Villa Cavrois
Villa Cavrois is a large modernist mansion commissioned by the Roubaisien textile industrialist Paul Cavrois and built in 1932 by the architect Robert Mallet-Stevens, located at Croix in the North of France.
The architect had a wildcard to create a modern mansion with the following design guidelines : “air, light, work, sports, hygiene, comfort and efficiency”. The mansion is a total artwork mixing architecture and design into a very modernist building. The Villa Cavrois has been abandoned by its owners during World War II and German soldiers occupied the house to turned it into a barrack. In 1947, the Cavrois family get back in their house and made some modifications to extend the number of rooms. The Cavrois family lived in that mansion until 1985 until the death of Lucy Cavrois. The house furniture get sold during auction and the villa is sold in 1987 to a property company which wanted to demolish it for a new project. The city rejected the project and the house get abandoned.
After years of looting and squatting, the house is finally included in the Historical Monuments registry. An association is created to drive the restoration of the building and in 2001, the French State through the Culture ministry bought the house and launched a first renovation campaign. After almost ten years of work, the Villa Cavrois is opened to public visits since 2015.
This house is a masterpiece of design and modernity, and it’s difficult to imagine it was built almost one century ago. The volumes and interior lighting are beautiful and the restoration work made a wonderful job.
“To Ms and Mr Cavrois who let me, thanks to their clarity and hate for routine and their enthusiasm, create this house.
With all my gratitude and friendship fidelity.
R. Mallet-Stevens”