Small Innovative Living

Issue No. 19 : How a small 1950s cabin inspired to a whole new lifestyle

View of the Mediterranean from Le Cabanon.

Thirty years ago I bought my first condo. It was really small, just a studio, but with great layout and a fantastic location. I could walk to work, to my friends, and to my favorite local bars and restaurants. What else could I ever wish for.

The condo building was built in the 1920s and hadn’t been upgraded since probably the early 1970s so I tore down the old wallpapers, painted the walls a sun bright yellow, and installed a small kitchenette. I then furnished the place with a couch, a bed, and a table with four chairs. Simple but functional.

I was inspired by the small house movement that was all the rage. Living simply in small spaces allowed for better location and fewer things. My inspiration came from an unlikely place, Le Corbusier, the pioneer of modern architecture.

But it wasn’t what he made his living from that inspired but how and where he lived during his summer vacations. Being a pioneering architect during the 20th century you would think he would build himself a summer mansion but no.

What Le Corbusier built was a small, 120-foot-square cabin located in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin on the French Riviera that he named Le Cabanon, shed or shack in French. It’s the only place he ever built for himself.

He wanted a simple and functional place, stripped down to the very core from where he could relax and enjoy the beautiful Mediterranean weather. In his own words: “A little cell at human scale where all functions are considered.”