Description
A modernist masterpiece by Jean Prouvé
An exemplary work of its creator’s constructive genius, unique in its scale and the quality of its site and services, Villa Seynave has been listed as a Monument Historique since 1993.
Set in landscaped grounds of 1,665 m², the villa offers 150 m² of living space.
It comprises an entrance hall, a living room with a steel fireplace in front of which a pit allows you to sit on the ground, a dining area, a kitchen, a master suite with bedroom, dressing room and bathroom, two bedrooms with en-suite shower rooms, a fourth bedroom with storage space and en-suite shower room, and a laundry room.
The kitchen, bathrooms and closets are housed in white-painted concrete modules. The other spaces are entirely open-plan and modular, thanks to accordion-style movable partitions. This freedom of movement is reinforced by the absence of doors. Large bay windows accentuate the fluidity of the whole and offer through-views of the surrounding vegetation.
The kitchen, wooden cupboards and interior fittings were designed by Charlotte Perriand, who is said to have named the house “Tan Yan” in reference to her stay in Japan.
The surface-mounted lighting integrated into the aluminum stiffeners is by Serge Mouille.
Villa Seynave enjoys a quiet, unspoilt setting in the Domaine de Beauvallon on the Bay of Saint-Tropez. It is located 300 meters from the Domaine’s beaches (direct access on foot to the Vieux Moulin and Gros Pin beaches). On the edge of the Beauvallon golf course, the house offers privileged access to the estate’s services and sporting activities: tennis courts, yoga club, water sports, horse-riding, cycle paths and coastal walks…
An modular house
Built using a demountable system, the Villa Seynave is based on the “alba” (aluminum/concrete) system developed by Jean Prouvé in 1950, with architect M. Silvy. The most famous is the Maison des Jours meilleurs, designed in 1956 in response to an appeal from Abbé Pierre.
Between art and heritage
A unique work within the “Prouvé galaxy”, the house was selected in 2011 as one of the “Neuf Maisons de référence du 20e siècle” by the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine in Paris. Charlotte Perriand’s collaboration on the kitchen and built-in furniture reinforces the heritage and mythical dimension of this property, which is also characterized by its excellent habitability and excellent state of preservation. The current owners have worked hard over the years to preserve the site, in line with the original project and the requirements of its heritage status.
Jean Prouvé, the “builder”
“There is no difference between building a piece of furniture and building a house”.
Jean Prouvé, 1971
Somewhere between architect, engineer and designer, Jean Prouvé left his unique mark on the history of architecture and construction.
An ironmonger in Nancy during his early years, Jean Prouvé became a “constructeur” in 1930, quickly abandoning iron decoration for industrial furniture adapted to the technical advances of the 20th century. He used metal for finishing work in collaboration with the modern architects of his day: Eugène Beaudoin and Marcel Lods for La maison du peuple in Clichy-sur-Seine, and Pierre Jeanneret for a model of a dismountable pavilion (8X8, 1941).
With standardized construction using prefabricated parts, Jean Prouvé reached the realm of domestic architecture. The devastation caused by the Second World War led to the need to rebuild housing on a large scale and at low cost.
Against this urgent backdrop, the French Ministry of Reconstruction and Urban Planning commissioned several pavilions from Jean Prouvé to experiment with the system of houses assembled from machined parts in his Maxéville (Nancy) workshop, where he experimented with folded sheet metal, which became the symbol of his technical genius.
In 1949, Jean Prouvé built the Métropoles, a series of 25 fully prefabricated homes. The central portal frame structure was reused in the industrialized houses of Meudon, built in the Paris suburbs with his brother Henri and architect André Sive. The pilot development includes ten Standard houses, of a type known as “Métropole”, with stone walls and base. Throughout his career, Jean Prouvé built a number of villas that represent the most successful synthesis of industry, furniture and construction, most of which are now protected as Monuments Historiques.
