Blue Villa, Art Deco villa in Barcelonnette, France

Blue Villa is a three-storey Art Deco villa at 1 avenue Porfirio-Díaz, built 1929–1931 for Camille Jean. Its yellow upper walls and red lower level sit under a steep orange roof of scalloped tiles with dormer windows and a tall brick chimney; a white-railed balcony projects above the red base, and a stone staircase with red side walls climbs to the central entrance. A monumental stained-glass window on the north facade depicts smoking textile-factory chimneys, looms and the Mexico City store La Francia Maritima.

Built from 1929 to 1931 for Camille Jean, founder of the Mexico City store La Francia Maritima, the villa was designed by architects Joseph Hiriart, Georges Tribout and Georges Beau, with glass by Jacques Gruber and ironwork by Schwartz. It was listed as a monument historique in 1987 and again in 2002, and is now classed as Patrimoine du XXe siècle.

The villa's name comes from its blue elements, and its north facade centres on a monumental stained-glass window by Jacques Gruber. It depicts smoking factory chimneys, weaving looms and the Mexico City store of Camille Jean, founder of La Francia Maritima, in Art Deco style. The ironwork is by Schwartz; both men were honoured at the 1925 Paris exhibition of decorative arts.

The villa stands at 1 avenue Porfirio-Díaz, a street renamed in 1907 after the Mexican president Porfirio Díaz (1830-1915), who backed the Barcelonnette colony in Mexico. The building fronts gravel and grass, and a straight stone staircase with red side walls climbs to the central entrance. The facade is best seen from the avenue, on foot.

The central entry hall rises through two full stories and is lit from above by a skylight. A graceful spiral staircase seems to float within this space, connecting the levels and leading to the upper gallery.