One of the most important houses of the 20th century sits just outside of Paris in the commune of Poissy. The modernist Villa Savoye, designed in the early 1930s by Swiss architect Le Corbusier, is considered a key building in the development of the International Modernist style with its slender reinforced-concrete columns, open floor plan, ribbon windows and a functional roof that serves as a terrace and a garden. It’s designated as a UNESCO world heritage site, and is one of the few buildings in France to have been declared a national monument during the architect’s lifetime. Today it’s open to visitors year-round, but its future was by no means guaranteed in the years after World War II. The family of Pierre and Eugénie Savoye was forced to leave the house at the outbreak of the war, and the house was occupied for a period of time by both German and American forces. It later fell into disrepair but managed to survive several calls for its demolition. A major restoration was finally completed in 1995, and the result is breathtaking. The house has a minimalist feel yet it’s quite beautiful and the spaces are laid out in such a way that you could easily — very easily — imagine living there. A must-see, whether you’re an architecture buff or not.
PS It’s accessible by RER and a bus ride but if you take an Uber car round-trip on a Sunday morning it’s a breeze and you’ll save yourself lots of travel time.