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House of Glass
Tucked away in the courtyard of a traditional 18th-century Parisian hôtel particulier lies one of the most radical and poetic statements of early modernism: the Maison de Verre (House of Glass).
Designer
Pierre Chareau
Designer
Pierre Chareau
Year
1928-1932
Year
1928-1932
Country / City
Paris
Country / City
Paris
Materials
Nevada Glass, Metal, Wood, Black Slats
Materials
Nevada Glass, Metal, Wood, Black Slats
The story of Maison de Verre
The story of Maison de Verre
Commissioned by Dr. Jean Dalsace and his wife Annie, the project faced an immediate hurdle: the elderly tenant on the top floor of the existing building refused to move. Chareau’s brilliant solution was to demolish the bottom floors, prop up the top floor on a bare steel frame, and insert an entirely new structure underneath.
Chareau enclosed the home in a translucent grid of Nevada glass blocks. By day, the blocks flood the interiors with a soft, diffuse, and shadowless light, ensuring the doctor's patients had privacy while illuminating the living spaces. By night, floodlights mounted outside the home illuminate the glass grid, turning the facade into a glowing lantern from within.
Commissioned by Dr. Jean Dalsace and his wife Annie, the project faced an immediate hurdle: the elderly tenant on the top floor of the existing building refused to move. Chareau’s brilliant solution was to demolish the bottom floors, prop up the top floor on a bare steel frame, and insert an entirely new structure underneath.
Chareau enclosed the home in a translucent grid of Nevada glass blocks. By day, the blocks flood the interiors with a soft, diffuse, and shadowless light, ensuring the doctor's patients had privacy while illuminating the living spaces. By night, floodlights mounted outside the home illuminate the glass grid, turning the facade into a glowing lantern from within.
Copyright
Pierre Chareau, Maison de Verre interior, 1928–32, Paris. Image © Mark Lyon. From the 2016 Organizational Grant to The Jewish Museum for "Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design."
Copyright
Pierre Chareau, Maison de Verre interior, 1928–32, Paris. Image © Mark Lyon. From the 2016 Organizational Grant to The Jewish Museum for "Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design."