Back to the Future
_Words Jean Christophe Laizeau
Photography Vincent Knapp_
Transport yourself to far-flung galaxies with this French take on futuristic mid-century American architecture.
In the village, everyone talks about The House, yet few have actually seen it. Some say it rotates. Others imagine all sorts of fantastical scenarios. Hidden in the middle of a pine and oak forest in the Perche region, some 90 minutes to the southwest of Paris, an extraordinary reinforced concrete structure looks out over an undulating, 13-hectare park. The space-like vessel was built between 1973 and 1976 – a period when all sorts of crazy architecture were still allowed in France. It was the brainchild of the son of a local entrepreneur, who spent time in Sausalito, California, and came back with a batch of photos and a multitude of mental images. For him, the house of his dreams would be based on the futuristic American architecture of the 1950s and 1960s.
The house may well look like a flying saucer that has landed at the heart of a Normandy copse. Yet, it is nevertheless also a wonderfully practical retreat, spread over three separate levels. The lowest is home to a large garage, a bedroom, a sauna and a stupendous swimming pool. On the ground floor, a sparsely furnished hall leads to three ensuite bedrooms and a billiard room, which are laid out like satellites clinging to the Earth. On top of that sits a large reception room, incorporating a kitchen, dining room and sitting area, which appears almost to be suspended in mid-air. The three levels are linked by two great spiral staircases, which form the backbone of this extraterrestrial “creature”.
A keen fishing fan, the original owner created a huge lake to complement the house, which has now shrunk to only a fifth of its initial size. The level of the water was supposed to coincide with that of the terrace, but nature had different ideas and over the years, the lake has seeped back from the construction. As for the current owner, he actually started out looking for something quite different – a rather classical 19th century country house to act as a counterpoint to his modern Parisian loft. He dreamed of a charming manor lost in the middle of the countryside. Instead, he had a coup de foudre (was lovestruck) upon seeing this architectural wonder and gave carte blanche to French decorator Emmanuel Renoird to rework the interiors. Renoird first thought of creating a contemporary décor—“something very pared-down, with simple, noble materials”, he explains. But, little by little, the unusual spirit of the house took hold of him and led him to invent a sort of retro-futuristic vocabulary, perfectly in synch with the dreams and extravagance of the building’s first owner.
As soon as you step inside, you enter the fourth dimension. The brown carpet in the hallway has been replaced by a white resin floor. The original ceiling, covered with red stretched jersey wool, has been pierced with large oval Perspex windows, which allow a glimpse of the sky. On the left, a white vinyl sofa (probably a prototype for a Lotto ad from the 1980s) lights up from inside and gives off a yellowish glow. Above it, Renoird has assembled four Verner Panton aluminium lamps to form a large wall sconce. One of the staircases, meanwhile, has been wrapped in brown Vallauris cement tiles.
That staircase leads up to the main reception room, where light flows in from all sides. Initially, the kitchen was enclosed, but today, it has been fitted out with several different blocks, which create a sense of conviviality. As for the dining room, it is equipped with a 1960s Italian stainless steel and glass table, as well as Eero Saarinen’s iconic Tulip chairs. More unusual is the Auguston Brisson painting placed on the floor. “One day”, recounts Renoird, “an auctioneer called me and told me, ‘I have something for you’. This painting is by the guy who created the backdrop for the French TV news in the 1980s. Its colours and forms vary according to the ambient sound, forming a kind of kaleidoscope”.
At the opposite end, the living room is fitted with a huge bay window, which offers a sweeping view of the artificial lake. Only the furniture brings a few touches of colour to this otherwise immaculate space. The red of the Alfa sofa from Zanotta contrasts with the yellow of two 1970s armchairs. Above them, Renoird kept the original ceiling, made from strips of wood in the form of a wave, which is lit with primary colours. This cloud-like structure hangs above the shiny resin floor, accentuating the idea that you’ve been transported to another galaxy.
Closer to earth, on the lower level, Renoird chose to return the billiard room to its original colour. He covered the walls in a grey Kvadrat fabric and paired it with a striking German light fixture, which looks like constellations of stars in the night sky. He also completely reworked one of the three bedrooms. He found a round bed on the internet and reupholstered it in orange. In front of the window, he placed a screen, which was formerly used as a partition in the open-plan office of a bank, while above the bed, the painting by Geneviève Claisse echoes the same colours as the rest of the room.
As for the bathroom, very little was changed; only the black enamel floor tiles and red shower were added. Otherwise, there are still the original sparkly silver resin sinks, the orange Formica units and the startling ceiling, made from off-cuts of wood, glued together in a style reminiscent of 1950s Scandinavia. Equally spectacular is the sky blue swimming pool in the form of a keyhole. Its walls are covered with mirrors, which diffract the light from the coloured spots. The cubic Perspex ceiling, meanwhile, recalls the garden at the Villa Noailles in Hyères, designed by Gabriel Guévrékian. It is the perfect reflection of the spirit of the original owner – just as the house as a whole is the perfect retreat for its current proprietor. It may not have the charm of a 19th century manor house, but it is certainly light years away from a loft in the City of Light.
Subscribe to the latest design news delivered directly to your inbox every two weeks...