The French gallerist and dealer Patrick Seguin started collecting examples of Jean Prouvé’s ‘demountable’ housing in 1991, and since then has built up a large collection of these remarkable structures. Prouvé developed and patented the idea of his prefabricated house in the late 1930s, but it didn’t go into production until the end of the Second World War, when the French government commissioned 800 units to provide temporary shelter for those who had been left homeless by bombing. In the event only around 400 were made, most of which were subsequently destroyed or abandoned as the state constructed permanent homes.
The room, located in the French countryside, will be available to a select few, by invitation only
Seguin has rescued many of these rusting shells, built without insulation or bathrooms, and in 2015 he commissioned Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners to make one of the original houses liveable, by adding electricity, hot water, a kitchen and a bathroom. Initially on show in the Renzo Piano-designed pavilion at the Château la Coste in Provence, the Prouvé/Rogers building has now been added as an extra suite for the hotel itself, and a select group of art collectors, artists and architects will be invited to enjoy the experience of staying in an original Prouvé house.
The interior of Room 30, as it will be known, has been kitted out with art and design objets from Seguin’s personal collection, while for those not lucky enough to be invited to stay, the Piano pavilion will host a parallel exhibition of Prouvé’s furniture, as well as associated art such as a Calder sculpture and a Léger watercolour that were formerly owned by Prouvé himself. Saving a design icon from undeserved obscurity, Seguin and Chateau La Coste offer a truly unprecedented opportunity to spend time in a uniquely designed and significant piece of architecture; a chance for the visitor to appreciate its design value as well as the structure's beginning and long history.
The structure will serve as an additional hotel room and a unique Prouvé experience
The house has been adapted by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
The interiors will be fitted with art and design pieces from Seguin’s personal collection
INFORMATION
’Jean Prouvé, l’âme du métal’ will be on show at Chateau La Coste until 5 March 2019. For more information, visit the Galerie Patrick Seguin website
-
Mika Cars wants to build the Mino, a sporty, ultra-compact electric two-seater for the open roadAn evolution of Mika’s Meon electric beach buggy, the little Mino is an ultra-light EV with big-car aspirations
-
Beck on his orchestral shows: 'It's something that can't be simulated by AI'Following two nights at London's Royal Albert Hall, Wallpaper* meets Beck and conductor Edwin Outwater to hear how the pair brought to life Beck's back catalogue with an 80-piece orchestra
-
Formula 1 in photos: 100 memorable momentsA new book, ‘Formula 1: The Impossible Collection’, marks 75 years of the motor-racing championship – a history full of tenacity, triumph and tragedy
-
Ukrainian Modernism: a timely but bittersweet survey of the country’s best modern buildingsNew book ‘Ukrainian Modernism’ captures the country's vanishing modernist architecture, besieged by bombs, big business and the desire for a break with the past
-
Croismare school, Jean Prouvé’s largest demountable structure, could be yoursJean Prouvé’s 1948 Croismare school, the largest demountable structure ever built by the self-taught architect, is up for sale
-
Jump on our tour of modernist architecture in Tashkent, UzbekistanThe legacy of modernist architecture in Uzbekistan and its capital, Tashkent, is explored through research, a new publication, and the country's upcoming pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025; here, we take a tour of its riches
-
At the Institute of Indology, a humble new addition makes all the differenceContinuing the late Balkrishna V Doshi’s legacy, Sangath studio design a new take on the toilet in Gujarat
-
How Le Corbusier defined modernismLe Corbusier was not only one of 20th-century architecture's leading figures but also a defining father of modernism, as well as a polarising figure; here, we explore the life and work of an architect who was influential far beyond his field and time
-
Stay in a Parisian apartment which artfully balances minimalism and warmthTour this pied-a-terre in the 7th arrondissement, designed by Valeriane Lazard
-
How to protect our modernist legacyWe explore the legacy of modernism as a series of midcentury gems thrive, keeping the vision alive and adapting to the future
-
A 1960s North London townhouse deftly makes the transition to the 21st CenturyThanks to a sensitive redesign by Studio Hagen Hall, this midcentury gem in Hampstead is now a sustainable powerhouse.
