel sold La Pausa and its contents to the American author and editor Emery Reves, who welcomed friends such as Winston Churchill, Greta Garbo and Jacqueline Onassis there. Eventually, La Pausa was listed for sale back in May 2013 by Sotheby’s for about $45 million.
The luxury French fashion house stated, “It is therefore an essential testimony to Gabrielle Chanel’s life that has now become part of the heritage of Chanel. After renovations to restore it to its original spirit, La Pausa will take on a new lease of life and radiate the culture and values of Chanel.”
