Discover Tempe à Pailla, a lesser-known Eileen Gray gem nestled in the French Riviera
Tempe à Pailla is a modernist villa in the French Riviera brimming with history, originally designed by architect Eileen Gray and extended by late British painter Graham Sutherland

Tempe à Pailla is nestled in the idyllic hinterland of the French Riviera – an iconic gem of a home with a lot of creative history within its walls. The villa was initially designed by renowned modernist architecture and design master Eileen Gray (1878-1976), and the late British painter Graham Sutherland resided there between 1955 and 1979. Located on the side of a Menton hill, the villa laps up sea views from its privileged exposure, thriving in its historical significance.
Inside Tempe à Pailla by Eileen Gray
Tempe à Pailla is the second property designed by Irish architect and designer Gray, after the much better-known Villa E-1027 in Roquebrune Cap Martin, which she used as a personal retreat. It was in 1970 that Sutherland decided to add an extension with a sweeping white façade, which inspired a renaming of the property to ‘La Villa Blanche’. Boasting eight bedrooms and five bathrooms, the villa is a testament to progressive 20th-century architecture and stays in tune with key elements of the modernist movement, such as featuring a roof terrace, an open plan design, strip windows and free façades.
The home offers crisp lines, open-plan living, and large glass panelling to filter in natural light. Visitors pass through the garden, exterior staircase and terrace, before entering via the living room. This branches off into a dining room, two bedrooms, a bathroom and a kitchen. The last faces south across the cascading Mediterranean views. Crafted from functional materials, including concrete and brick, the villa still contains original fittings designed by Gray.
The villa is a welcome escape from the urban bustle of Menton, known as the ‘city of lemons’ for its tradition in the fruit’s cultivation. The town offers a gentle microclimate and sandy beaches, while also being a stone's throw away from Nice, Monaco and the Italian border.
Tempe à Pailla is currently on the market through Engel & Voelkers
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Tianna Williams is Wallpaper*s staff writer. When she isn’t writing extensively across varying content pillars ranging from design, and architecture to travel, and art, she also helps put together the daily newsletter. She enjoys speaking to emerging artists, designers, and architects, writing about gorgeously designed houses and restaurants, and day-dreaming about her next travel destination.
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