Eileen Gray, Badovici Apartment, Paris, France, 1930/31

Eileen Gray (full name: Katherine Eileen Moray Smith) was born on the 9th of August, 1878 in Enniscorthy, Ireland. Her father was an artist and thus encouraging his children’s interest in arts, design and architecture. Her mother was a Baroness who took the noble name Gray and gave it to her children. Eileen Gray studied painting at the Slade School of Fine Art. After a visit in the Exposition Universelle in 1900, the World Expo in Paris, she decided to move to Paris and studied at the Académie julian and the Académie Colarossi. After her mother became ill, she travelled between Paris and London back and forth.

Jean Badovici was a Romanian architect and critic active in Paris. He was in a relationship with gray until 1932.
Together they designed house E-1027 in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin in the south of France. Gray designed the furniture in the house and together with Badovici the spaces.
One of the major ideas of Gray was that the houses of Le Corbusier were too standardised, too mechanical and not human enough. they were not focused on comfort but on efficiency.

The studio we’re talking about is a very small space in Paris, it was usual at that time as space became more and more expensive. But instead of making a new standardised box of functions, she chose to have as much luxury (or the effect of space) in one tiny room. For example, by ordering the kitchen and bathroom in the same small side-spaces, she opened up the living room and thus giving the impression of space. The smart design of tables and wall closets allowed her to use every bit of available surface. Little openings in the walls were used as bookshelves and screens were used instead of walls or doors.

References:
– http://www.eileengray.co.uk/
– https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eileen_Gray
– http://arch100-e1027.blogspot.it/2012/
– Francois Baudoit: Eileen Gray – 1998
– Caroline Constant: Eileen Gray, an architecture for all senses – 1996
– Daniel ryan: Sunshine and shade in the architecture of Eileen Gray – 2010
– Eileen Gray and Jean Badovici: E. 1027 maison en bord de mer

Authors: Max Vanhalst – Andrea Vaskova – Alena Mourova