Armchair 45
A space for showing and a home for living
When used thoughtfully, natural and warm materials create welcoming spaces to be equally enjoyed privately and with guests. Maison Louis Carré, completed in 1959, perfectly embodies this duality.
Set an hour’s drive west of Paris, on a gently inclining hillside in Bazoches-sur-Guyonne, Maison Louis Carré stands apart from other private homes designed by Alvar Aalto in one respect: nearly every material, pattern and piece of furniture was designed specifically for the house by Aalto, his second wife Elissa and their Artek collaborators.
The freedom Aalto enjoyed is largely due to the excellent rapport he quickly developed with his prospective client, the Parisian art dealer Louis Carré. “I gave him complete freedom, and everything he did—the materials, the proportions—enchanted me,” Carré said of Aalto’s work.
Natural materials from near and far
Maison Louis Carré was a house built equally for showing and living. Carré wanted a home that could host large groups of local and international guests from his extensive network in the art world while also providing a comfortable sanctuary for himself and his wife, Olga. Separate spaces were designated to meet public and private needs, along with a third area for the Carrés’ serving staff, creating a coherent and unified layout that paid meticulous attention to form and artistic expression.
The diversity of materials was a requisite shared by both designer and client. Materials that are relatively modest in isolation come together for a whole that is generous in every sense, delivering on Carré’s request that the house’s “only luxury (should) be its proportions”. The sloping slate roof, red ceramic tiles and stone walls all use materials from neighbouring regions of France, while the entrance hall’s vaulted, undulating ceiling—a signature Aalto feature—is crafted from Finnish pine.
While credit has historically been ascribed to Alvar Aalto, he was supported by a small and highly skilled team at the Artek office and his architectural studio. As well as supervising construction, Elissa Aalto designed a series of understated yet inviting wool carpets and rugs that cover the oak and tiled floors. Meanwhile, Artek’s chief designer Maija Heikinheimo oversaw the provision of a wide range of Artek furniture. Alongside standard pieces like Armchair 45 and X-leg models, the living room showcases bespoke creations such as a “piano” coffee table made from ash and a “spaghetti” armchair. Designed by Heikinheimo from moulded wooden strings, this latter piece became a favourite of its owner—Carré sent Alvar and Elissa Aalto a letter mentioning “the special wing chair has arrived in perfect condition and we can’t stop looking at it”.
Louis and Olga Carré’s pride in their new home is best represented by their enthusiasm for sharing it with others. Gatherings at Maison Louis Carré became legendary in Parisian cultural circles; 350 people from France and abroad attended the first major party held in honour of both the Aaltos and the Swedish ambassador. Marcel Duchamp and Finnish president Urho Kekkonen were among other guests who enjoyed the home and its equally splendid garden and pool (added in 1961) in the warmer months.
Harmony in colour and light
As well as the more raucous gatherings, Carré would frequently return from a day’s work in Paris with a friend for a quiet evening of dinner and conversation, with guests sleeping over before returning to the capital with their host the following day. Many of the sixteen new lighting fixtures designed by Artek specifically for Maison Louis Carré are made for these quieter moments of intimacy. The dining room features custom versions of Artek’s “Golden Bell” pendant lights, with free-form lateral openings designed to illuminate the canvases on the wall. In the living room, three asymmetrically cut white Bilberry lamps hang low, inviting conversation and reading (a favourite pastime for Carré).
Maison Louis Carré is a definitive rendition of the Artek philosophy which values comfort, simplicity and beauty in equal measure, and it immediately became a cherished place for Louis and Olga Carré, who lived happily there, surrounded by paintings by the likes of Fernand Léger and Paul Klee. Olga continued to live in the house for many years following the death of Louis in 1977.
