Villa Paul Poiret Explained

Villa Paul Poiret
Map Type:France
Architectural Style:International style
Client:Paul Poiret
Location Town:Mézy-sur-Seine
Location Country:France
Start Date:1924
Completion Date:1925
Architect:Robert Mallet-Stevens

Villa Paul Poiret in Mézy-sur-Seine, Yvelines, France, is an early 1920s Cubism-inspired Art Deco private house originally designed by architect Robert Mallet-Stevens.

The house stands in 48500m2 of parkland in Mézy-sur-Seine, to the west of Paris, overlooking the Seine Valley. It is constructed in reinforced concrete in a geometric style, has 25 rooms on three levels, of internal space, an upper terrace with panoramic views, and a 7adj=midNaNadj=mid corner salon with floor-to-ceiling windows.[1]

Villa Paul Poiret was commissioned by fashion designer Paul Poiret in 1921; its building completed in 1925. The house fell into disrepair, and was sold by Poiret in 1930 to actress Elvira Popescu, who lived there from 1938 to 1985. Popescu hired the architect Paul Boyer in 1932 to alter the original design to the contemporary Art Deco Paquebot (steamship) style, converting windows to portholes, and rounding-off terrace corners. The house was listed as an historic landmark in 1984.

In 1999 the house, which had once more become dilapidated, was bought by Laurent Brun. Under the auspices of the French National Historic Landmark Commission and the Bâtiments de France, (the two bodies responsible for listed buildings), the Mallet-Stevens exterior and the Popescu/Boyer interior have been restored.

Villa Paul Poiret is part of the Journées de Patrimoine, (Heritage Days), scheme in which public and private buildings of historic importance are open to the public on the third weekend in September.

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Notes and References

  1. https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/26/greathomesanddestinations/26iht-revilla.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=poiret&st=cse New York Times 26.11.2010: Rescuing a Cubist Icon With French Couture Roots