Explore the Villa Cavrois

An architectural manifesto, Villa Cavrois, the work of architect Robert Mallet-Stevens, a figure of the modernist school, was designed and built in Croix between 1929 and 1932 for Paul Cavrois, a textile industrialist from the Nord department, and his family.

This 60-meter-long facade functions as a stage curtain draped along the length of the terrace where the family members meet.

The distribution sets two symmetrical wings opposite one another, that of the parents on one side, and that of the children and servants on the other. The reception rooms, at the heart of the body of the house, are extended by the avenues of the gardens and its water mirror.

Mallet-Stevens designed the villa Cavrois like a true modern château

Château: the residence is a castle by its imposing proportions (a 60 meter long façade, about 4000 m² of flooring) and its distribution in two symmetrical wings, heir to the tradition of aristocratic residences of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Modern: the villa is modern by the starkness of the volumes, lack of ornament in the décor, the proliferation of rooftop terraces, advanced equipment (central heating, telephone, electric network of wall clocks, lift, etc.) and the use of industrial materials and techniques (glass, metal, steel).

Let's explore it!

The vestibule was the first place any visitors to the Cavrois family would see

It opens on steps in white Carrara marble and risers in black Belgian marble. Opposite the entryway, two lightboxes in steel and opalin glass supply an original indirect light source. This vestibule recalls the cinema decor designed by Mallet-Stevens in the 1920s.

This is where the Cavrois greeted their guests when they were hosting

The immense double-sized hall-parlour is at the heart of the room layout desired by the architect and his patron. It opens onto the vast south terrace and offers access to the dining room. A mezzanine overlooks it. The fireplace, clad in yellow Sienna marble, has integrated seats. The decor was restored to its 1932 condition.

Can you imagine a 50 m² bathroom? It's pretty dreamy!

Speaking of the modernity and luxury of the house, the bathroom has one part carpeted and reserved for beauty treatments, and another for ablutions (bathtub and shower with lateral water jets) where white Carrara marble dominates.

A set of scale is integrated into the marble trimming of the shower and a wall barometer shows the current temperature. All the must-haves of the time!

The parents' bedroom is accessed directly from the north corridor where the bathroom is found. The decor is characterized by refined luxury and invites relaxation.

The boudoir was specially designed for Lucie Cavrois. It is a beautiful example of modernist decor applied to a feminine room.

The kitchen is, as Mallet-Stevens was wont to say, a true "houseware show in miniature." The walls and floors are covered in washable ceramic tiles and the furniture is made of enamelled steel. The service lift serves the terrace in summer.

The straight staircase offers a splendid view of the gardens thanks to a large curved bay window. It harkens back to the role of the grand staircases in castles of the classical age.

Paul Cavrois' study, with its double indirect lighting, safe and fully restored varnished natural pearwood paneling offers access to the smoking room decorated in Cuban mahogany.

The parents' dining room connects to the hall-parlour via a sliding wall. An immense bay window opens onto the south terrace.

The floor and walls of the dining room are half clad in Swedish marble.

A clever trick: The mirror in the dining room makes the space look bigger while bringing the outside world into the room. This way, all the guests, no matter where they are seated around the immense central black-lacquered pearwood table, could see the gardens.

The sculptors Jan and Joël Martel installed a colored relief evocative of games and leisure in the children's living room. The table and six chairs are made of zebrawood.

The rooms offers direct access into the gardens.

This staircase lets the children access the gardens without going through the parents' dining room.

The terrace-pergola could be transformed into a dining room in good weather. Meals could be served there directly thanks to electronic service lifts. 32 concrete beams serve as sunshades.

27 meters long, this pool has two diving boards with a starkly graphic and processed effect, in—as always—a modern spirit.

After the death of Madam Cavrois in 1986, the property was sold to a property developer, who wanted to subdivide the gardens. Abandoned, the Villa was the victim of vandalism and rapidly deteriorated, despite its classification as a historical monument in 1990.

The Villa was acquired by the State of France in 2001. The huge restoration project implemented in 2003 by the DRAC Nord-Pas-de Calais and then taken over by the Centre des Monuments Nationaux in 2008 was completed in 2015.

A festive inauguration

Did you know? The Villa was inaugurated for the wedding of Geneviève Cavrois, the family's eldest daughter, on July 7 1932.

To celebrate, the Cavrois organized a memorable party.

Topping the show were thousands of rose petals thrown from a plane on the guests!