Villa Cavrois Reopens Post-Renovation
On June 13 a low-slung modernist château in Croix, a suburb of the French city of Lille, enjoyed a much-anticipated reopening. Villa Cavrois’s recent renovation was a herculean undertaking—spanning more than 15 years, requiring 230 skilled workers, and costing a hefty $25 million.
Although he originally commissioned a regionalist mansion, the owner was swayed to enlist Robert Mallet-Stevens after seeing his otherworldly De Stijl–inspired designs at an exhibition of decorative arts in Paris. An exponent of the International Style and a peer of Le Corbusier, the late architect cut his teeth on surreal film sets and Cubist follies for the wealthy. Villa Cavrois is regarded as his finest work.
Built in 1932 for Paul Cavrois, a textile magnate, the home is 20,000 square feet. Stark and functional in form alone, the furnishings are sumptuously clad in beige pigskin, sienna marble, and black-pearwood varnish. Fulfilling Mallet-Stevens’s dreams of a futuristic amenity-filled residence, the house boasts an elevator, central heating, an intercom, and built-in speakers. According to Mallet-Stevens, “Genuine luxury is living in a well-heated, well-ventilated, gay, and light-filled setting, requiring the least number of useless gestures and the smallest number of servants.”
After the Cavrois family fled on the cusp of World War II, the house faced a series of ill-intentioned tenants. It was occupied by Nazi soldiers, remodeled in 1950, and, finally, bought by a real-estate developer who planned to bulldoze the home and transform it into tract housing. With architects like Renzo Piano and Norman Foster standing firmly behind Villa Cavrois, plans were halted when the French government granted the estate protection as a historic monument.
Under the tutelage of administrator Paul-Hervé Parsy, the extensive renovation is a testament to France’s commitment to preservation. The Martel-designed haut-relief in the children’s bedroom was faithfully replicated by artist Jean-Sylvain Bieth, while Mallet-Stevens’s bold color palette was restored with extensive research. Nestled in rural Beaumont à Croix, the estate is open to anyone who wishes to visit.
For more information visit www.villa-cavroir.
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