For the last few days, the world’s attention has been on LVMH boss Bernard Arnault’s new floating mansion at sea, a gargantuan superyacht worth over $650 million. But while we remained fixated on the luxury vessel, the father of five also quietly acquired a gem on land, the former palace of André Citroën in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The mansion, which boasts a rich history, is actually embedded in the building at 31, rue Octave-Feuillet, meaning this hidden palace behind a discreet façade looks like just another elegant 1900s building. It was acquired via Europimmo, a holding company used by the Arnault family for high-end property deals.
Inside, one finally meets the real meaning of wealth. The massive home offers roughly 16,000 to 17,000 square feet of interior space, and it does not even end there, according to Purepeople. There is a lush garden almost equally large, bestowing billionaire Bernard with a whopping 3,000 square meters of private domain in the middle of Paris. With a garden as big as six tennis courts in the heart of the city, such estates in the 16th are exceptionally rare. It is the kind of near-country-estate garden one expects far outside the périphérique.
That also explains why he paid a cool $44 million. At roughly €27,000 per square meter, the acquisition firmly places the residence in trophy-asset territory and among the very top tier of Paris residential transactions for 2025. As mentioned earlier, the property was the primary residence of André Citroën, the car-industry pioneer, between 1919 and 1935. Interestingly, despite living there during the most defining years of his industrial rise, Citroën reportedly rented the residence rather than owning it, focusing his fortune on factories and automobiles instead of real estate.
While he used the address as a base to industrialize France on four wheels, Arnault, the pioneer of modern luxury, now locks it in as an asset and another chic address in his expanding portfolio. Before the world’s seventh-richest man, worth about $169 billion, this was home to Saudi Princess Areeb Al-Saud for over a decade. So the stamp of regal approval is already there to begin with, and with the Arnault name attached, the touch of luxury feels inevitable.
