E-1027 Research & Writing Sample

Renee Langley-Salai

Arch 555; Paulette Singley

May 11,2015

E.1027: Obsessed with Performance

Eileen Gray was a remarkably talented woman in many areas of decorative arts and design. She began her career studying drawing and from there, worked her way up to be one of the most admired female architects of all time. In this essay, her journey into architecture will be examined as well as a detailed look into her most famous work, E.1027. E.1027 will be read through the framework of five concepts; text, context, performance, form, and process. Each reading will be investigated; however, Eileen Gray's E-1027 communicates most effectively through the role of performance in the design. No detailed was spared in the design process with many components serving multiple purposes. The function of each piece in the design was scrutinized and perfected to make life within the home a delightful experience.

Eileen Gray was born on August 9, 1878 in Ireland to a wealthy family. On her mother's side of the family, ancestors included the master of the household for King James II and a postmaster general. Her mother herself was the daughter of Lady Jane Stewart and Captain Jeremiah Lonsdale Pounden. Eileen's mother, Eveleen, even inherited the title Baroness Gray in her later years. While she was born into prominence, she was an eccentric and independent girl at heart. She ran off with James Maclaren Smith, a painter from Italy, in 1863 much to the displeasure of her parents. The couple had five children in total, with Eileen being the youngest. Growing up, Eileen's father spent most of his time in Italy away from the family and Eileen was envious of his carefree, adventurous lifestyle. Left at home with her mother and much older siblings, she felt very alone and longed to escape the large, cold manor in favor of a less traditional life.

Eileen's desire for independence kept her from the usual means of marriage to escape one's family. Instead, in 1901, she asked her mother to send her to London to study art at the Slade School of Fine Arts. While she enjoyed her new found freedom away from Ireland, she had little respect for the teacher at the Slade School and soon began to persuade her mother to allow her to move to Paris. In 1902, her mother gave her permission and Eileen moved to Paris and enrolled in the Ecole Colarossi with two fellow students from the Slade School, Kathleen Bruce, later Lady Scott, and Jessie Gavin. "Paris meant the ultimate escape from the family from which she felt alienated; the cutting of roots. It enabled her to exorcise some of the memories of her past, although she never totally succeeded. Paris for her meant a new identity, a new freedom. And she made good use of it. (Adam, 34)" After some time at the Ecole Colarossi, the three young ladies moved to the Academmie Julian, where they continued to study drawing. Eileen was one of the bold women to enroll in the co-ed classes which would have been considered inappropriate by many of the time. While there, Eileen bloomed and began for the first time to be able to open up and enjoy friendships. She even began to interest suitors, many of whom her family approved of, but Eileen could never see herself settling down with any of them.

As time went on, Eileen began to lose interest in drawing and instead became interested in decorative arts. She returned to England in 1905 to look after her mother, whose health was failing, and happened upon the lacquer repair shop of Mr. D. Charles. She became an assistant at the shop and helped repair Chinese and Japanese lacquer screens. A year later she returned to Paris with lacquer work samples and a list of contacts in the business. For the next several years she studied with Seizo Sugawara, a famous lacquer painter, and was able to perfect the art under his direction. She began working on furniture pieces in addition to screens under Sugawara. After four years with him, Eileen started using more contemporary materials in her work and the two parted ways, but Eileen stayed in contact with Mr. Charles and Sugawara for many years. By 1912, her work was being exhibited and bought by wealth Parisians. She was making a name for herself in the world of the lacquer painting and decorative arts.

Through her work in lacquer painting, Eileen gained her first commission in 1912 from Jacques Doucet to design furniture for his new apartment. She began doing custom designs for clients out of her home, but soon realized she need her own professional shop. As her furniture became more and more popular, Eileen finally decided to open a permanent shop and showroom to sell her furniture in 1922. She called her shop Jean Désert, hoping that a male name would give her shop her respectability. She displayed premade design for sell in the showroom, but also continued to take commissions for custom pieces.

The next big step in Eileen's career came when she was referred to Madame Mathieu-Lévy to design her apartment on rue Bonaparte which was completed in 1924. Eileen designed and painted massive lacquer screens which covered most of the walls in the living room. She also designed furniture, textiles, light fixtures, and decorative items for the apartment. At this same time she was asked to do an exhibit of an entire room at the XIV Salon des Artistes Décoratuers in 1923. This was her largest exhibit thus far and from this exhibit everyone began talking about Eileen's work. She was even listed among the top French designers in published articles and other notable designers began to recognize her works and taking notice of her talents.

Around 1920, Eileen met a man named Jean Badovici. At that time, he was an architecture student highly interested in modern architecture. He soon, with the help of friend Christian Zervos, introduced a magazine on modern architecture called L'Architecture Vivante. Eileen admired his writing and in turn Jean recognized her talents. The two entered a relationship and through him, Eileen was introduced to many distinguished architects of the time, including the one and only Le Corbusier. Badovici and the magazine were Eileen's introduction into architecture and Eileen began thinking about and sketching architectural drawings. Her furniture designs also changed drastically during this time; from lacquer to tubular steel and exotic woods. Jean Badovici encouraged Eileen to design a getaway home for him in the south of France and Eileen, being eager to try her hand at architecture, agreed. The two traveled to Saint-Tropez and chose a site for their little private home right on the shores of the Baie de Roquebrune.

Jean Badovici left to travel with Le Corbusier and Eileen was left alone for most of the construction. Although, Badovici would occasionally turn up to help Eileen with some technical aspects of the architecture. She became attached to the site and the home. "E.1027. A modern white house is perched on the rocks, a hundred feet above the Mediterranean Sea, in a remote place, Roquebrune at Cap Martin in France. The site is 'Inaccessible and not overlooked from anywhere.' No road leads to this house. It was designed and built between 1926 and 1929 by Eileen Gray for Jean Badovici and herself. Gray named the house E.1027: E for Eileen, 10 for J [Jean] (the tenth letter of the alphabet), 2 for B [Badovici] and 7 for G [Gray]. (Colomina, 167)."

E.1027 can be read through text in the text Eileen Gray used in her murals in the home, an interview Jean Badovici published of Eileen Gray "From Eclecticism to Doubt" from L'Architecture Vivante, and a letter written to Eileen by Le Corbusier about his stay at E.1027.

Beginning with the murals; of which there are three, Eileen used these to set a tone in the home and exhibit her personal sense of humor. Two murals including text were used in the main entry of the home. "Défense de rire" meaning "no laughing" and "Entrez Lentement" meaning "enter slowly. The first, can only be assumed as satirical, immediately causing the visitor to laugh in response to the text. This helps set the tone for a carefree, good time. The guests are now already in good spirits and ready for entertainment. The second mural, "Entrez Lentement" or "enter slowly", is more difficult to decipher. Peter Adam suggests that it's meaning warns of the multilevel home and that the entry leads to different levels and rooms of the home. Others suggest that is has more to do with Eileen's sexuality and some of the wild parties her circle was known to throw. The message warns that one may want to announce their entrance before barging in. Perhaps the message is meant to be read with a bit of a wink since the bedroom and living room are essentially one in the same in the home. Another reading could be, since the home was built for Eileen and Jean Badovici who were lovers at the time, a nod to their romance and a cheeky sort of way to announce that this home is their private little love nest. The final mural is in the main living - bedroom and features the message "Invitation au Voyage" and "Vas-y Totor" printed on a maritime map. The innocent reading of this mural relates it to the location of the home on the banks of the bay of Roquebrune. The view opposite of this mural would have looked out onto the water. Printed on a maritime map it reinforced the nautical theme of the home. The home was mostly used by Eileen and Jean as a summer get away and for two young lovers in such a romantic setting it must have felt like a little adventure. The less innocent reading can be implied by its placement over the bed, inviting one to get carried on a voyage atop the waves of pillows. Less interestingly, the text "Vas-y Totor" also used in this mural is reported to refer to Eileen's car.

In 1929, shortly after construction was completed on E.1027, Jean Badovici published an interview with Eileen Gray in magazine "L'Architecture Vivante titled "From Eclecticism to Doubt". In this interview, Eileen discusses her views on the modernism movement in architecture and criticizes its tendency to coldness and instead advocating for a more human approach to design which emphasizes the emotion of the inhabitant.

"Gray: You are right. This return to basic geometric forms, this rejection of all else, responds to certain needs. It was necessary to free oneself of an oppressive system to attain freedom. but this intellectual coldness which we have arrived at and which interprets only too well the hard laws of modern machinery can only be a temporary phenomenon. What is needed is the rediscovery of the human well below the material surface and the pathos of this modern life which up to now has been interpreted only through a sort of algebraic language of forms.

Badovici: What pathos are you referring to?

Gray: The kind of pathos which is inseparable from all real life.

Badovici: You mean bring emotion back?

Gray: Yes, a purified emotion which can be expressed in a thousand ways. There is no need to return to the old complicated style of the previous time; sometimes a beautiful material alone, designed with sincere simplicity , is itself enough. it is necessary to create an ideal which can satisfy a universal modern conscience while always keeping in view the joys of the individual and refraining from extremist attitudes.

...Badovici: In sum you react against the formulas which are the fashion of the moment and take a step backward.

Gray: No, on the contrary, I want to develop these formulas and push them to the point at which they are in contact with real life. I want to enrich them; I want to put reality within their abstraction. Art is not in the expression of abstract relationships; it must also make concrete connection with and express the most private needs of spiritual life. Yet to sustain creativity, real scientific experimentation is necessary.(Nevins, 71)"

It is also in this article that Eileen uses her famous phrase "dwellings for people".These ideas Eileen expresses in this article can all be seen in E.1027.While it is designed in the modern style, her expression of emotion in the home can clearly be seen.E.1027 can hardly be called cold or machine like.Her attention to details in the home shows her extreme sensibly in the manner in which the home would be used and experienced.The interaction between the user and the home is clearly evident in her space planning, flow, and furniture designs for the home.

Lastly, Le Corbusier and Jean Badovici maintained a friendship for many years and Le Corbusier was often a visitor to E.1027.He admired the home and had great affection for it.In 1938 he wrote to Eileen after visiting the seaside villa.

"... I would be so glad to tell you personally how much these few days spent in your house have allowed me to appreciate the rare spirit which dictates all the organization, inside and outside.A rare spirit which has given the modern furniture and installation such a dignified, charming, and witty shape.We are returning to Paris on Sunday and count on seeing you soon. In friendship, Le Corbusier. (On Rigor, Adam, 150)"

Eileen was a great admirer of Le Corbusier's work and this letter would have touched her deeply to have gained the approval of someone she looked up and considered so highly. It was during this visit to E.1027 that Le Corbusier fell in love with the house and in some ways became obsessed with it.

In regard to context, E.1027 can be interpreted through its location in Cap-Martin on the Bay of Roquebrune and through the modernist movement of the 1920s when it was built.E.1027 was finished in 1929 and reflects the modern ideas of the time with its simple design of straight lines.Eileen did not rely on outside inspiration or historical design themes, but rather took her inspiration from the site.She allowed the terrain to lead the form of the structure and her design motifs were taken from the marine location.

During this time, there was housing shortage after the war and smaller homes with built-in furniture made as prototypes for mass production were the trend.E.1027 is no exception.It is a mere 1,600 square feet in size consisting of a large living room, two small bedrooms with bathrooms, terraces, and a garden.E.1027 is described as a "maison minimum" including everything you could want with almost no wasted space in the home.Eileen used prefabricated, movable wall panels, doors, and windows.Her design was looking toward industrialization and she even began experimenting with the use of tubular metals in her furniture.She was moving away from her previous time consuming works with lacquer in favor of simpler, uncomplicated forms.The furniture designs for E.1027 were streamlined and sleek to match the modern exterior of the house.Eileen even incorporates her concept of bedroom-boudoir, a combination of bedroom and living in one space, which she first showcased at the exhibition at Monte Carlo."In any case, as we have already seen, Gray was increasingly interested in making material objects with multiple purposes and uses.Unlike the domestic designs of her avant-garde male contemporaries, which included separate spaces for men and women to withdraw to in order to pursue different sorts of activities, Gray's solitary spaces were geared towards work and study and not associated with either sex. (Elliott, 182)"The live-work spaces were popular among artist and Eileen saw the traditionally male space as suitable for both sexes.

Located in the South of France right on the bay of Roquebrune, E.1027 features a witty nautical theme throughout the design.The exterior form used tubular railing to imitate a ships railing as well as rung ladders, a faux mast, the white color, and a decorative life-preserver hung over the railing.Inside, she used a color scheme of mainly whites and blues and incorporated a navy and white textile to solidify the theme.She even used a witty detail on her furniture to tie in the nautical theme.Furniture pieces had printed text to identify what would be stored in each compartment, common to storage on a ship.

Performance was the most important quality of design to Eileen. With her background in furniture design, she must have spent a great amount of time scrutinizing the design and use of each piece she made.She even spent some time designing interiors for clients and as a new architect, the interior would have been where she felt the most comfortable.Conceptually for Eileen, how the space was used and how the user was able to interact with it was more important that the overall appearance of the house.At only 1,600 square feet, E.1027 has an openness that maintains a spacious feel throughout and movable screens are used to create privacy when needed.She uses a logical organization marked through the use of color and materials to guide the user through the interior spaces.Each space flows into the next through a natural and smooth transition achieved through the similarity of forms and color schemes.The furniture and built in storage in the home is where the performance aspect of E.1027 really shines.

" Gray understood in a detailed way, the use of an object over the span of a day or throughout the year, integrating this understanding into her work.In this broadest since, then 'time' becomes a component of her analysis of functionalism.As a result, many of her objects have a quality of physical transformability that amplifies or extends the number of ways the objects can be used within the primary activity they serve.Note, for instance, her small side table consisting of a metal armature and circular piece of glass...Cantilevered off a metal column the glass top is secured to the column by a metal pin, which fits into a series of holes along the length of the column.This allows the table to serves as a coffee table or side table.In addition, because its top is supported only at the edge, it can slide into position as in over-the-bed space.Pulled close to a person sitting in a chair (possible because of its open-circle base), the table can be use to serve informal meals. (Nevins, 70)"

This is only one of many examples of her extreme attention to detail throughout the home.She designed a cocktail trolley with a cock surface so that the glasses wouldn't shake and a metal lip around the edge so that glasses wouldn't fall off of the cart.She used colored sheets on the beds so that they wouldn't look messy when unmade.The closets had glass shelves so that the lighting above could filter all the way to the bottom shelves.The closets also featured areas for hanging shirts, hat shelves above, shoe shelves below, pant drawers, and tiny little drawerson the sides for jewelry and accessories.The closet in the entry had a net shelf for hats, both to tie in the nautical theme and prevent the collection of dust.She even designed a mirror for the bathroom with a smaller mirror attached by a metal elbow that could be pulled out from the main mirror.These types of details were used in every aspect of the design down to the smallest considerations.Although these details are most obvious in the individual furniture pieces, they can also be seen in a larger scale."All of the rooms, including the alcove, are equipped with a bed or divan, a bed side table or wall-mounted storage unit, a reading lamp and electrical outlets for a kettle and "bed-warmer" and shuttered windows for light and ventilation. (Rault, 97)"The placement of electrical outlets on the headboards within each room proves that Eileen was focused on making a pleasurable experience of the user within the space down to the most minute detail.

The Form of E.1027 can be read in two ways, through its connection to the site and the nautical theme used to tie the home to the coastal location.The form of E-1027 was guided by the topography of the site which Eileen decided not to alter to accommodate the structure, but instead to develop the design around the rocky levels of the terrain.This created a multilevel home in which each level had access to a "ground level"This decision set the shape of the form, but the design and decoration of the house came from the setting on the banks of the Mediterranean Sea.Eileen choose to play up the marine location in the form of the house and gave it, wittily, the appearance of an anchored ship on the rocks.Furthered by the white walls, masts on the roof, railings on the stairs and terraces, rung ladders on the side of the house, and even life preservers mounted on the exterior walls.

E-1027 can best be described as a process through the building process Eileen endured while building the home.Eileen Gray lived on site during the entirety of the construction process and she worked hard right along with the builders every day.

“During all those years Eileen was building her first house.While Jean Désert fought for survival, Eileen, for almost three years, led a very solitary existence, living in the south of France, on site or in a little hotel room.She saw hardly anyone for months on end.The work was terribly hard.As there was no road, all materials had to be brought on wheelbarrows to the site.Eileen remembered how lonely and tired she was at the end of each day....During the months of preparation, she had studied the terrain with its different levels and decided not to alter the topography, but to let the house embrace the natural contours.She looked at the light and studied the wind to make use of all the elements (Adam, 191-192)."

Living on the site allowed her to analyze it and study the terrain, wind patterns,lighting, the changes of the seasons, and the effects of the water.She used this knowledge to enhance the performance of the home.For example, she designed canvas coverings to use on the railings in the winter to keep warm on the balconies and windows to the north and south ensured the home received natural lighting year round.Her study of the terrain lead her not to alter the site, but instead of use the natural contours and create the house around them giving each level of the house ground level access.Through her hands on experience working on E.1027 and studying the site as she went, Eileen became an architect.

While an argument can be made in favor of each of these different readings of E.1027, the interpretation of performance conveys what really makes E.1027 special and is the most important aspect of design to Eileen.Her background in furniture design and interiors gave her a unique perspective on architecture that lead her to value above all the interaction of the user with the space.Her attention to detail was unparalleled and gave her design a level of functionally that can, arguable, not be seen elsewhere.While this is most evident in her furniture designs for the home, it can also be seen in the overall organization of the house.As a female in the predominately male architectural world, it only makes sense that her work would stand out among them with a different message.While the architectural world was moving toward the cold machine-like geometry, Eileen was advocating for the human element of emotion to be put back into design.Homes are for people and Eileen saw that above all and catered to it by making the home a pleasure to live in through her attention to details.

No discussion of E.1027 is complete without a conversation about the neighbor, Le Corbusier.Eileen and Le Corbusier were acquainted through Jean Badovici and two interacted frequently in the same social circle.However, after Eileen and Jean split ways, Eileen moved away from E.1027 giving the house to Jean.In 1938, Le Corbusier asked Jean if he could paint some murals inside E.1027 and Jean obliged his friend.By 1939, Le Corbusier had completed 8 murals in the home without Eileen knowing, but when she heard of it she was furious.She felt that the act was a total invasion, a sort of hostile takeover of the charming little home she loved.

"For Eileen Gray, who, like Le Corbusier, believed that painting dissolved walls, his was a double refiguration of a architecture and authorship and an unforgivable desecration.Lack of respect for another architects' work and, more fundamentally, 'the effacement of Gray as an architect', which the murals represented and constituted, have become a focal point for broader feminist critics of masculinist modernism. (Walker, 102)"

Le Corbusier often did not mention the architect for E.1027 when discussing his murals there, allowing others to assume the work was his, which he did not correct.To take it even a step further, Le Corbusier purchased a plot of land right behindE.1027 and built three structures looking down over the house which Eileen originally designed to be a private retreat.Caroline Constant calls it the "Corbusian frame" from which he overlooked and took claim to E.1027.Perhaps Le Corbusier was jealous of Eileen's work at E.1027 or perhaps he felt like she used his ideas and that fact therefore made the project his.Whatever the case, it is clear that Le Corbusier became in some way obsessed with E.1027 and spend much of his time in his little hut overlooking it.In fact, on his last day, he went down for a swim in the bay of Roquebrune and died of a heart attack presumably looking up at E.1027 on the shoreline.

While Eileen certainly incorporated her own ideas into E.1027, she had studied Le Corbusier writings and admired his work.This study of his work is evident when E.1027 is compared to Le Corbusier's Villa Savoy.The most obvious correlation between the two can be drawn from Le Corbusier's 5 points of architecture.Each house exhibits all five points of, pilotis, roof access by stairs, free plan, ribbon windows, and southern orientation.Other Similarities included the white facade, three level design, curved walls, and an Incorporated garden.

While there are many similarities, there are also many differences.Villa Savoy focuses on the use of the car as an entry point into the home.The entire first level is devoted to the car entering the home and the first interaction with the home from the car.E.1027 being on a rocky, sloping site does not make use of entry by car, but rather a pleasant entry through a garden to transition from the outside world into the house.In Villa Savoy, Le Corbusier uses a ramp to connect the three levels and gradually bring the user through the spaces, but in E.10227, Eileen uses the slope of the site to allow each level a ground level entrance.While the levels are still connected by stairs, the slope of the site connects them.Another difference is the outdoor areas.Villa Savoy uses the roof as an outdoor space for home and E.1027 uses a balcony on each level as an outdoor space for the users.

Eileen Gray's E.1027 is an important piece of architecture because it was an early example of modern architecture which rejected the more popular style of Art Nouveau in France while keeping the human, or emotional, element of design.It is unique in this regard, as many examples of modern architecture at the time were considered cold and inapproachable, but Eileen used her background in furniture design and interior design to make sure no detail was overlooked in the function of this house.Its inspiration comes from the site and surroundings and is equally unique coming from a female architect at this time in history.It is fitting that the furniture and details in this design are what really sets the design apart from others.This paired with her wit and focus on the creating "dwellings for people", truly solidify E.1027 and Eileen Gray's status in architectural history.

Bibliography

Adam, Peter. “Eileen Gray and Le Corbuiser.” On Rigor, edited by Richard Burdett, Wilfried Wang, Heinrich Tessenow, and 9H Gallery, 150-154. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press, 1989.

This essay recounts the history of the relationship between Eileen Gray and Le Corbuiser. It starts with their early friendship and sharing of ideas, but focuses on the turmoil between the pair after Le Corbuiser painted murals in E 1027.

Adam, Peter. Eileen Gray: Architect/Designer: a Biography. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2000.

Peter Adam provides the most comprehensive look at Eileen Gray and her body of work. He looks at her life from her early years through her death. He describes in detail E 1027 and Gray's furniture designs.

Bradbury, Dominic, and Richard Powers. The Iconic house: Architectural Masterworks Since 1900. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2009.

Bradbury and Powers briefly outline E 1027 and how Eileen Gray became an architect.

Colomina, Beatriz. “Battle Lines: E. 1027.” In The Sex of Architecture, edited by Diana Agrest, Patricia Conway, and Leslie Weisman, 167-182. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1996.

Colomina explains the relationship between Eileen Gray and Le Corbuiser in regards to E 1027. She focus on Le Corbuiser and the development of his murals painted in the home.

Constant, Caroline. "E.1027: The Nonheroic Modernism of Eileen Gray". Journal of Society of Architectural Historians. Vol. 53, September 3, 1994.

Constant, Caroline. Eileen Gray. London: Phaidon, 2000.

Davies, Colin. Key Houses of the Twentieth Century: Plans, Sections, and Elevations. New York: W.W. Norton, 2006.

Colin includes a brief summary of E 1027 and plans, sections, and elevations of the project.

Diamond, Roz. “Eileen Gray.” On Rigor, edited by Richard Burdett, Wilfried Wang, Heinrich Tessenow, and 9H Gallery, 148-149. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press, 1989.

This essay provides biographical information on Eileen Gray's life; as well as her design theory and ideas about building/.

Elliot, Bridget. “Housing the work: Women Artist, Modernism and the Maison d’Artiste: Eileen Gray, Romaine Brooks, & Gluck.” Women Artists and the Decorative Arts, 1880-1935: The Gender of Ornament, edited by Bridget Elliot and Janice Helland, 176-196. Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2003.

In this essay, Elliot describes Gray's influences in architecture and her architectural theories, particular the way she designed and lived in her home. She relates Eilleen Gray to Romaine Brooks and Gluck, two female artists working around the same time as Gray.

McBrinn, Joseph. “Modernism, Orientalism, Craft; French Couture and the Early Furniture of Eileen Gray.” Fashion, Interior Design, and the Contours of Modern Identity, edited by Alla Myzelev and John Potvin, 147-184. Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2010.

McBrinn highlights Eileen Gray's early career working with lacquer painting with oriental influence. He then describes her transition into the modern movement and her emphasis on craft in her designs.

Nevins, Deborah, F. “Eileen Gray.” Making Room: Women in Architecture, edited by Nunzia Rondanini, 68-72. New York: Heresies Collective, 1981.

Nevins begins her essay by showing Eileen Grays evolution from a student studying painting to a renowned architect. She then concentrates on the themes of E 1027 and Gray's overall design concepts. The essay ends with a translation of an interview of Eileen Gray conducted by Badovici originally published in L'Architecture Vivante in 1929.

Rault, Jasmine, and Eileen Gray. Eileen Gray and the Design of Sapphic Modernity: Staying in. Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2011.

Rault argues that Gray's architectural style and design was born out of her expereince in sapphic culture. She also believes that the early overlooking and misrepresentation of her work may have been caused by her status as lesbian.

Rykwert, Joseph. “Eileeen Gray: Two Houses and an Interior.” Perspecta 13/14: The Yale Architectural Journal, edited by Yale University School of Art and Architecture, 67–73. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University School of Art and Architecture, 1971.

Rykwert compares and contrasts Eileen Gray's two most notable architectural projects, E 1027 and her home at Castellar. He concentrates on the difference and similarities of the layouts and style of the interiors.

Walker, Lynne. “Architecture and Reputation: Eileen Gray, Gender, and Modernism.” Women’s Place: Architecture and Design 1860-1960, edited by Brenda Martin and Penny Sparke, 67–83. New York: Routledge, 2003.

Walker examines Eileen Gray's careers and her changing reputation over time to explore "the implications of gender for architectural history (Walker, 88)"