André Dubreuil Furniture
Artist and furniture creator André Dubreuil rejected the label "designer” and dismissed the notion of form over function. He’s on record as having said, "if we were merely functionalists we would still be sitting on rocks." Dubreuil's passion was to catch a person's attention and hold it — he did that with outwardly sculptural chairs, wrought iron tables and other furnishings.
Though his works serve their intended function quite well, Dubreuil intentionally masked their purpose in favor of producing pieces that bring delight to the beholder — as exemplified in his Spine chair, created in 1986. Arabesque lines bring form to his work by way of an almost lace-like structure in slender, curving metal table frames and chair legs. It's art that bears a resemblance to furniture.
Originally from Lyon, France, Dubreuil came from a wealthy pharmaceutical and medical research family. He had a classical upbringing, surrounded by ornate furniture and lavish decor, and so became accustomed to the finer things in life.
As a teenager, he moved to London to study drawing and drafting at the Inchbald School of Design. Dubreuil became a painter and worked as an antiques dealer before he fell in love with decorating. In 1981, he opened a workshop — alongside three colleagues, including British furniture designer Tom Dixon — creating decorative furniture from salvaged pieces of scrap metal and automotive parts.
Dubreuil drew on the work of French cabinetmaker André-Charles Boulle and Louis XV-era furnishings as well as French Art Deco and Emilé-Jacques Ruhlmann. He eventually produced a body of work in patinated steel, copper, marble and colored glass for clients including Louis Vuitton and Chanel that would be just as much at home in an art gallery as it would be in a parlor or dining room.
Dubreuil passed away in 2022, leaving behind a magnificent array of furnishings that invite admiration and uplift any space.
Find vintage André Dubreuil tables, seating and lighting on 1stDibs.
1980s French Modern Vintage André Dubreuil Furniture
Wrought Iron
1990s American Neoclassical André Dubreuil Furniture
Glass, Wood
1830s British William IV Antique André Dubreuil Furniture
Mahogany
1960s Italian Brutalist Vintage André Dubreuil Furniture
Stone, Aluminum
1970s American Hollywood Regency Vintage André Dubreuil Furniture
Wrought Iron
1960s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage André Dubreuil Furniture
Copper, Iron
19th Century Antique André Dubreuil Furniture
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern André Dubreuil Furniture
Iron
20th Century Neoclassical André Dubreuil Furniture
Wrought Iron
19th Century Antique André Dubreuil Furniture
Wood
19th Century European Regency Antique André Dubreuil Furniture
Mahogany
1930s French Neoclassical Vintage André Dubreuil Furniture
Travertine, Wrought Iron
1980s French Vintage André Dubreuil Furniture
Steel
1980s European Vintage André Dubreuil Furniture
Aluminum, Iron