Crittall-Style Door — The Spirit of the Parisian Workshop at Home
Black steel and clear glass: two raw materials which, put together the way the Haussmann-era screens were, give a space an industrial elegance nothing else matches. Vitralux fits the Laruche Paris system in Luxembourg — the French benchmark for the workshop-screen look.
A style that has outlived the decades
The internal workshop-style screen was born in the factories and artists' studios of nineteenth-century Paris: steel glazing bars dividing the opening into small panes, letting the light through while marking out the spaces clearly. That architectural language has come back spectacularly in contemporary homes: it carries industrial character, openness and a certain urban way of living all at once.
Vitralux fits Crittall-style doors and screens in Luxembourg using the Laruche Paris system: a French benchmark offering steel or black powder-coated aluminium profiles, set out as a fine grid of small panes. The system comes as a door on its own, as a door with a fixed screen beside it, or as a wholly fixed screen (a Crittall-style partition with no opening leaf). Every configuration is made to measure, to the exact size of your space.
The Crittall style suits a very wide range of interiors: the refurbished Haussmann flat, where it reinforces the historic architecture; the industrial loft, where it carries on the language of the space; and the contemporary house, where it sets up a sophisticated contrast between raw steel and finer materials. It is one of the most sought-after styles in Luxembourg and Belgium right now.
Laruche Paris — the French benchmark for internal glazed screens
Laruche Paris is a French make specialising in high-end internal screen systems. Its steel and aluminium profiles, powder-coated in matt black, are designed to reproduce the look of the historic workshop screens faithfully while meeting modern demands: straightforward installation, precise joints, weathertightness and strength that lasts.
Vitralux fits the Laruche Paris system in Luxembourg and takes on the whole project: advice on the configurations, measuring up, making the glass to measure in our workshop, assembling the Laruche profiles and the final installation. You deal with one company from the first drawing to handover.
- Profiles: steel or aluminium, powder-coated matt black (standard finish) or other colours on request
- Structure: a fine workshop-style grid — small panes within a network of glazing bars
- Glass: clear, satin or tinted depending on the configuration
- Applications: a door on its own, a door with a fixed screen, a wholly fixed screen
- Format: made to measure — any size and any configuration
Which Crittall-style configuration suits your space?
Crittall-style door alone
A sliding or pivoting door in the workshop style, with no fixed screen beside it. It goes into an existing opening between two rooms. The sliding door is the most common answer for this kind of opening.
Door + fixed screen
The most popular configuration: a sliding or hinged door beside one or more fixed panels in the same style. Together they form a complete screen that takes the place of a solid wall.
Wholly fixed screen
A Crittall-style partition with no opening leaf: only fixed panels of steel grid and glass. Used to divide two areas visually while keeping the light moving between them.
Kitchen screen
A very popular application: a screen between the kitchen and the living room, keeping a boundary for sight and cooking smells while holding on to the light. It can have one or two opening leaves.
Office screen
A workshop-style screen to set a work space apart in a house or in an open-plan office. It gives a strong visual frame and some acoustic separation.
Another configuration
The Laruche system allows many made-to-measure configurations: corners, L-shapes, with a transom, opening onto a mezzanine. Every project is looked at individually.
Glass and finishes for the Laruche screen
Clear glass
The default choice for a workshop-style screen: transparent, it lets the light through unaltered and shows off the network of steel bars. Black steel with clear glass is the classic Crittall combination.
Satinato sandblasted
Translucent: the light comes through, the view does not. Used for screens in bathrooms, bedrooms and private offices where complete privacy is wanted.
Tinted glass
A light grey or bronze for a more muted, more dramatic feel. It strengthens the industrial character of the whole.
Textured or vintage glass
Some Laruche ranges offer textured glass (cathedral, bullseye, seeded) to add to the historic authenticity of the workshop style — depending on the range and on availability.
Profile finishes
Matt black (standard)
The default finish for the Crittall-style screen. Steel or aluminium powder-coated matt black: an authentic, timeless look that is easy to keep clean.
Matt white
A contemporary alternative much in demand for light, Scandinavian interiors. A gentle contrast with clear glass.
Anthracite
Halfway between black and dark grey: subtler than pure black, and particularly good with tinted glass.
Other RAL colours
On request and subject to availability from Laruche: any RAL colour can be applied to the aluminium profiles.
Handles and ironmongery
- Vertical bar handle — the most authentic for the Crittall style: a steel or aluminium bar in the same finish as the profiles, available in several lengths.
- Flush pull handle — half-round and recessed into the profile: discreet, contemporary, ideal for sliding doors.
- Handle finishes — matched to the profiles (matt black, white, anthracite or RAL) or in stainless for a more contemporary touch.
The Laruche Crittall-style screen — specifications
| System | Laruche Paris — steel or powder-coated aluminium profiles |
|---|---|
| Style | Workshop / Haussmann-era industrial screen |
| Configurations | Door alone · Door + fixed screen · Wholly fixed screen |
| Type of opening | Sliding or pivoting, depending on the configuration |
| Glass | Clear · Satin · Tinted · Textured/vintage depending on the range |
| Profile finishes | Matt black (standard) · Matt white · Anthracite · RAL on request |
| Handle finishes | Matched to the profiles, or stainless |
| Format | Made to measure — any size |
| Applications | Homes · Lofts · Offices · Restaurants · Hotels · Studios |
| Literature | Laruche Paris leaflet available on request |
Data sheets & leaflet (PDF)
Download the Crittall-style screen data sheet, the Laruche Paris customer leaflet and the Arcon Decochrome brochure — or visit the website of Laruche Paris.
Our Crittall-style screens in Luxembourg
Vitralux has fitted a number of internal Crittall-style screens in Luxembourg. Every project is one of a kind: a made-to-measure configuration, sizes matched to the space, and the glass and finish chosen with the architect or the client.
Frequently asked questions about Crittall-style screens
No. The Laruche Paris system comes in steel and in powder-coated aluminium. Aluminium is lighter, does not rust and is easier to work than steel: it is the material used most for internal installations. Solid steel is sometimes chosen where historic authenticity comes first, but it costs more and weighs more.
Partly. A screen with standard 4 or 6 mm glass gives limited sound insulation. To improve it, acoustic laminated glass can be used in the panels: the reduction in noise is then significantly better. Vitralux recommends that option for office partitions and bedrooms. The door seals also affect the acoustic performance.
Yes, with Satinato glass for privacy and aluminium profiles treated against damp. The bathroom is in fact one of the most fashionable places for an internal screen: it creates a strong visual boundary while letting light into spaces that are often windowless. The bathroom still needs good ventilation to keep condensation off the profiles.
The generic flat-pack systems sold in DIY sheds use thin aluminium profiles with finishes that are often poor and joints that are far from precise. You see the difference straight away: profiles narrower or wider than they should be, unsightly joints, doors that do not close properly. The Laruche Paris system is designed for professional, made-to-measure installation, with profiles cut to precise sizes, carefully made corner joints and quality seals.
Yes, with special configurations: an arched transom, a corner on a sloping wall, an L-shaped layout. These projects need a survey of their own and a longer lead time. Contact Vitralux to assess whether your bespoke configuration can be made.
Other glass door configurations
Your made-to-measure Crittall-style screen, fitted in Luxembourg by Vitralux
Come and see our Howald showroom, or request a free quote and discover the full Laruche Paris range.
Also worth a look: Wall-to-glass hinge door · Glass divider · Conservatories & Crittall screens