Reconstruction of the staircase stained glass windows by Louis Barillet (circa 1925), in collaboration with Atelier Duchemin.

From the outset of the Clos Saint-Bernard villa’s construction, its architect, Robert Mallet-Stevens, proposed that master stained-glass artist Louis Barillet design and execute the stained-glass windows on the north façade of the house. Two stained-glass windows occupied the large rectangular bay windows in the staircase, and a third one adorned the wall below before being moved when the pink lounge was built.
Executed in the modern style characteristic of Early Art Deco, the stained-glass windows are composed of interlocking geometric shapes reminiscent of abstract painting. Immortalised in a report by American photographer Thérèse Bonney in 1928, they also served as backdrop for two films shot in the villa Noailles: Biceps et bijoux by Jacques Manuel (1928) and Les Mystères du château du Dé by Man Ray (1929).
Their placement allowed light to enter the hall, while masking a retaining wall in the garden and creating lighting effects in the room. This commission was completed in 1927 with a large zenithal glass wall created by this same artist for the pink lounge and reconstructed during the first restoration campaigns at the villa Noailles in the 1990s.
Louis Barillet (1880-1948)
French master glassmaker, interior designer and mosaicist Louis Barillet is one of the greatest figures in twentieth-century modern stained glass. Closely associated with avant-garde circles, he helped found the French Union of Modern Artists in 1929. He worked in collaboration with Jacques Le Chevallier and Théo Hanssen, with the trio signing his works jointly.
A regular associate of Robert Mallet-Stevens, he used industrial glass exclusively, responding to the craze at that time for mechanical or prefabricated elements. He achieved great success with his technique known as “white glass,” playing on materials, textures, and transparencies.
Les Ateliers Duchemin
A family-run business built on five generations of craftsmanship, Les Ateliers Duchemin have collaborated with some of the greatest artists throughout their long history. Alongside exclusive creations, these workshops undertake numerous restoration projects and have established a unique collection of historic glass, ensuring great faithfulness to the original materials.