In 1912 Le Corbusier was already experimenting with some ideas on the Jeanneret-Perret house, known as "Maison Blanche," which eventually paved the way for the modern way of living.
"Le Corbusier worked with the architect René Chapallaz for his first projects. It is possible to see some of the houses they designed really close to the Maison Blanche, where they used the ‘Style Sapin’ - pine tree style. This style came from the Art Nouveau, and its creative decoration was inspired in the local landscape. The Maison Blanche marked a break with this regionalist style. The exterior of the house does not have any decoration, and the layout is much more open than the villas designed some years before," says Helena Ariza of Architectural Visits during a tour through the area, from where she shares the following observations and photographs.
"The small garden was one of my favorite areas of the house. This has one of the first promenades architecturales by Le Corbusier, where one can enjoy a pleasant experience that takes you to the entrance door."
"The bedrooms on the first floor have plenty of natural light thanks to many windows installed in a horizontal way. This reminds of the prairie houses by Frank Lloyd Wright, whose work Le Corbusier had seen in the german magazines."
