Robert Mallet-Stevens,

Pierre Dariel,

and Chair No. 17

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In 1923, Parisian art collectors Charles and Marie-Laure de Noailles commissioned Robert Mallet-Stevens (1886 – 1945) to build a summer villa in the hills above the city of Hyères. It was to be their summer retreat and to house their ever-expanding art collection.

The project was a huge collaboration of artists, designers, and crafts people: 

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textiles by Raoul Dufy and Sonia Delaunay, with creative upholstery by Mme Jean Tranchant; lighting by Jean Perzel; ironworks by Claudius Linossier; stained glass by Louis Barillet; furniture by Pierre Chareau, Eileen Gray, Marcel Breuer, and Pierre Dariel; polychromatic colour scheme for the flower room by Theo Van Doesburg; and a garden by landscape architect Gabriel Guevrekian. 

Whilst it may seem like an excuse to name drop big-time designers of the early twentieth century, what this list represents is a successful collaboration between more than a handful of creatives, utilising everyone’s abilities and sharing of design philosophy across multiple disciplines.

A set of photographs of the completed project was even asked of Thérèse Bonney (1894 – 1978)

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Mallet-Stevens used a version of the chair for the project, and it is seen dotted around in various photos by Bonney, like those in image [••] of the terrace outside of the small living room. The set features an outdoor table with chairs tucked under, and three of the Hammock chairs surrounding. 

There are variations of the chairs: dimensions altered for dining; varying numbers of slats in both horizontal and vertical manners; cut out details, and arm shapes; the way in which the seat is attached to the frame; and the finished colour. It is possible that the final design of the chairs used at the Villa Noailles were consulted between Dariel and Mallet-Stevens but the crux of the chair remains the same from Dariel’s catalogue and the ones in the Villa.

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