In 1969, when construction began on artist Jean-Pierre Raynaud’s future home in La Celle-Saint-Cloud, about 10 miles west of Paris, he was unaware that the building would obsess him for 23 years. Its design was unremarkable, but for Raynaud, the structure assumed significance because he would share it with his wife. He believed that living there together would “concretize [their] alliance.” A year later, the couple divorced. For Raynaud, the moment was apocalyptic. He could no longer experience the world in the same way, and the home that had originally been intended for two would need to transform along with him.

Around this time, Raynaud built a table for a Parisian antique dealer that he covered with square white tiles measuring fifteen centimeters on each side and joined by fi...