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.
| Average Sold Price |
| $5,312 |
| Styles |
| Materials |
| Related Creators |
Daybed by Jacques Adnet Black Stitched Leather and Brass, France 1950
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Miami, FL
Jacques Adnet Daybed in Black Stitched Leather with Brass Accents, France, circa 1950 Elegant and rare daybed by Jacques Adnet, France, circa 1950, exemplifying the designer’s signa...
Brass
$5,000
H 24 in W 15.75 in D 15.75 in
Jacques Adnet Square Occasional Table, Thick Top & Nickel Spacers, France, 1930
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Jacques Adnet (1900-1984) Small Square Occasional Veneer Table, Thick Beveled Grill Top and Nickel Plated Spacers, France, c. 1930 Documented with dining Suite H: 24 D: 15.75 D: 15.7...
Nickel
Jacques Adnet (1900 -1984) Minimilist Fire Place Andirons
By Jacques Adnet
Located in CA, CA
A pair of Minimalist Andirons by Jacques Adnet (1900 -1984). With their simple, modern shape, clean lines and dark matte finish, these sculptural forms strike a balance between Adnet...
Iron
1950's Stitched leather rocking chair by Jacques Adnet
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Bois-Colombes, FR
A Rare French Midcentury Modern hand stitched leather Rocking chair by Jacques Adnet, circa 1955. Adnet had a rare talent for creating works that had used exquisite form and lines ...
Metal
1950's Stitched leather floor lamp by Jacques Adnet
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Bois-Colombes, FR
A Rare French Midcentury Modern hand stitched leather floor lamp by Jacques Adnet, circa 1955. Adnet had a rare talent for creating works that had used exquisite form and lines with...
Metal
$1,699 / item
H 16.9 in Dm 27.6 in
Jacques Adnet 'Circulaire' Glass and Tan Leather Coffee or Side Table for GUBI
By Gubi, Jacques Adnet
Located in Glendale, CA
Jacques Adnet 'Circulaire' Glass and Tan Leather Coffee or Side Table for GUBI. Originally designed by Jacques Adnet in the 1950s, this incredibly refined coffee table is executed i...
Leather, Glass
$2,999 / item
H 70.9 in W 27.6 in D 2.6 in
Large Jacques Adnet 'Rectangulaire' Wall Mirror in Tan Leather for GUBI
By Gubi, Jacques Adnet
Located in Glendale, CA
Large Jacques Adnet 'Rectangulaire' Wall Mirror in Tan Leather for GUBI. Originally designed by Jacques Adnet in the 1950s, this incredibly refined mirror is executed in high quality black aniline leather and studded with burnished brass rivets on the edges, a characteristic detailing of the famed French designer's work. Price is per item. Available in unlimited quantities in two sizes and three leather options. Note that Cream leather is only available in the larger size. This listing is for the 'Rectangulaire' wall mirror in tan leather. In-stock lead-time 1-2 weeks. Quick ships from Chicago...
Brass
Jacques Adnet French Vintage Mid-century Office Chair, 1950s
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Paris, FR
This 1950s sculptural armchair by Jacques Adnet showcases his distinctive blend of modernist geometry and refined French craftsmanship. Recently restored in a soft yellow golden velv...
Metal
| Sold Date | Sold Price | Category | Material | Creation Year | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| $5,312 |
Average sold price of items in the past 12 months |
| $150-$53,450 |
| Sold price range of items in the past 12 months |