As the world emerged from the horrors of World War I, it became apparent that society had broken with the recent past irreconcilably. Hollywood stars, cocktail bars and the emerging jazz scene injected the Western world with much needed glamour, as well as material aspirations. Women were enjoying greater freedoms than ever before, and international travel led to a fascination with exotic places. Importantly, improved technological methods of production made luxury goods increasingly affordable to the masses. An all-encompassing new style emerged and was showcased at the 1925 Paris exhibition. Stuffy ornate design and flowing Art Nouveau curves had been replaced by the far simpler to produce, and more sophisticated, clean lines and geometric outlines of what was to become known as Art Deco design.

This trend for sleek and unadorned style, rooted in the 1920s, continues today and is evident in everything from the glass office blocks emerging in world cities to Philippe Starck tea pots. This current demand for clean, geometrical forms, and a desire for the age of glamour they evoke, has made Art Deco objects as desirable as ever. Prices can be astonishingly high and in no area is this more true than in furniture.

The best Art Deco furniture was made in France, where the movement had originated. It was here that American and European makers turned for design inspiration. The luxurious French taste was embodied by Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann (1879-1933) and his pieces are considered national treasures in his home land. Starting his career at his father’s interior-design firm, the young Ruhlmann exhibited extraordinary talents as a designer and draftsman. His deluxe furniture was aimed at a sophisticated and very wealthy clientele. Elegant lines, faintly reminiscent of the Louis XVI style, the use of exotic materials and an exceptionally high standard of craftsmanship, characterized his work. Wood was carefully chosen and pieces were sometimes enhanced with precise inlays of ivory, mother-of-pearl, or metal. Carved details, occasionally found on earlier pieces, are always subtle.

A Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann variant of the ‘Napoleon’ model mahogany chair. 1920 38.5in (98cm) high $18,000-25,000

In 1919 Ruhlmann went into partnership with Pierre Laurent and founded “Ruhlmann et Laurent”, the largest firm of its type in France, employing over 600 people. Six years later, Ruhlmann was able to produce an expansive and spectacular display for the 1925 Paris exhibition. Reproductions of his work are still made today but do not attain the same standards of craftsmanship. Original Ruhlmann pieces are extremely valuable. A single ‘Napoleon-model’ armchair, dating from 1920, for example, could be worth $18,000-25,000.

A rare Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann black lacquer and glass table, circa 1934, rectangular frosted plate within a ‘stool’ frame on slender tapering legs, signed to stretcher. 31.5in (80cm) wide 27in (68.5cm) high $50,000-60,000

By the late 1920s, Ruhlmann, like many other leading French Art Deco designers, had become an artiste décorateur, creating grand integrated schemes for whole rooms or entire properties.  Paul Follot (1877-1941), another leading French protagonist of the Art Deco movement, was, like Ruhlmann, active as an interior designer. Although he turned his talents to jewellery, ceramics and textiles, his greatest legacy is his furniture. Even today the term ‘Follot-style’ is in widespread use to describe pieces that adhere to his distinctive style. His work was elegant and luxurious, a look he achieved with the use of expensive materials and complex cabinetry. Today, a pair of Follot bergère chairs, with vertically ribbed upholstery, can be worth $7,000-10,000.

One of a rare pair of Paul Follot bergere chairs, with ribbed upholstered arched backs. c1920 32in (81.5cm) high $7,000-10,000 CAL

Like Follot and Ruhlmann’s work, pieces by Louis Süe (1875-1968) and André Mare (1887-1932) exhibited a clear lineage from 18th Century Rococo and ‘Le Goût Grecque’ styles. Elements from this golden age of French design were updated and given a distinctly modern twist by Süe, a former architect and Mare, a Cubist painter. The buildings and interiors the pair designed for the Paris exhibition were characterized by sweeping curves, often highlighted with gilding or mother-of-pearl inlays. Much of their furniture was produced by the established firm of Fontaine, which took over the partnership when the pair were experiencing financial difficulties.

A Sue et Mare rosewood side chair, circa 1925, arched back above padded seat with carved frame with feather detailing, cabriole legs and scroll feet. 39in (99cm) high $6,000-8,000 CAL

Equally valuable today are the simple, elegant pieces of Jules Leleu (1883-1961). Unlike Follot or Süe et Mare, the Parisian furniture designer preferred to work with simpler materials. His Art Deco creations were produced in large numbers, sometimes for commercial patrons, and were characterized by the use of dark woods, occasionally with brass mounting. In the late 1920s, Leleu embraced architectural modernism and designs regularly featured metal decoration.

A Jules Leleu sycamore and mahogany table/bar, the interior veneered in contrasting mahogany. c1930 333.5in (85cm) wide 24in (61cm) high $10,000-15,000 CAL

More conservative than Leleu and many of their French contemporaries, were father and son team Léon Jallot (1874-1967) and Maurice Jallot (1900-71). Earlier styles were typically in oak or veneered in sycamore or fruitwood. The younger Jallot also experimented with shagreen, leather and parchment. By the mid-1920s, pieces became more modern and designs from the 1930s were sleek with metal or plastic elements. Like early Leleu furniture, Maurice Dufrène also chose a fairly conservative take on the Art Deco style. Working mainly as an interior designer, his room schemes and furniture were sold from fashionable Parisian department stores.

A Leon Jallot rosewood and mahogany secretaire, from the 1925 Paris Exhibition, sycamore interior, incised signature. 34.75in (88cm) wide $20,000-30,000 CAL

The fact that price tags attached to many pieces of named French Art Deco furniture are often over the $20,000 mark, shows how desirable this style is to today’s collectors, and just how lasting the aesthetic has proved to be. While some good examples of Art Deco furniture may be beyond the reach of most people, there are so many examples of affordable between-the-wars design to be found in auctions and antique shops all over the world. The right piece never fails to inject some Art Deco glamour into a room making it well worth the investment.

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