The Cause

2018 marks the 140th anniversary of the birth of Irish architect and designer, Eileen Gray. She established a reputation as one the most avant-garde and inventive designers in Paris, and continued to design furniture until until her death, aged 98.

Without any formal architectural training (and with the help of fellow architect Jean Badovici) she designed and built a house on the shores of the Mediterranean in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin between 1926 and 1929. 

Eileen moved out of E-1027 in 1932 and over the years the house fell into disrepair. The walls of the villa were used as target practice by German soldiers in WW2 and it was the site of a murder in the 1990s. The house was eventually rescued by the Conservatoire du Littoral (the French version of the National Trust) and in 2014, the non-for-profit Association Cap Moderne was set up in order to protect, preserve and restore E-1027 and its associated buildings.

E-1027 was in a terrible state of disrepair (c) Tim Benton

Thanks to tireless work by Cap Moderne, the Conservatoire du Littoral and the New York based Friends of e.1027, all essential structural work of the villa has now been completed. The site became open to the public in 2015. 

However there is still much work to be done.

Over the next two years Cap Moderne hope to recreate all of Eileen's fixed and free-standing furnishings inside the villa, using her original materials and methods. Importantly, we also aim to provide disabled access to the villa, so everyone is able to experience the magic of E-1027. 

Disabled access is a challenge at E-1027 (c) Manuel Bougot

How you can help us

The quest of Cap Moderne, with your help, is to raise €55,000 to recreate Eileen’s fixed and free-standing furnishings in the dining alcove and bar of E-1027. We also hope to put a portion of the funds towards providing disabled access to the site.

Eileen designed the villa as a place where Jean Badovici could entertain his friends. In the dining alcove Jean would prepare cocktails and socialise with his guests. Sadly none of the original furnishings remain in this part of the villa, and all that is left is one of Le Corbusier's colourful murals. It is our hope to recreate this beautiful area in memory of Eileen's great genius and verve for life. 

The dining alcove as it currently looks (c) Lucy Woods

Important pieces in the dining alcove include an ingenious foldable table that when opened transforms the corridor into a bar. While Jean was preparing his cocktails he could turn around and select a Menton lemon to slice from a specially made lemon container affixed to the wall. Genius!

All donations to the crowdfunding will be matched by the French state. If you can help us raise €55,000, this means €110,000 will go towards our project.  And if we raise more it will enable us to recreate other key pieces. 

Thank you for your help.

Get involved, get rewards and become part of Cap Moderne's journey

Every donation you make, whether little or large, will make an impact. We want you to become part of this amazing journey to bring E-1027 back to its former glory. 

Every person that donates will be listed on the Cap Moderne website once the crowdfunding campaign has ended on Saturday 10th November, 2018.

In order to encourage donations, we will be offering some fantastic rewards. For example, the first 10 people to donate €1000 will receive a specially commissioned image of E-1027 by one of today’s most illustrious architectural and interiors photographers, François Halard. 

François’s work spans the globe capturing, in his distinctive and tasteful style, images of the homes such as Maison de Verre and work of some of the greatest designers and artists of the 20th century including Louise Bourgeois, Cy Twombly, Carlo Molino and Coco Chanel. He was invited to curate the Design at Large Exhibition at Design Miami/Basel this June. 

In addition, we will also be offering exclusive VIP tours of Cap Moderne, with the options of either a champagne reception (€5000 for 12 people) or gastronomic dinner (€10,000 for 12 people). Guests will also receive a copy of a facsimile edition of the 1929 French edition of L’Architecture Vivante and Tim Benton’s book: Le Corbusier Peintre a Cap Martin.  

T&C's: The site is available subject to certain terms and on certain dates depending on what else is happening, Bookings will have to be made in advance and this information will be provided to those donating. Film shoots and photography are allowed, subject to certain technical constraints, terms and conditions and at certain times (fragility of the buildings, site open to the public etc.)

If you have any questions about tax relief, please contact Cathy Giangrande at cathygiangrande@gmail.com. 

Eileen Gray: a female architect in a man’s world

A pioneer of the Modernist Movement, Eileen Gray’s contribution to both architecture and furniture design are on par with many of the greats, including contemporary, Le Corbusier.

She was born in Enniscorthy in County Wexford, Ireland, in 1878 to an aristocratic mother and artist father. She studied at the Slade School of Fine Art, where she had her first introduction to lacquering. Aged 24 she moved to Paris to continue her design education, and for many years quietly and determinedly began designing her modernist furniture. There, Eileen became involved in the Bohemian circles of the time, and was able to explore her bisexuality, in an era of sexual conservatism.

Eileen Gray (c) National Museum of Ireland

By 1912, Eileen was producing pieces to commission for some of Paris's richest clients. In 1922 she opened her own gallery, Jean Désert, in Rue du Fauborg Saint Honoré as an outlet for her designs.

It was during her time in Paris that Eileen attracted the eye of a young Romanian architect, Jean Badovici. It was him who gave Eileen the impetus to build a house, E-1027, which was a personal, pioneering statement in the forward-looking spirit of the Modernist Movement. 

Eileen Gray (c) National Museum of Ireland

After the Second World War, Eileen became largely forgotten, but she never lost her passion for architecture and design. She continued to work on her portfolio until her death in 1976, aged 98, after she suffered a fall in her studio.

Other Ways You Can Help

We appreciate any help that we may get. Half of the effort is to raise awareness of Eileen Gray and E-1027. 

Spread the word, share the link, check us out on Instagram, and make a trip to Cap Moderne to see E-1027 for yourself. 

As well as running the crowdfunding campaign, we are also offering the opportunity to sponsor a piece of furniture and be acknowledged on a plaque inside the Cap Moderne Station of Culture.  If you'd like more information on what how you can help, please contact Cathy Giangrande at cathygiangrande@gmail.com.

With thanks to our wonderful crowdfunding partners

More than half the battle of crowdfunding is getting the word out, and we're so grateful to all those helping us to share Eileen Gray's wonderful story. There are many who have helped us, but special thanks goes to:

The Modern House , the UK-based estate agency who focus on selling Britain's finest modern architecture. 

Greyscape , the crowdsourced archive celebrating Brutalist, Modernist and Constructivist architecture who run the popular Instagram account: barbican_city_of_london. 

Iconic Houses , the international network connecting architecturally significant houses and artists’ homes and studios from the 20th century that are open to the public as house museum.

The Twentieth Century Society , which exists to safeguard the heritage of architecture and design in Britain (and sometimes beyond) from 1914 onwards.

 is an open world wide architecture community by a team of architects, graphic designers and software engineers.

The Wood House , a blog about Modernist architecture, art and design by Carla Maher. Carla also runs the popular Instagram account: the_wood_house.

British designer Faye Toogood, whose furniture and objects demonstrate a preoccupation with materiality and experimentation. All of her pieces are handmade by small-scale fabricators and traditional artisans in Great Britain, with an honesty to the rawness and irregularity of the chosen material. 

London based firm Deborah Saunt David Hills Architects (DSDHA). Saunt and Hills designed a new building for Christ's College in Guildford, for which they were shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2010. Deborah has also spoken on Radio 3 about Eileen Gray's contribution to architecture and her radical designs.

Tim Benton, Professor Emeritus of Art History at the Open University and Eileen Gray and Le Corbusier expert. 

Siobhán Parkinson, Irish writer and author of Rocking the System, and the voice of our crowdfunding video.