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
-
Nathalie Du Pasquier, Peter Shire and Barbara Stauffacher Solomon create exclusive artworks for Riso ClubGlasgow print studio Risotto celebrates the 100th issue of its monthly Riso Club – a hand-printed, hand-posted subscription that has grown from a small artist exchange into a global community
-
An ocean-facing Montauk house is 'a coming-of-age, a celebration, a lair'A Montauk house on Hither Hills, designed by Hampton architects Oza Sabbeth, is wrapped in timber and connects its residents with the ocean
-
Chef Matt Abé steps out solo with Bonheur in MayfairA former fine-dining institution is transformed through a study of light, tone and materiality, courtesy of Russell Sage Studio
-
Louis Kahn, the modernist architect and the man behind the mythWe chart the life and work of Louis Kahn, one of the 20th century’s most prominent modernists and a revered professional; yet his personal life meant he was also an architectural enigma
-
The Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s houses of the monthFrom Malibu beach pads to cosy cabins blanketed in snow, Wallpaper* has featured some incredible homes this month. We profile our favourites below
-
‘You have to be courageous and experimental’: inside Fondation Cartier’s new homeFondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain in Paris invites us into its new home, a movable feast expertly designed by Jean Nouvel
-
A wellness retreat in south-west France blends rural charm with contemporary concreteBindloss Dawes has completed the Amassa Retreat in Gascony, restoring and upgrading an ancient barn with sensitive modern updates to create a serene yoga studio
-
Three lesser-known Danish modernist houses track the country’s 20th-century architectureWe visit three Danish modernist houses with writer, curator and architecture historian Adam Štěch, a delve into lower-profile examples of the country’s rich 20th-century legacy
-
The Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s houses of the monthThis September, Wallpaper highlighted a striking mix of architecture – from iconic modernist homes newly up for sale to the dramatic transformation of a crumbling Scottish cottage. These are the projects that caught our eye
-
Explore the new Hermès workshop, a building designed for 'things that are not to be rushed'In France, a new Hermès workshop for leather goods in the hamlet of L'Isle-d'Espagnac was conceived for taking things slow, flying the flag for the brand's craft-based approach
-
Richard Neutra's Case Study House #20, an icon of Californian modernism, is for salePerched high up in the Pacific Palisades, a 1948 house designed by Richard Neutra for Dr Bailey is back on the market
