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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The villa Tempe a Pailla, located on 187 road from Castellar to Menton (Alpes-Maritimes), is an emblematic example of modernist architecture of the 1930s. Designed by architect and decorator Eileen Gray from 1931 and completed in 1934, it embodies a break with traditional styles. Gray integrates innovative solutions such as removable furniture, movable partitions and a natural lighting system adjustable from the bed, reflecting his functional and aesthetic vision.

The project was born in 1926 when Gray acquired a sloped land on the heights of Menton, including a cabin and three stone tanks, which she re-used as a base. The cabanon, originally painted in white and nicknamed the White Boat, is finally destroyed to give way to a concrete and brick construction, covered with a roof terrace. The villa, organized on an elevated level, includes a living room extended by a terrace-solarium, a dining room, two bedrooms, and a kitchen, all accessible by an outdoor staircase by means of a false door.

Gray also designs all the furniture, focusing on local materials and modular industrial elements. Menton companies, such as the carpenter Charles Roattino, make these pieces tailor-made. Notable innovations include a metal disc that can be activated from the bed to regulate natural light in the room. The name of the villa, Tempe a Pailla, draws its inspiration from a local expression meaning "time and straw make the naves ripen", symbolizing patience and harmony with the landscape.

During World War II, the villa was looted, causing Gray to restore it between 1946 and 1953. She added terraces and replaced some damaged elements, but eventually sold it in 1954 to the painter Graham Sutherland, who installed a workshop there. Ranked a Historic Monument in 1990, the villa retains part of its original furniture and bears witness to Gray's creative daring, also author of the E-1027 villa in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.

The building is located in a sloped land with panoramic views of Menton, the sea and the mountains. Its refined architecture, marked by geometric lines and strategic openings, dialogue with the Mediterranean landscape. The original tanks, transformed into garages, cellars and water reserves, illustrate Gray's ingenuity in reusing existing structures. Today, the villa remains a major testimony of the modernist movement in France and the pioneering work of Eileen Gray.

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