villa majorelle, the iconic home of art nouveau in nancy, reopens its doors after restoration

villa majorelle, the iconic art nouveau building designed by architect henri sauvage for the furniture designer louis majorelle in nancy, reopens its doors after important renovation works during the weekend of 15-16 february 2020. designed around 1901-1902, the historic monument has recently undergone important exterior renovation works, which were revealed to the public during the 2017 heritage days, while a great part of its interior renovations has just been completed.

all images © MEN 2019, by s.levaillant and philippe caron unless stated otherwise

the first entirely art nouveau building in nancy, villa majorelle was built by architect henri sauvage for the furniture designer louis majorelle, whose son, jacques majorelle, sold the house to the government after his father’s death in 1926. the gradual rediscovery of art nouveau heritage led to villa majorelle being listed as a historic monument in 1975 then classified in 1996. nancy city council has owned the house since 2003, and has offered guided tours at weekends since 2007, their success reflecting the public’s interest in this highly original building. the city council gave the musée de l’école de nancy (a museum dedicated to l’école de nancy art nouveau movement) the responsibility of defining the scientific and cultural project for the house, with the idea of making it a heritage site open to the public.

after several months of renovation works, visitors can now enjoy a journey through time to explore the artist’s family life thanks to the meticulous restoration of the well-known original decoration and furnishings of the reception rooms and bedroom. with its additional reception areas and guide materials for all cultural groups, villa majorelle has been established as an essential, exciting and surprising new venue for exploring the world of art nouveau in nancy.

nearly 100 items of furniture, paintings and objets d’art from the musée de l’école de nancy collections are on show in the villa. the furniture from the majorelle house is mostly original but other items identical to those present in the villa have had to be researched and found. a final tranche of works is planned for 2021–2022, which will not require the house to be closed to the public. it comprises the recreation of the bathroom and wardrobe adjoining the bedroom, the creation of teaching and educational areas on the first floor and the renovation of louis majorelle’s studio on the 2nd floor.  image by m. bourguet

image by j.y. lacôte

the building before the restoration

project info:

name: villa majorelle

original architect: henri sauvage

opening weekend: 15 and 16 february 2020

opening times: wednesday to sunday – mornings from 9.00 am to 12.00 pm for groups, afternoons from 2.00 pm to 6.00 pm for individual visitors, closed on 1 january, 1 may, 14 july, 1 november and 25 december

location: villa majorelle, 1 rue louis majorelle, f-54000 nancy, france