Glass Blocks, a Dead Trend or a Timeless Treasure?

Architecture

Nov 15

You either love em’ or you hate em’. Glass blocks (or bricks) became ‘the thing’ in the eighties, used in kitchens, hallways, staircases, bathrooms- you name it.

First introduced for commercial use some 90 years ago, glass blocks have been mocked and misunderstood, though their versatility and design history prove otherwise.

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Frenchman Gustave Falconnier is credited with creating the first hollow glass blocks, later producing them in various shapes like squares and hexagons by the late 1880s.

Architect Steven Hill, 1983, Photo by @dariarad

Skip to the early 20th century and Falconnier’s inventions are more refined, allowing them to feature vacuum-tight insides laid in the traditional masonry style. The design continues to be adaptable while also thermally stable and allowing for the flow of light without sacrificing privacy.

Check out our favorite glass block interiors from then and now:

The International Book of Lofts, 1986 © Slesin, Cliff and Rozensztroch

Building Doors, Windows and Skylights, 1989 © Fine Homebuilding

Very Small Living Space, 1988

Dennis Hopper’s Residential Studio designed by Brian Murphy. Glass bathtub designed by Simon Maltby. 📷 Tim Street-Porter. Venice, CA 1988

A house in Mexico designed by architect George Woo. John F. Pile, 1988

Malibu beach house by David Gray, 1990

White by Design by Bo Niles, 1984

Simple Style, 1998

@lagulaarquitectes in Girona, Spain

Robert A.M. Stern apartment. Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, 1975

Designing with Tile, Stone and Brick, 1995

Villa Stenersen by Arne Korsmo, Oslo, 1939

de Menil residence designed by Gwathmey Siegel, East Hampton

Renovation Style, 1986 © Metropolitan

Living Well, 1981 The NYT Book of Home design and Decoration, 1981

The Greenhouse Pavillion 🌿 2018, Pirque, Chile. A: Max Núñez Steel, Glass Block

DISCLAIMER: THE MILLIE VINTAGE DOES NOT OWN ANY RIGHTS TO THESE PHOTOS. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL IMAGES AND COPYRIGHT BELONGS TO THE ORIGINAL OWNERS. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED.

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