This modernist villa by Le Corbusier could possibly be yours

In-built 1930 on a hilltop in Le Pradet, close to Toulon, Villa de Mandrot – also called L’Artaude – is a Le Corbusier gem that blends modernism with Mediterranean vernacular custom. Designed as a vacation residence for Hélène de Mandrot, a distinguished patron of the humanities and a key determine in Parisian avant-garde circles, the property sits on a plot bursting with pine, lavender, cypress and lemon bushes. It’s now available on the market by Structure de Assortment, listed for €2.3 million.

De Mandrot requested Le Corbusier to design a easy vacation dwelling with ‘two bedrooms, 4 additional beds and a backyard’. The outcome spans 200 sq. metres throughout two ranges in an L-shaped plan. The bottom flooring is anchored by a front room with a fire that opens onto the rear backyard, alongside a kitchen and eating space. The sleeping quarters embody a main bedroom with an en-suite and a second house that may function a bed room or workplace. The backyard degree – initially the caretaker’s quarters – covers 80 sq. metres and now homes a workshop, an open kitchen and a bathe room.

Initially, the terrace was framed by two monumental sculptures by modernist sculptor Jacques Lipchitz – Le Chant des Voyelles (1931) and Nu Couché à la Guitare (1928) – although these have since disappeared.

Le Corbusier’s philosophy – and the department of modernism that he fathered – encompassed the combination of sunshine and air as a key tenet. The villa is perched on a hill with a southern orientation that ensures daylight all through the day. The shaded north façade, in the meantime, stays cool, reflecting a considerate response to the Mediterranean local weather.

Villa de Mandrot, which has been listed as a Historic Monument, represents the intersection of two currents of modernism. On one hand, it displays the purist, standardised, industrial aesthetic of Le Corbusier’s ‘machine for residing’, akin to Villa Savoye and comparable modernist works equivalent to Eileen Grey’s Villa E-1027. Alternatively, the Provence property demonstrates a dialogue between the Worldwide Fashion and Provençal tradition, embracing native supplies and panorama.

Le Corbusier anchored the home in its setting by using rubble and Var stone, whereas parts equivalent to a grand staircase resulting in the backyard spotlight the encompassing nature. The terrace, windbreak wall and cabin echo the Mediterranean patio. In 1931, the architect referred to as the mission ‘gorgeous, new, robust, stable, splendidly included into the panorama’.

Villa de Mandrot is a compelling instance of modernist beliefs being tailored to native context with out shedding their formal readability. An ideal mix of Le Corbusier’s standardised design rules and Mediterranean supplies, local weather consciousness and panorama sensitivity, it’s an everlasting image of Twentieth-century architectural ingenuity.