Inside Eileen Gray's Villa E1027

Born into a wealthy Irish family in 1878, Gray studied art in London and Paris, where she moved to in 1907. Having escaped the constraints of Victorian Ireland, she took to life in pre-war Paris and opened her own gallery, Jean Désert, in 1922 on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré as an outlet for her designs. She produced high-end furniture and lacquer work, notably collaborating with Japanese lacquer artist, Seizo Sugawara, and the Scottish weaver Evelyn Wyld. Gradually, she began to exhibit her work and sell pieces to wealthy clients. In the mid-1920s her designs became simpler, reflecting her growing interest in modernism.

E.1027, like contemporary houses by Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius and other modernist pioneers, had white walls, large windows, a flat roof and incorporated industrial materials in its construction. But Gray’s innovative design was gentler, playful and more sensual in nature than most modernist functionalism of that era. She took great care with her plans, studying the site’s interaction with the elements and ensuring the design accounted for changing light during the day. She nurtured her design into life, camping on site during construction to oversee the work.

Conceived as an escape from life in Paris, Gray’s alphanumeric name for the home symbolised her devotion to Badovici – E.1027 entwines her initials with Badovici’s: E for Eileen; 10 for J as the tenth letter of the alphabet, 2 for B and 7 for G.

Superbly elegant, Gray’s design for the interior of E.1027 was also playful and witty. Above a bed in a cupboard for pillows she has stencilled oreillers, while les dents appears on the tiles next to the basin in the main bathroom and pardessus where coats were hung. Much of her most well-known furniture was designed for E.1027. The ‘Transat’ chair was designed for the terrace and inspired by transatlantic ship deck chairs. The ‘Bibendum’ chair, also known as the ‘Michelin Man’, is Latin for “now is the time to drink”. The ‘Roquebrune’ dining chair, with its leather backing, is lovely in its simplicity. She also created built-in pieces for the home, which reflect her love of multi-functional designs.

The home’s long horizontal windows, which span the length of the living room, perplexed architectural critics.

The windows were considered too low for the view until it was pointed out that they were perfectly in scale with the petite Gray. The critics – all men – had simply been too tall, having to stoop to see the best views.

The windows were considered too low for the view until it was pointed out that they were perfectly in scale with the petite Gray. The critics – all men – had simply been too tall, having to stoop to see the best views.

 Not long after E.1027’s completion in 1929, Gray split from Badovici. She began work on a new home, Tempe à Pailla, in nearby Castellar, while he remained at E.1027, which she had gifted to him. Le Corbusier often visited Badovici and, while staying with him in the late 1930s, he painted eight enormous murals on the walls. Gray, who had not been consulted, accused him of “an act of vandalism”. The ensuing rift was never repaired. Le Corbusier was somewhat obsessed with E.1027. He tried and failed to purchase it himself, eventually buying a piece of land above it for his famous cabanon.

Le Corbusier and Gray’s views on architecture differed greatly. He saw homes as serving a mechanical function for their occupants, while Gray took a humanist perspective, seeing homes as extensions of the human experience. “The poverty of modern architecture stems from the atrophy of sensuality,” she said. “Everything is dominated by reason in order to create amazement without proper research. We must mistrust pictorial elements if they are not assimilated by instinct. It is not a matter of simply constructing beautiful ensembles of lines but, above all, dwellings for great people.”

Despite being built as a romantic retreat, E.1027 has seen its fair share of violence. Used for target practice by German soldiers during World War II, E.1027 went on to witness the murder of one of its owners in 1996, before being abandoned in the 1990s and occupied by squatters.

The house was subsequently bought by the Conservatoire du littoral, a French public organisation which, in conjunction with local authorities, began the restoration process. Ironically, it was the murals that Le Corbusier painted that resulted in the saving of E.1027. The French state funded the restoration of the murals which had, incredibly, remained intact despite the dis repair the house had fallen into.

While the restoration is ongoing, E.1027 is now open to the public. I’m not so sure that Gray would be completely happy with the work that has proved controversial. The house is now cruder and less refined. New metal railings aren’t to the original specifications, and nor is the glazing. Light switches have been replaced by standard modern plastic fittings and the colour scheme is different from the 1929 version.

Nevertheless, the beauty and essence of the house is still there. But it would have been wonderful if the clear and precise vision that Gray had for E.1027 had been better respected.

Mary Gaudin was born in the South Island of New Zealand and currently lives in France. For more, visit her website.