In brief
In the 1950’s architect Alvar Aalto was at the high point of his career, internationally known and awarded with the RIBA Gold Medal in 1957. Art collector Louis Carré commissioned his private residence outside Paris from Aalto, which today stands out as an example of avant-garde modernist design mixed with a Nordic sensibility showing great respect for natural materials and the surrounding context. Organised in an open-plan concept on the ground floor, the space is ideally suited for showcasing art works. The house hosts an exhibition programme, where contemporary art and design are juxtaposed to the iconic modernist interior.
Based on the idea of a cross-cultural connection and continuity, the exhibition ‘Dialogue’, explored shared themes in contemporary design with Aalto’s principles, showcasing designs by the Japanese lifestyle brand minä perhonen and Finnish interiors architect Esa Vesmanen. Their collaboration for a series of lights being the starting point of the exhibition, which paid hommage to the legacy of Aalto. Esa Vesmanen’s work can be seen in continuation with Aalto’s designs with his experiments using wood and an interest in lighting techniques. The series of lampshades by Vesmanen in paper-thin plywood, with a warm golden glow, exemplify the connection between material and ambiance, an enduring theme in Aalto’s design and architecture.
The philosophy of minä perhonen founder Akira Minagawa resonates with Aalto’s approach in using craft-like traditional techniques. Minagawa’s relationship to Scandinavian design started while touring Finland and Sweden in his youth, which influenced his vision and principles as designer. Minagawa’s artistic sensibility has developed from the idea of design being part of everyday culture, looking for simple ideas in the beauty of everyday life.
Aalto never visited Japan, but like his contemporaries Le Corbusier and Bruno Taut, he was inspired by Japanese aesthetic culture. There is a strong connection through the simplicity in the use of materials and the fluid spatial solutions in Aalto’s architecture. As architect Chizuko Kawarada from Kengo Kuma’s Paris office pointed out, the way space is articulated at Maison Louis Carré is similar to the historic Katsura Imperial Villa in Kyoto. Interest towards Japanese culture informed the development of mid-modernist design, and in Aalto’s architectural approach it is fused with a shared sensibility towards nature and vernacular traditions in architecture.
At Maison Louis Carré the connection between inside and outside, which is linked to Japanese architecture, is conjured with the plan designed to follow the slope of the landscape. Windows of different shapes and sizes are strategically placed for a play of light throughout the day. Touches of hand-crafted wooden elements by local carpenters blend with the pure lines of the interiors scheme, which was overseen by Aalto’s wife architect Elissa Aalto.