In the footsteps of Le Corbusier
Villa E-1027,
icon of modern architecture
Villa E-1027 is Eileen Gray’s first architectural creation, designed for her friend Jean Badovici. A veritable manifesto for a new housing model, the villa reinvents the seaside resort while preserving privacy. The flat roof, white and blue chromatic variations, tarpaulin blinds and reinforced concrete structure embody Eileen Gray’s signature.
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The Villa Eileen Gray,
the suite
Le Corbusier, a regular visitor from 1937, painted several murals here. With its air of a small liner on stilts, the villa blends perfectly into its surroundings. The views are breathtaking from every angle…
A must-see!
L’Étoile de Mer and Les Unités de camping,
a story of friendship
A project of Thomas Rebutato, a fishing enthusiast, back in 1949, l’Étoile de mer is a small bistro , accessible from the customs path along the coast, frequented by walkers and bathers picnicking on the Buse beach. The nearest neighbor? Le Corbusier, future friend of the family. Like him, we are seduced by Thomas’s murals, almost art brut, which express his love for the sea. A terraced garden leads down to the sea. Inclusions of colored caissons and pebbles, plantings of succulents express the bohemian personality of the owner of the premises.
Les Unités de camping,
the continuation of the project
Early in 1957, five Camping Units, designed by Le Corbusier, complete the project. The interior layout incorporates some of the principles of the future Cabanon. Set on stilts, they bear witness to Le Corbusier’s research into economical modular leisure housing. It’s easy to imagine the happiness and freedom of the residents at the time!
Le Cabanon de Le Corbusier,
a cabin elevated to the status of a work of art
“On a piece of rock battered by the waves”, Le Corbusier built this intimate-sized wooden cabanon for Yvonne, his wife. The architect’s secret retreat for the last years of his life, it includes a work area, a resting area, a toilet area and a washbasin. It all fits into a square cell measuring 3.66 x 3.66 metres and 2.26 metres high, measurements borrowed from the Modulor. At the end of the garden, a workshop, a simple construction “shack”, two trestles and a whisky crate as a stool. Happiness is as simple as a shack!
Coup de cœur
On the heights of Roquebrune village, we climb up to the ancient cemetery of Saint Pancrace. Le Corbusier will design for Yvonne and himself their final resting place. Singular and original, it condenses, in just a few lines, the aesthetics of the architect in love with Roquebrune for eternity!