Description
California Dream in the heart of the Perche region
Built in 1976 by entrepreneur Gaston Dreux based on designs by his son Pierre Dreux, this spectacular futuristic villa draws inspiration from Californian Googie and Space Age architecture, overlooking a sculpture park.
It was completely refurbished by decorator Emmanuel Renoird in the early 2000s.
Set within a 13-hectare forest park dotted with contemporary artworks and installations, this 320 m² house spread over 3 levels overlooks a 900 m² artificial lake.
On the ground floor, an entrance leads to a central hall of approximately 70 m², with a white resin floor and original red jersey ceiling punctuated by skydomes. It opens onto 3 bedrooms with bathrooms and terraces arranged in a star pattern, as well as a large office. Each suite has been meticulously designed: round Seventies beds, pop colors, designer pieces, Formica furniture, and Briare enamel in the bathrooms, with sculptural wooden ceilings in a Scandinavian spirit…
A helical staircase set within a concrete cylinder adorned with thick brown Vallauris stoneware tiles leads to the upper floor, designed as a capsule suspended above the panorama. It houses a 360° open living space, comprising a living room with fireplace and terrace overlooking the lake, a dining room furnished with a 1960s Italian table surrounded by Eero Saarinen’s Tulip chairs, and a functional yet convivial kitchen. The immaculate space is enlivened by colorful furniture, including a Zanotta Alfa sofa and Pierre Guariche armchairs in yellow fabric, under a spectacular original ceiling of wooden slats illuminated by colored lights. The windows, with original Saint-Gobain double glazing, frame the landscape like so many paintings of nature.
On the garden level, a game room with billiards provides access to an indoor pool shaped like a padlock, surrounded by walls of thermoformed glass panels, designed and crafted for the house in a disco-pop spirit. It opens onto a terrace and the garden through large bay windows, and also includes a hammam. A sauna, a fourth bedroom with shower room, a boiler room, and a double garage complete this level.
Artworks and furniture available upon request.
Located 2 hours from Paris and 20 minutes from Bellême, the property extends within a preserved environment amidst fields, on the edge of the Bellême state forest.
It is situated at the entrance of the village of La Perrière, the “pearl of Perche,” a historic village with rich 16th and 17th-century heritage. Numerous walks through the surrounding villages, castles, abbeys, and preserved natural sites are easily accessible.
Between sculpture-architecture and Back to the future
After a trip to the United States in the early 1970s, Pierre Dreux, son of the entrepreneur and inventor of prefabricated houses Gaston Dreux, decided to build a villa inspired by the neo-spatial architecture he discovered in Sausalito, California. He designed a futuristic building resembling a spaceship, formed by a capsule perched on an organic device of radiating cells housing the various spaces. The entire sculptural structure, made of white reinforced concrete, was realized by his father’s local craftsmen. Wishing for a house by the water, Pierre Dreux also had a gigantic artificial lake dug at the foot of the building.
In the early 2000s, the collector couple Nicolas Libert and Emmanuel Renoird acquired the site. After considering a contemporary, minimalist, and refined decor, Emmanuel Renoird, an interior decorator, opted for an approach inspired by the extravagance and whimsy of the former owner: he created a playful and colorful retro-futuristic atmosphere, where material effects and light plays dialogue with an exceptional collection of design pieces from the 1950s to the 1990s. The new face of this remarkable site was the subject of numerous articles and the cover of several international magazines.
John Lautner architect, Chemosphere residence, 1960, Los Angeles, all rights reserved
Paul R. Williams, William Pereira, Charles Luckman, Robert Herrick Carter architects, Theme Building & restaurant, Los Angeles International Airport, 1962, all rights reserved
Googie & Space Age architecture
Born in the post-war United States, Googie architecture embodies the enthusiasm for technology and heralds the Space Age movement of the 1950s-1960s. This trend is distinguished by a bold formal language, blending structural dynamism and decorative exuberance. The buildings feature spectacular cantilevers, exposed steel structures, and sculptural elements evoking movement. Subsequently, architects borrowed from the spatial vocabulary organic forms (domes, parabolas, shell structures) and the use of innovative materials. Among the emblematic figures of the movement, John Lautner designed achievements such as the Chemosphere House (1960), a residence shaped like a flying saucer perched on a mast. Architects Paul R. Williams, William Pereira, Charles Luckman, and Robert Herrick Carter delivered the Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport (1961), whose silhouette became a symbol of the space age.
Technical information
Price : €1,450,000
Fees at the seller’s expense.
Full ownership
Heating: Electric and gas
Information on the risks to which this property is exposed is available on the Géorisques website: www.georisques.gouv.fr
© Texts Architecture de Collection
© Photos Manuel Bougot
ECD: in progress
