Le Corbusier’s apartment in Paris opens to public after reconstruction
Le Corbusier’s apartment in Paris, where he lived from 1934 to 1965, has opened to the public following an extensive reconstruction. It was led by the Le Corbusier Foundation that now allows people to experience his private studio, personal objects, bespoke design solutions and living conditions during a time when he was at peak productivity on his architectural projects with his cousin and business partner Pierre Jeanneret.
On designing the apartment building Immeuble Molitorat at 24 rue Nungesser et Coli, located on the outskirts of Paris near Boulogne, for a private developer, Le Corbusier negotiated the whole of the 7th and 8th floors for himself, undertaking to build the roof of the property at his own expense where he designed a rooftop garden.
In his new home, Le Corbusier was looking for a family environment for himself and his new wife, Yvonne Gallis, whom he met in 1922, plus his housekeeper and dog, Pinceau, as well as a studio space where he could paint, write and be creative. They all took up residence from 1934 – with Yvonne staying until her death in 1957, and Le Corbusier until 1965.
The design of the building and its reinforced frame structure allowed a ‘free plan’ to be devised within each apartment, so while there were two or three apartments per floor equipped with sanitary facilities, each household could individually design their partitions to define how they wanted to live.
Following Le Corbusier’s Cité Radieuse theories and ideas, the Immeuble Molitorat had many progressive amenities for its time; it was double glazed, which meant it could be filled with light, through the façade, skylights, and Saint-Gobain Nevada glass bricks, while remaining warm inside. There were personal and service lifts, central heating, a laundry and drying room, cellars, garages and servants rooms on the ground floor.
Radical for its time, it was the world’s first building with an entirely glazed façade, therefore joining a group of 17 works by Le Corbusier that are UNESCO World Heritage Site protected. Owned by the Le Corbusier Foundation, the apartment-studio also holds a ‘Maison des Illustres’ seal of approval and was listed as a historic monument in 1972, with the entire building following in 2017.
The reconstruction brings the apartment to life with its original coloured walls and grid-pattern tiles on the floor. Furniture pieces have been returned to their place with the sofa and Grand Confort armchair, co-designed by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand in the living room, and artworks by Fernand Léger, Alberto Magnelli, Henri Laurens and Jacques Lipchitz, as well as personal collections of shells, bones, pebbles displayed across the apartment. In the dining room, the marble table designed by Le Corbusier and surrounded by four Thonet armchairs sits upon a red woollen rug, woven in Tlemcen, Algeria.
In the studio, architectural details such as the 12-metre-long curving arch and exposed brick wall, that inspired le Corbusier on a daily basis can be seen, and the folding wooden panels he designed to reduce the amount of light entering the studio, which often dazzling him.
Many parts of the apartment are distinctly unique and designed or commissioned by Le Corbusier. A geometric stained-glass window made in Reims and designed by the artist Brigitte Simon and added in 1949, and Le Corbusier was inspired by an ocean liner cabin for his bedroom, where the bed was raised to be able to see the view of Boulogne over the balcony balustrade. The apartment is a chance to understand how Le Corbusier’s vision, from interior to exterior played out personally for him at home and in his studio.
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Le Corbusier Foundation website
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Harriet Thorpe is a writer, journalist and editor covering architecture, design and culture, with particular interest in sustainability, 20th-century architecture and community. After studying History of Art at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and Journalism at City University in London, she developed her interest in architecture working at Wallpaper* magazine and today contributes to Wallpaper*, The World of Interiors and Icon magazine, amongst other titles. She is author of The Sustainable City (2022, Hoxton Mini Press), a book about sustainable architecture in London, and the Modern Cambridge Map (2023, Blue Crow Media), a map of 20th-century architecture in Cambridge, the city where she grew up.
-
2024's most visually-arresting films
The best films of the year merged inventive narratives with transportive visuals. Here are Wallpaper's top 10 of 2024.
By Nick Levine Published
-
Casa Dragones' 'Quiote Bar' evokes the essence of agave fields and terroir'
Casa Dragones' Quiote Bar is designed by Gloria Cortina who blended modernity and myth to create a tequila bar inspired by a flowering stalk of the agave plant
By Henrietta Thompson Published
-
Year in review: the top 10 cars of 2024, selected by transport editor Jonathan Bell
What are our cars of the year? We’ve scoured the archives to unveil the machines that most impressed us over the past 12 months, from retro revivals to high-tech EVs
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
A revamped Edinburgh apartment combines Californian-style modernism with modern craft
Archer + Braun have transformed an apartment in a historic house with finely tuned contemporary additions and sympathetic attention to detail
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
A look inside the home of George Homsey, one of the fathers of pioneering California modernist community Sea Ranch
George Homsey's home opens for the first time since his death, in 2019; see where the architect behind some of the designs for Sea Ranch, the pioneering California modernist community, lived
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Soviet brutalist architecture: beyond the genre's striking image
Soviet brutalist architecture offers eye-catching imagery; we delve into the genre’s daring concepts and look beyond its buildings’ photogenic richness
By Edwin Heathcote Published
-
Tour a warm and welcoming modernist sanctuary set on the edge of a Los Angeles canyon
The Rustic Canyon Residence by Assembledge and Jamie Bush brings together the very best of mid-century influences, with an added slice of contemporary Californian craft and style
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Tour this Bel Vista house by Albert Frey, restored to its former glory in Palm Springs
An Albert Frey Bel Vista house has been restored and praised for its revival - just in time for the 2025 Palm Springs Modernism Week Preview
By Hadani Ditmars Published
-
Explore wood architecture, Paris' new timber tower and how to make sustainable construction look ‘iconic’
A new timber tower brings wood architecture into sharp focus in Paris and highlights ways to craft buildings that are both sustainable and look great: we spoke to project architects LAN, and explore the genre through further examples
By Amy Serafin Published
-
A transformed chalet by Studio Razavi redesigns an existing structure into a well-crafted Alpine retreat
This overhauled chalet in the French Alps blends traditional forms with a highly bespoke interior
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
A new exhibition marks Chandigarh’s modernist legacy
‘Celebrating the Capitol’, an exhibition of photographic work by architect Noor Dasmesh Singh, opens just in time for the famed modernist Indian city’s anniversary
By Ellie Stathaki Published