Chess Table Art Deco

Art Deco furniture is characterized by its celebration of modern life. More than its emphasis on natural wood grains and focus on traditional craftsmanship, vintage Art Deco dining chairs, tables, desks, cabinets and other furniture — which typically refers to pieces produced during the 1920s and 1930s — is an ode to the glamour of the “Roaring Twenties.” 

ORIGINS OF ART DECO FURNITURE DESIGN

• Emerged in the 1920s 
• Flourished while the popularity of Art Nouveau declined
• Term derives from 1925’s Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts) in Paris, France
• Informed by Ancient Egypt, Cubism, Futurism, Louis XVI, De Stijl, modernism and the Vienna Secession; influenced Streamline Moderne and mid-century modernism 

CHARACTERISTICS OF ART DECO FURNITURE DESIGN

• Bold geometric lines and forms, floral motifs
• Use of expensive materials such as shagreen or marble as well as exotic woods such as mahogany, ebony and zebra wood
• Metal accents, shimmering mirrored finishes
• Embellishments made from exotic animal hides, inlays of mother-of-pearl or ivory

ART DECO FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW

• Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann
• René Lalique
• Eileen Gray
• Jean Dunand
• Donald Deskey
• Jean Perzel

VINTAGE ART DECO FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS

Few design styles are as universally recognized and appreciated as Art Deco. The term alone conjures visions of the Roaring Twenties, Machine Age metropolises, vast ocean liners, sleek typography and Prohibition-era hedonism. The iconic movement made an indelible mark on all fields of design throughout the 1920s and ’30s, celebrating society’s growing industrialization with refined elegance and stunning craftsmanship.

Widely known designers associated with the Art Deco style include Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, Eileen Gray, Maurice Dufrêne, Paul Follot and Jules Leleu.

The term Art Deco derives from the name of a large decorative arts exhibition held in Paris in 1925. “Art Deco design” is often used broadly, to describe the work of creators in associated or ancillary styles. This is particularly true of American Art Deco, which is also called Streamline Moderne or Machine Age design. (Streamline Moderne, sometimes known as Art Moderne, was a phenomenon largely of the 1930s, post–Art Nouveau.)

Art Deco textile designers employed dazzling floral motifs and vivid colors, and while Art Deco furniture makers respected the dark woods and modern metals with which they worked, they frequently incorporated decorative embellishments such as exotic animal hides as well as veneers in their seating, case pieces, living room sets and bedroom furniture.

From mother-of-pearl inlaid vitrines to chrome aviator chairs, bold and inventive works in the Art Deco style include chaise longues (also known as chaise lounges) and curved armchairs. Today, the style is still favored by interior designers looking to infuse a home with an air of luxury and sophistication.

The vintage Art Deco furniture for sale on 1stDibs includes dressers, coffee tables, decorative objects and more.

Bring drama and duels of dexterity into your home with vintage, new and antique game tables for every kind of game.

Who doesn’t love a little competition? Historians estimate that early versions of games such as backgammon were played by members of ancient civilizations at least as far back as 3,000 B.C. Chess, which likely originated in India as a game called chaturanga, is a timeworn test of skills and strategy as well, and the modern era’s iteration of the game was enjoyed by nobles at least as early as the 16th century.

While the upper classes in Europe were among the only chess players who could afford the game’s decoratively carved ivory pieces, the game eventually became accessible to the general public. In the late 19th century, the game’s first official chess championships took place, a realm that eventually produced celebrated players such as avowed Eames Executive chair enthusiast Bobby Fischer. Today, antique chessboards have seen an uptick in demand owing to a successful Netflix series in 2020 called The Queen’s Gambit, which chronicles the life of fictional chess prodigy Beth Harmon.

Modern versions of chess boards and other home game tables may have evolved to accommodate the variety of games for which they’re used but are still versatile pieces of furniture. Not every card table with chairs is the ideal dining table, but you certainly don’t have to limit a game table to recreational use.

Antique trictrac tables, for example, were products of 18th-century France, wherein furniture makers created what looked like multipurpose neoclassical writing desks and card tables that when their tops were removed revealed trictrac, chess and checkers surfaces. Other game tables, in a complete commitment to fun, merely support good old-fashioned competition. Contemporary Ping-Pong (or table tennis) tables, which have origins in 1880s Victorian England, can be quite sophisticated in form and are made from a variety of materials today. A billiards table is an iconic piece for any game room or living room, but your pool table is really going to be used for only one thing, right?

Antique or new Regency-style game tables, mid-century modern tables or Art Deco–style card tables, perhaps fashioned from rosewood or mahogany, might be equipped with convertible tabletops to shift from meals to game time in a snap. If you prefer poker or opt for a card table topped with a checkerboard, convenient drawers and other compartments can be found in new and vintage game tables that fit poker chips or other types of game pieces perfectly.

Find a range of top-quality vintage and antique game tables on 1stDibs that can help you introduce a bit of class to every competition at home.