Chateâu La Coste is known as one of the world’s most innovative art and architectural escapes. Located in fairytale-esque Provence, the 600-acre property is comprised of biodynamic vineyards and a winery designed by architect Jean Nouvel, among countless works of art and designs by other notable names. Now, the famed Chateâu has added another incredible property: a solar-powered luxury suite inside a refurbished Jean Prouvé-designed one-room shelter.
Self-taught architect and designer Jean Prouvé is known as one of the great modernist masters. In 1944, he famously created a design for demountable, 6-meter-by-6-meter temporary shelters.
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Now, a refurbished version of this shelter design holds court in a serene pine forest as a solar-powered luxury suite for guests lucky enough to stay at the Chateâu La Coste. The Suite N° 30 is a one-bedroom studio space clad in natural wood paneling. The structure’s front entrance is through an open-air platform with ample room for seating.
Blue-framed glass doors open up to the interior space, which, like the exterior, boasts an off-grid cabin feel. The interior of the suite is filled with midcentury furniture from the likes of Pierre Jeanneret and Serge Mouille, among others.
While the cabin mainly stays true to the original design, the suite has an added bathroom and kitchen. This is not your ordinary kitchenette — it is a cylindrical pod designed by none other than Richard Rogers. The pod houses a solar-powered kitchen, complete with all of the amenities needed to put together a tasty meal.
The tiny cottage is an important addition to the sprawling art estate, not only for its design prowess, but as a way of keeping Prouvé’s legacy alive.
“Prouvé is as important as Le Corbusier, although completely different in terms of scale and ambition,” said Daniel Kennedy, director of Château La Coste’s Art Centre. “We wanted to offer the adventure of living inside a completely autonomous nomadic house and make it function as a hotel, which meant adding phone lines, light switches, softer lighting, bathrobes and filling up the kitchen fridge like a mini-bar.”
Via Wallpaper
Images via Château La Coste
