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The architect's house past & present

History of the architect’s house

France has a rich history of commissioning private homes. Villas and private houses, sometimes inhabited by their architects, are anti-classical architectural manifestos. These homes are often conceived as total works of art, in which every detail is part of the same modern conception of space. Often not very lucrative for the architects, they are an ideal field for experimentation.

Modern architecture in France : a retrospective from 1920 to the present day.

The modern houses of the great figures of the inter-war period, such as Le Corbusier, André Lurçat, Auguste Perret, Robert Mallet-Stevens, Pierre Patout, Pierre Chareau, Jean Prouvé and Eileen Grey, were designed according to the functionalist principles developed by the German Bauhaus school of design.
The architects of the next generation (1950-1960), such as Claude Parent, Fernand Pouillon and Jacques Couëlle, were often disciples of their predecessors. Their houses are characterised by references to the Californian style of the American houses designed by Richard Neutra, Walter Gropius, Rudolf Schindler and Frank Lloyd Wright.

The 1960s and 1970s saw the emergence of groups of architects such as the Atelier de Montrouge, the Salier-Courtois-Lajus-Sadirac practice in Bordeaux and the Watel practice in Lille. A number of them are creating grouped houses and large residences in reference to Danish architecture and the work of architects Arne Jacobsen, Jorgen Bo and Vilhelm Wohlert. Another group create “sculpture-habitacles”, embodying the idea of a synthesis between architecture and sculpture.

Legend

Legend

The 1970s and 1980s saw a return to more traditional architecture and the apparition of the postmodern movement. A number of architects proposed a style of house inspired by the architecture of ancient Japan, emphasising light, space and integration with the natural environment. Over the last two decades, France’s reputation as a major centre of modern architecture has remained undisputed, with architects such as De Portzamparc, Jean Nouvel, Paul Chemetov, Henri Ciriani, Jacob Mac Farlane and Michel Kagan all making their mark. The latest remarkable houses of the 21st century are the work of architects Rudy Ricciotti, Manuelle Gautrand, Jacques Moussafir and Rem Koohlaas.

Today, we can say that France is one of the countries where a very large number of the most remarkable modern houses have been built.

Towards a heritage approach to architects’ property

The architectural heritage of the 20th century is enjoying growing popularity. Following in the footsteps of the major figures of the Modern Movement between the wars (Auguste Perret, Tony Garnier, Henri Sauvage, Robert Mallet-Stevens, le Corbusier), it is now the turn of buildings constructed in the 1950s and 1960s to be listed, registered or given the “Monuments Historiques” label.

Legend

This classification, which has enabled the preservation of masterpieces such as Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye and Mallet-Stevens’s Villa Cavrois, is now open to contemporary architecture, which is now officially recognised.

Initiated in 1959 when the Ministry of Cultural Affairs was created, this initiative aims to promote the architectural avant-garde. France is a pioneer in safeguarding 20th century heritage. This official recognition of its heritage is reflected in a number of initiatives by the Ministry of Culture and Communication, such as the Monument Historique protection legislation, which aims to safeguard the country’s heritage, the European Heritage Days and the “20th Century Heritage” label, created in 1999 to promote the country’s heritage and raise public awareness of it.

In 2016, around 1,500 20th-century buildings were protected as Historic Monuments. A further 2,500 have been awarded the “20th century heritage” label. These include the 25 bis rue Franklin building by the Perret brothers (Paris, 1904); Auguste Perret’s Théâtre des Champs Elysées (Paris, 1913); Pierre Chareau’s Maison de verre (Paris, 1928); Le Corbusier’s Cité Radieuse in Marseille (1952); and Le Corbusier’s Chapelle Notre-Dame de Ronchamp in Haute-Saône (1955).

Why buy an architect-designed house?

Too much glass, too much exposure, too contemporary, too extravagant… Prejudices about the “architect’s house” are still deeply rooted, and it is often wrongly perceived as being reserved for a public of well-informed collectors.

Unfortunately, all too often we tend to forget that there are as many architect-designed houses as there are conceptions of housing and ways of living, from the Art Deco house with its subtle offsets, voluptuous curves and intimate spaces to the ultra-contemporary house that is generously open to the outdoors.

More than just a place to live, your home should be a place of comfort and well-being in tune with its environment and the needs of its occupants. An architect’s involvement ensures that the qualities of the site are respected and exploited to the full, and represents a sound investment as well as an absolute guarantee that the building will appreciate in value over time.

Whatever its era, the architect’s house offers a genuine reflection on the act of living, materialised by the proposal of new types of living spaces, more open and brighter. These architectural designs are characterised by open-plan layouts, a play on volumes and proportions, double-height ceilings, large glazed areas and quality materials, all designed to provide universal comfort and aesthetic appeal.

Legend

Does an architect-designed house cost more than a traditional house?

Some high-profile sales suggest that architect-designed houses are selling for a premium. Despite their exceptional nature, however, architect-designed houses are not exempt from the price per square metre, and sales that defy the logic of the property market are fairly rare.

Legend

Whether they are avant-garde, modern or contemporary, signed by star or little-known architects, true collector’s items or modest but ingenious buildings, priced from 150,000 to several million euros, the houses we offer for sale have all been selected with the greatest care by our team of historians and architects. For us, the quality and fluidity of the living spaces, the abundance of natural light and the quality of the materials used are essential elements of any home, and ones that everyone should be able to enjoy.