Maurice Ravel’s House in Montfort l’Amaury.
Keen to leave Paris and its distractions behind, the composer Maurice Ravel bought a house in Montfort l’Amaury in 1921. Montfort is only 45 kms from Paris but at that time it was quite a journey. Here Ravel found himself surrounded by countryside and the quiet he needed for his work, while also being close to his group of friends; Jacques de Zogheb, Colette, Fernand Ochsé, Luc-Albert Moreau.
The house is a succession of small rooms over two floors. Each room was meticulously decorated by Ravel himself.
The living room features the original striped black and grey wallpaper and a black and white carpet, echoing the tiles in other rooms of the house.
The dining room, in which the table would be pushed into the centre of the room when guests appeared…
A cabinet houses Ravel’s collection of porcelain and glass.
The view from the terrace off the dining room. Ravel liked to organise impromptu lunches on the terrace, in all weather…
The walls of the corridor outside Ravel’s study were painted by hand by his brother Edouard.
The music room. Ravel would spend hours in here, back to the window, surrounded by his “merveilles”. He composed the Boléro, the Concertos, the Chansons Madécasses, l’Enfant et les Sortilèges, in this room.
When Ravel initially moved in, he accessed the ground floor bedroom and bathroom through the garden. He later added a flight of stairs joining the two floors.
The black columns were stenciled onto the walls by Ravel.
Until 1921, the inhabitants of Montfort collected water from the town’s fountains. Image the luxury of having this bathroom installed three years later.
Maurice Ravel’s house in Montfort l’Amaury is open to small groups on appointment. For an appointment contact the local tourist office.
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