E-1027 by Eileen Gray
- I C O N I C V I L L A B Y T H E S E A -
Tip for a lovely staycation: pay a virtual visit to villa E-1027 in the southern French town of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. The country house was designed by Eileen Gray (1878–1976), an Irish furniture designer and pioneer of modernist architecture. Her iconic furniture designs are available from Designcollectors under the brand name Classicon.
As the youngest child of a landscape painter, Gray had artistic roots. She studied painting in Paris, where she relocated after visiting the World Expo in 1900. In the 1920s, she sold interior design pieces she had created from her own gallery to affluent Parisians. This included furniture, rugs and lamps for successful milliner Juliette Lévy’s apartment.
In 1924, Gray started her first architectural project together with her partner Jean Badovici, a Romanian architect and friend of Le Corbusier. They built their own villa, E-1027, in an idyllic spot on a cliff top with an impressive sea view. Gray was inspired by Le Corbusier and also visited the Rietveld Schröder House in the Netherlands. She wanted to create a homely house that was comfortable for occupants – something which she thought Le Corbusier didn’t pay enough attention to in his designs. The villa is modest in size, but clever innovations such as folding furniture and built-in cupboards ensured the space was used optimally.
The feud with Le Corbusier
When the couple divorced, Badovici was given the villa and Gray built herself a new holiday home nearby. Le Corbusier also built a cabin close to the villa, his ‘Cabanon de Vacances’. Le Corbusier literally left his mark on E-1027 by painting – with Badovici’s permission – nude women on the white walls. Gray called these mural paintings ‘vandalism’. In 1965, Le Corbusier died in the sea right in front of the villa. He is buried in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.
Gray also designed furniture for the villa’s interior, including the chrome E-1027 side table with easy height adjustment; the Castellar wall mirror with a swivel-mounted section to easily view your profile; the Petite Coiffeuse dressing table with swivel-out drawers, and the iconic leather Bibendum armchair, named after the mascot of the tyre company Michelin, which was given a prominent place in the house.
These design classics are now produced by Classicon, and you can find them at Designcollectors. Discover more Eileen Gray designs.
“As if a house should be conceived for the pleasure of the eye more than for the well-being of its inhabitants.”
Did you know?
E-1027 is a ‘romantic’ code: E stands for Eileen, the numbers 10, 2 and 7 refer to the J from Jean, B from Badovici and G from Gray – and the places where these letters appear in the alphabet.
After many years of neglect, the house has been restored to its former glory and the entire ‘Cap Moderne’ architectural site can now be visited.This is also possible with a virtual tour on the official website.
Shop the look
Petite Coiffeuse Dressing Table, Black high-gloss Classicon
Rivoli Side Table, White high-gloss Classicon
Footnotes:
Text and Images: Mary Gaudin - capmoderne.com
