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Color in Eileen Gray's E.1027
Eileen Gray's E.1027 Maison en bord de mer, 1929 and 2021. Directly above it, Le Corbusier's five Unités de Camping holiday homes and, at the top right, his studio. Black and white photo by Eileen Gray, color photo by Manuel Bougot.
The colors are as much a central component of the overall work of art as the height-adjustable table E.1027, which Gray designed specifically for the house and which is now a modern design classic. Gray's contribution to modernism was underestimated for a long time, not least because of the dominance of male contemporaries such as Le Corbusier. The latter left behind striking wall paintings in E.1027 that disrupted the original interior design. While Gray's colors, textiles, and material contrasts created spaces of intimacy, Le Corbusier's murals deconstructed them. It was only in the 1970s that Eileen Gray was rediscovered and her importance for architecture and design recognized. This article focuses on her colors and the principles behind her color choices.
The Salon in 1929 and after the recent renovation, with Le Corbusier's mural in front of the day bed. Gray's design was refined, sensual and close to nature, but Le Corbusier's intervention dominates the space. Black and white photo by Eileen Gray, color photo by kt.COLOR, 2019.
Colors Inside That Are Found in Nature
Eileen Gray was adept at using colors to highlight the relationship between architecture and nature. Each interior color corresponds to a color from the surrounding landscape. The most important colors in her concept are:
The sandy color House by the Sea: It is the white in the house and also the color of the light-colored floor tiles. It echoes the color of the pebbles on the beach and creates a seamless connection between the interior and exterior.
Glossy and matte black: These are the colors of the cliffs, which change with the waves and the weather. The matte-gloss contrasts enhance the haptic effect of the architecture.
Payne's Gray: A deeply shadowed blue-gray that creates places of retreat under the cover of the shadows at dusk.
Earthy red Burnt Sienna: The reddish clay color of the hillside is used selectively in the interior. These color repetitions guide the eye smoothly from room to room.
Natural pigments: These have microscopic crystal surfaces that mirror light coming from the sky, the clay, the pebbles on the beach, or the sea and reflect it inside. These specular reflections also bounce light from corner to corner, creating lively relationships between separate spatial elements.
The Three Principles That Underpin Eileen Gray's Color Concept
Eileen Gray's color scheme is based on three central principles:
Using the colors of the site: Colors such as Prussian Blue, Payne's Gray, House by the Sea, Anthracite and Burnt Sienna echo nature's colors. These repetitions establish a tangible connection to nature and the specific location.
Alignment with the course of the sun: The house was aligned to the solar cycle, and the colors were chosen to pick up the changing light conditions throughout the day. Natural pigments adapt to every change in the natural lighting outside.
Color-coding individual subspaces: Strong contrasts define functional areas and create niches that meet different needs without deconstructing the overall space.
An Architecture of Intimacy
Gray's goal was to design a house that serves the needs of its inhabitants – a place of intimacy, tranquility, and ease. By skillfully playing with colors, she creates fluid transitions between interior and exterior, main spaces and functional niches, areas of activity and areas of calm. Natural pigments allow surfaces to appear unobtrusive and spacious, making the actually small house appear much larger. Subtle reflections, soft lighting, and muted contrasts create a sensual, almost magical atmosphere.
The E.1027 outdoor kitchen with color patterns that lead you inside. Photo Manuel Bougot, 2021
A Story of Neglect and Rediscovery
After completing the house, Gray left it to her partner Jean Badovici. Ten years later, Le Corbusier, who admired Gray's work, added striking murals to the house with Badovici's consent. These alterations so radically changed the carefully considered spatial composition that Gray never returned to the house. It was only in the 1970s that her work was rediscovered and, after years of neglect, finally underwent extensive restoration. Today the house is a listed building.
The house respects the landscape. It's worth a visit! Photo Manuel Bougot, 2021.
E.1027: A Visit to More Than One Modernist Masterpiece
The House by the Sea E.1027 illustrates how color and architecture can intertwine to create spaces that touch our deepest desires. The works of Le Corbusier on the next property, Cabanon and Unités de Camping, are part of the tour of E.1027. The ensemble invites visitors to ponder about these two masters of modern architecture. A visit also raises a central question: Who should architecture serve? The architect, the investor – or the primal longings of the people who inhabit it?
13. Januar 2025
Credits
Christian Müller, Stefan Hecker, 1991: Eileen Gray, oder ein unbekümmerter Umgang mit der Moderne, in: Archithese 4-91, Arthur Niggli, Heiden, 1991, p. 10.
Black-White photos : Eileen Gray, 1929, in E1027 Maison en bord de mer, L'Architecture Vivante, Paris, Editions Albert Morancé.
Literature for more background information: Jean-Louis Cohen, 2021. E1027: Restoring a House by the Sea. Editions du Patrimoine, Centre des Monuments Nationaux, Paris.
Cloé Pitiot, 2017. Eileen Gray : Une architecture de l’intime / Intimate Architecture. Editions du Centre Pompidou, Paris.