One of the most elegant and innovative 20th-century French furniture designers, Jacques Adnet created a simple, unadorned signature style that is both trim and vigorous. He began his career in the heyday of the Art Deco era, and in the 1950s, in association with Hermès, created chairs, lamps, desks and other pieces that employed slender metal frames clad in stitched saddle leather. With such furnishings, Adnet brought a fashion sensibility to design and decor that had not been seen since the 1920s prime of the great Paris couturier-decorator Paul Poiret.
Adnet was born in a provincial town in Burgundy, where he studied design before moving, along with his twin brother, Jean, to Paris to study at the École des Arts Décoratifs. After their graduation in the early 1920s, the brothers were hired to work in the decorative-arts atelier of the department store Galeries Lafayette, under the direction of Maurice Dufrêne, an Art Deco master who developed a singularly robust and opulent style. Both Adnets showed their work at the 1925 Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes — the design fair from which the term Art Deco is derived.
In 1928, Jacques Adnet took charge of the struggling La Compagnie des Arts Français, a decorative-arts firm founded by Louis Süe and André Mare that created modern furnishings that bore traces of 18th-century styling. Adnet immediately took the company in a different direction. He developed a simple lithe and lean look that incorporated industrial materials such as metal and glass, along with exotic woods and finishes such as parchment and sharkskin.
Adnet’s furniture begs to be described in terms of personalities: charming faux-bamboo side tables, suave chrome lighting and urbane club chairs. His most noted pieces, which feature sleek metal frames wrapped in Hermès leather, have a character all their own — smooth, elegant and self-assured, they inhabit a room with the same wit and grace as Jean-Paul Belmondo and Catherine Deneuve.
Find vintage Jacques Adnet furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Maurice Jallot French Art Deco Parchment Inlaid Cabinet
By Maurice Jallot
Located in Benington, Herts
A Fine French 1940s Parchment-Covered Cabinet, Firmly Attributed to Maurice Jallot French circa 1940 The cabinet of broadly rectangular form with a shaped lower apron adding signif...
Bronze
Art Déco cabinet by Pierre Paul Montagnac. France 1920s.
By Pierre-Paul Montagnac
Located in Köln, NW
French Art Déco cabinet by Pierre Paul Montagnac.(1883 to 1961) with bronze application. Thuja root wood, gilded feet and border. Interior oak wi...
Bronze
French Art Deco Cabinet by Maxime Old, Rosewood with Parchment Doors
By Maxime Old
Located in Philadelphia, PA
French Art Deco cabinet by Maxime Old in rosewood with original parchment front and bronze mounts. Signed on verso with full signature. 89" long x 19" deep x 39" high. Maxime Old was (1910-1991) born in Maisons-Alfort (a suburb of Paris), France. He was the grandson and son of fine cabinetmakers. He received his formal training at Ecole Boulle in Paris and his work attracted the attention of the influential school director, Andre Frechet...
Rosewood
$14,400Sale Price|20% Off
H 70.87 in W 70.87 in D 19.69 in
Art Deco Parchment Armoir Wardrobe Style Pascaud, France, 1935
By Jean Pascaud
Located in Saarbruecken, DE
Art Deco Parchment Armoir wardrobe in the manner of Jean Pascaud, France, 1935. Restored in high gloss lacquor, hand polished. Parchment in good vintage condition. Brass ornamets.
Wood, Parchment Paper
Art Deco French Cabinet by Bouverat in Goatskin
By A. Bouverat
Located in North Miami, FL
Very beautiful petite French Early Art Deco bar cabinet in lacquered goatskin with engraved relief of aquatic scene with goldfish and sea plants. The interior is all original Japanes...
Goatskin, Mirror
French Art Deco Cabinet in Birch and Paper, circa 1920
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Logistics and International Shipping We provide a comprehensive export service so that your only concern is enjoying your acquisition. • Door-to-Door Service: Pieces located in our A...
Wood, Paper, Fruitwood, Birch
Very Rare Bar Cabinet by Charles Dudouyt, France, 1930s/40s
By Charles Dudouyt
Located in Lewes, East Sussex
An very rare bar cabinet attributed to Charles Dudouyt, France, 1930s/40s. Structurally sound and ready to use. Some marks to the top surface and inside shelves. Fast shipping worldw...
Wood
Art Deco Secretaire Cabinet by Jules Deroubaix
By Jules Deroubaix
Located in North York, ON
This Jules Deroubaix display cabinet secretaire is timeless, functional, and effortlessly chic. Made of burl sandalwood, it showcases a drop door paneled wit...
Brass, Chrome
$29,415
H 51.97 in W 46.46 in D 16.54 in
Italian Art Deco Bar Cabinet in Parchment attr. to Paolo Buffa, Italy, 1940s
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Meda, MB
An exceptional and highly refined Italian Art Deco bar cabinet, attributable to the design of Paolo Buffa and produced in Italy during the 1940s. The cabinet is distinguished by its...
Mirror, Maple, Lacquer, Parchment
Art Deco Wardrobe Armoire Cabinet, Circa 1940's France
Located in North York, ON
This stunning Art Deco wardrobe armoire, made in France circa 1940s, is crafted from rich Macassar wood and finished in a polished high-gloss that highlights its luxurious grain. Bol...
Brass
