1950s Calley and Alet House in Toulouse Lists for €1.45m
The 1953 six-bedroom house by Bernard Calley and Georges Alet sits on stilts above the Garonne, with maritime brick volumes and original interiors, listed at €1.45m.
- Section
- Architecture
- Author
- By Elena Vasquez
- Filed
- Length
- 2 min read
Key takeaways
- The 1953 house by Bernard Calley and Georges Alet is listed at €1,450,000 through Architecture de Collection.
- The six-bedroom property stands on stilts on a 615 sq m plot above the Garonne River across three levels.
- Original features include a fitted canary-yellow kitchen, a marble staircase and porthole windows.
A 1953 house by architects Bernard Calley and Georges Alet has come to market in Toulouse at €1,450,000. The six-bedroom property stands elevated above the banks of the Garonne River, its bold colours and modernist curves setting it apart from its suburban neighbours.
Architecture de Collection, the real estate agency specialising in the preservation and promotion of 20th and 21st century architecture, holds the exclusive listing.
A house on stilts with two interlocking volumes
The house sits on stilts on a 615 sq m plot and stretches over three levels. It comprises two interlocking volumes. The first defines the brick façade, with a ship as its obvious inspiration. Two porthole windows reinforce the maritime references, which continue inside through cabin-style doors on the second floor.
The second volume is crisp and white — a nod to the surrounding buildings of Toulouse, a city defined by its 'O'-shaped layout. An offset, space-age roof completes the composition, displaying influences of the International Style as the movement pushed architecture away from art deco and towards the midcentury modernism found across France.
Original details and a pair of statement staircases
A gangplank-like walkway leads into a spacious entrance, which opens onto a bright living area with a decorative fireplace. Original details survive, including a fitted canary-yellow kitchen and an office overlooking the Garonne.
A grand marble staircase sits at the core of the house, carrying visitors up to a library area and lounge. This level also holds three bedrooms and a bathroom with a large dressing room.
A second staircase — bright red and almost pop-art-inspired — leads to the remaining levels. There, visitors find a reading nook and two attic bedrooms with porthole openings and skylights.
The ground level hosts an additional bedroom, a laundry room and a double garage. A motorhome garage leads to a separate, private terrace.
Together, the elements form what the listing describes as a finely tuned example of French 20th-century architecture. Buyers can find out more at architecturedecollection.fr.
For Toulouse, the sale marks another test of the market for postwar avant-garde housing outside Paris — and a rare chance to acquire a documented 1950s work by two named French architects intact.
Original: google.com
