Janusz Matecki : contemporary architect on the French Riviera

Janusz Matecki

Architect Janusz Matecki was a member of ATELIER 3, an architectural studio established in Monaco between 1960 and 1978 and founded by three Polish architects - Matecki himself, Konrad Szabelewski and Stefan Maresz. This trio of architects designed several projects in the Alpes-Maritimes and in Corsica, focusing mainly on private holiday homes for a bourgeois clientele.

The use of natural materials such as terracotta, stone, wood, and thatch anchors the practice of these architects in a critical regionalism and respect for regional historical heritage.

An artist's villa facing the sea

In Roquebrune Cap Martin, this villa built in the 1970s by Polish architect Janusz Matecki enjoys an exceptional view of the sea and the Principality of Monaco. Designed and built to order by the world-renowned painter Steve Carpenter, the project consisted of creating a place to live and meet around the artist's studio, the heart of the house. A true place for sharing and socializing, many famous personalities and artists have been received there over the years, including the iconic Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco.

Roquebrune Cap Martin, a village of History and exception

The property is located just a stone's throw from the old village of Roquebrune Cap Martin and benefits from an idyllic setting, a few steps from the thousand-year-old olive tree and the former home of Gabrielle Chanel, and 10 minutes from the gates of the Principality of Monaco. A village known for being the stronghold of architect Le Corbusier, its medieval architecture rubs shoulders with the gems of Belle Epoque and modern architecture, such as Villa E1027 by architect and designer Eileen Gray, or Le Corbusier's cabin and camping units.

Between local tradition and modernity

The architecture of the villa combines the purity of modernist design and the characteristics of Mediterranean construction. The idea is to compose a living space in accordance with the heritage history of the municipality and the topography of the building site.

A villa integrated into its environment

On a plot of 1662 m², the architect's house offers a living space of about 300 m² distributed on several levels along the natural slope of the land, arranged in terraces. The interior is divided into a succession of rooms with oblique lines that follow the slope of the plot, guiding the eye towards the terraces and the omnipresent view of the sea.

The light wood panels and terracotta tiles create a warm atmosphere, typical of the properties in the region. A sculptural fireplace and a rounded bar, concealing a spiral staircase of typical 1970s design, energize the spaces.

Here, the volumes designed to follow the slope of the garden and the gently sloping roofs, covered with terracotta tiles, integrate the villa into the local built landscape, while the scale of the volumes and the large bay windows anchor the ensemble in modernity. The windows, framed by the perspectives offered by the view and the landscape, recall the drawings of the bay of Roquebrune and Monaco made by Le Corbusier from his chalet.

His architectural philosophy and that of his firm, ATELIER 3, can be found in all of their constructions, such as the Villa L'Olivette in La Turbie and the Barres du Cheiron in Gréolières-les-Neiges in the Alpes Maritimes.

For more information on this exceptional property or for any real estate project on the Côte d'Azur coast, contact your experts in prestige real estate at Côte d'Azur Sotheby's International Realty: info@cotedazursothebysrealty.com