A few days ago, Sylvain left me alone :-( to spend a few days in south of France to see his parents...
It was a good oportunity for him to make a stop by the seaside,
in a town really lost in the 50's: ROYAN!
He spent a night at "Le trydent Thyrse".
Just in front of the Atlantic ocean,
this hotel kept his modern architecture direct from the 50's!
It has been fully re-furnished in a mid-century style.
The owners like to go to flea markets to find real vintage furniture.
They have created a beautiful interior.
Here is how Sylvain was dressed on that day.
30's black jacket on beige high waisted pants,
simple but so elegant!
simple but so elegant!
Time for checking out...
Sylvain got just few hours left to enjoy Royan...
1900s and 1950s architectures are side by side on the seafront.
Royan can be compared to Palm Springs ...but without the palms...
Many beautiful modern villas...
but also many public buildings built in the 50's
with a look of the future,
with a look of the future,
like this market mall!
These kind of buildings are still in use.
There are so many different kinds of 50s houses there,
but it's only recently that people thought that these kind of designs can also be a part of our history!
This one was for example detailled in a famous architecture book from 1961.
It's hard for people who live in a country like France to understand that a modern 50's church can be as interesting than a gothic one from the middle age!
People value stones but not concrete....
However if you can visit the cathedral of Royan, you can easily understand why this kind of designs can be real pieces of art!
You can see some traditionnal gothic shapes nicely revisited.
Little by little a few buildings are saved and restored...
but there is still a long way to make all people understand how important are that post WWII architecture...
Do you have a lot of modern architecture where you live?
Do you feel that people value / like 50's buildings?
FRENCH CORNER
Sylvain m'a "abandonné" il y a quelque temps pour passer quelques jours en famille dans le Sud Ouest. Il en a profité pour faire un petit stop à ROYAN, Mecque de tous les amateurs d'architecture 50's. Il a eu la chance de passer une nuit dans un hôtel entièrement remeublé vintage. Malheureusement, ce type d'architecture n'est pas très valarisé en France, ce n'est que récemment que les habitants de Royan ont pris concience du potentiel de cette architecture atypique. Mais il reste encore un bon bout de chemin pour faire comprendre à tous qu'une église en béton 50's peut avoir autant d'intérêt qu'une cathédrale gothique du Moyen Age...
Et vous trouvez vous que ce genre de patrimoine est suffisamment préservé et mis en avant?
- Bonne fin de semaine -
Incroyable! These buildings are so cool; I'm glad France is starting to recognize their importance!
ReplyDeleteOh this is incredible. I'd love to stay in this hotel. I hope you get to go in the future and stay at this wonderful place. Sylvain looks right at home:)
ReplyDeleteQuel magnifique hôtel! La maison avec la piscine me fait délirer! ;-) Et votre mari est comme d'hab super-élégant!
ReplyDeleteJ'habite en Normandie où les bombardements de la 2nde guerre mondiale ont dévasté nos villes, il y a donc eu beaucoup de reconstruction pendant les années 50. Mais je trouve, hélas, qu'elles sont peu mises en valeur, les gens commencent un peu plus à réaliser la valeur de ce patrimoine.
Par contre la ville du Havre dont le centre-ville a été totalement reconstruite entre 1945 et 1964 par l'architecte Perret a su tout à fait mettre en valeur ce style particulier. Le site est même inscrit au patrimoine mondial par l'UNESCO! Il y a d'ailleurs un appartement-témoin années 40-50 à visiter, vous adoreriez!
Voilà une destination pour un petit week-end,mais vous connaissez peut-être déjà?
That is so wonderful! I am totally envious of you two. Love your blog!
ReplyDeleteOMG! this is not disney land? i really want to visit this place one day ... 50s architecture was real art some times - like it is in royan. most buildings from the 50s here in germany are just boring or even ugly.
ReplyDeletewhat i really love here in berlin is the 'hufeisensiedlung' in berlin britz. the housing estate was built from the mid 20s to the 30s and it was one of the first buildings that were built with the idea of public housing. these buildings are now UNESCO world heritage. there are 5 more places in berlin from this era, also safed by UNESCO.
Wow! I have never had to desire to visit France, but now I do! We really don't have that many 50's homes here in the Midwest United States. We have many 1800-1900 homes. Victorian homes.
ReplyDeleteWhat a splendid town, certainly on the list to visit. We are confirmed Francophiles!
ReplyDeleteBeautifyl architecture, now I want to visit Royan. Have a nice weekend. :)
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, Royan is beautiful! All of those amazing examples of mid century architecture...fabulous! Thanks for introducing me to such a place ;)
ReplyDeleteOh wow - I think I have now found my dream place! I didn't know about Royan, but now I do, I will keep thinking about it until one day I can go (and stay in that dream hotel!) Thankyou for the info. and pictures, what a fantastic place! x
ReplyDeleteI watched this post tree times, can't get enough of this beautiful architecture... I life in a 1950s alley and i´m proud of it. xxx
ReplyDeleteOh I'd love to visit there! We have quite a few older buildings. Some from the 20's and 30's are currently office buildings. We also have some houses from the Victorian era here!
ReplyDeleteQuel endroit incroyable! merci pour ces photos!
ReplyDeleteThis is wonderful! I want to go there!!!
ReplyDeleteThe cathedral of Royan is really a beautiful piece of architecture and I really would like to visit the church.
ReplyDelete