To mark its bicentenary, Verrerie Saint-Just is showcasing an exceptional glassmaking craft that has been passed down since 1826: mouth-blown flat glass. A subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, this glassworks based in France’s Loire region is one of only two in the world to have mastered this artisanal glassmaking technique. Renowned for its long-standing expertise in stained glass, heritage restoration and historic joinery, it is now expanding rapidly into the luxury sector, high-end hospitality, design, decorative glass and interior architecture.
Verrerie Saint-Just’s uniqueness lies in a business model where bespoke craftsmanship takes precedence over standardised production, and rarity over volume. It is one of only two manufacturers in the world capable of producing mouth-blown flat glass. Each sheet of glass draws on ten different glassmaking trades and several years of training to master the precision of the techniques, the intensity of the colours and the textural effects. With over 250 colours and more than 1,500 products, Saint-Just offers vibrant, handcrafted glass, prised for its nuances, its play of light and its controlled irregularities, for both heritage projects and exceptional contemporary creations.
With a long-standing reputation for stained glass, heritage restoration and historic joinery, Verrerie Saint-Just is now leveraging its expertise in high-value-added markets. Its glass has contributed to the restoration of prestigious monuments such as the Palace of Versailles and the Louvre, as well as to contemporary projects such as the Baccarat showroom in Paris, the Louis Vuitton boutique in Shanghai, the Louvre Abu Dhabi and projects for Disneyland Paris. The Verrerie also collaborates with renowned artists, designers and architects, both past and present, from Marc Chagall to Philippe Starck and Peter Marino.
The Saint-Gobain connection plays a central role in this history. Saint-Just occupies a special place: that of an exceptional glassworks which continues the Group’s glassmaking heritage whilst embodying its ability to preserve and promote trades that are rare on a global scale. Having acquired a stake in the glassworks in 1921, Saint-Gobain became its sole shareholder in 1961.