Reconstruction of two rugs: DIM (1925) in the dining room, and Eileen Gray (circa 1925) in Marie-Laure de Noailles’ bedroom, in partnership with Codimat.

The photographs that American artist and journalist Thérèse Bonney took of the villa Noailles in 1928 are one of the most accurate sources of information about the original layout. In her shots of the dining room, next to the furniture by Djo-Bourgeois, a rug with a meander pattern covers the entire floor of the room. The rug is a D.I.M. (Décoration Intérieure Moderne) edition, and both the archives and a colour plate reveal that it is made of knotted wool in shades of beige and dark brown.
Its size, radical colour contrasts and strictly geometric construction represent a modern trend that yet draws its inspiration from antiquity. This is reflected in the name of the model, Grecques, taken from the continuous frieze of motifs that adorns its border. It is also perfectly useful, as journalist Ernest Tisserand wrote in his review of the 1926 Salon des décorateurs, where the rug was on show. He described it as “simple to the extreme and on which the table seems to place itself”. Indeed, the Noailles family paired it with a round table with a central leg to save space and enhance seating comfort.
Maison D.I.M.
The Décoration Intérieure Moderne design firm was founded in 1919 by René Joubert, an architect by training, and Georges Mouveau, a man of the theatre. From 1924 on, Joubert worked with Philippe Petit who came from the Primavera workshops at Printemps. As in department stores, workshops, various interior designers create and sign certain models. The firm offered complete sets of furniture, lamps, rugs, wallpaper, and art objects. D.I.M. enjoyed great success at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in 1925 and then carried out a multitude of prestigious projects and commissions under the direction of Joubert and Petit until the early 1930s.
Codimat Collection
Founded in 1955, Codimat Collection specialises in the design and manufacture of carpets and rugs. It has a unique collection of drawings, some dating back to the eighteenth-century, and works closely with contemporary creators and interior designers.