A great building’s survival is something to celebrate in Europe, so architects tend to notice when a landmark has reached a milestone. What’s rarer still is the opportunity to buy said landmark. Yet in the Boulogne-Billancourt neighbourhood of Paris’ 16th arrondissement, where the Swiss architect Le Corbusier did some of his finest residential work, a museum piece has come to market.
The corner villa was completed in 1925 for Russian avant-garde sculptor Oscar Miestchaninoff, who lived and worked in this genteel artists’ enclave for years. Artist Jacques Lipchitz commissioned a similar Le Corbusier house in red next door, near Marc Chagall’s former home, and the architect himself built an atelier and apartment 10 minutes walk away. Listed as a Historic Monument in 1975, the streamlined three-storey structure now sits behind private gates.
Photography: Manuel Bougot / Architecture de Collection
Photography: Manuel Bougot / Architecture de Collection
Photography: Manuel Bougot / Architecture de Collection
Photography: Manuel Bougot / Architecture de Collection
Photography: Manuel Bougot / Architecture de Collection
Photography: Manuel Bougot / Architecture de Collection
Photography: Manuel Bougot / Architecture de Collection
Photography: Manuel Bougot / Architecture de Collection
Photography: Manuel Bougot / Architecture de Collection
Photography: Manuel Bougot / Architecture de Collection
Photography: Manuel Bougot / Architecture de Collection
Photography: Manuel Bougot / Architecture de Collection
Le Corbusier and his cousin Pierre Jeanneret designed the house with the geometric silhouette and modern curves of what was thereafter known as the International Style or Streamline Moderne. Its elevated walkway, rooftop terrace and cantilevered staircase were novelties on a road busy with familiar gables, Mansard roofs and conical turrets. It had, instead, a cylindrical turret as a focal point, reminiscent of an ocean liner; a spiral staircase and a handrail inside were modelled on cruise ship interiors.
The original interiors – nearly 250 square metres in all – were divided between private living areas, confined to the first floor, and working studios on the ground floor, with high blocks of glazing. These studios were transformed by the current owners into a grand double-height reception area, kitchen and office with George Nelson lighting and custom furnishings inspired by Corbusier’s blueprints. The first floor is dedicated to bedrooms, built-in storage and bathrooms. The owners kept the villa in perfect condition.
The remodelled upper floors include a lounge and garden-facing terrace next to the master suite. The Corbusier staircase leads to a rooftop terrace. The 400-square-metre property also features a two-storey outbuilding with a modern artist’s studio and one-bedroom living space. The asking price for all this? €4.95m via Architecture de Collection.
