November 28, 2013

Villa Matali: Matali Crasset Designs Her First Private Residence

Here’s a tip. If you visit this villa by Matali Crasset Productions, bring a coat. Not that it’s likely to be cold there. Nestled among hills overlooking the French Riviera city of Nice and the Mediterranean Sea, the villa is perpetually sunbaked. But anyone without a coat to remove will miss trying out one of the marquee attractions: a bright orange armoire suspended from the ceiling, welcoming guests as they arrive.

The 2,150-square-foot structure is the first private residence fully conceived by Matali Crasset—from the cantilevered architecture in concrete, aluminum, and glass to the green hexagonal lounge beds alongside the swimming pool. She’s best known for the playful Hi hotels in Nice, Paris, and Tunisia. “Color is life,” she likes to say.

So the villa’s abundance of pure white spaces and surfaces seems unusual at first. Nevertheless, brightness makes cameos and sometimes takes the spotlight. She describes the pink resin coating the floor of the lower level as “a bit like falling into a strawberry patch, warm and very gentle.” One kitchen wall, meanwhile, glows turquoise punctuated by a band of fuchsia. “There’s something in blue and purple that conveys the love of food,” she adds.

From the dining area, a concrete staircase ascends. The level above contains the master suite and the children’s sleeping quarters, divided between two perpendicular wings. Crasset’s floor plan also leaves multiple areas open to the downstairs.

She still plans to design furniture for the villa. But the wildest addition will be outdoors: a water slide that will curve down from an upstairs balcony, into the pool. So be sure to bring a swimsuit as well.

Recent Projects