Although he is among the least known of the like-minded French Art Deco furniture designers of his era, André Sornay introduced innovative fabrication techniques and a unique decorative style to his modernist seating, case pieces and other creations.
Sornay was born in Lyon in 1902, and graduated from École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Lyon in 1918. His career as a furniture designer began in 1919 when he was appointed head of his family’s furniture company after his father’s death.
In the early 1920s — inspired by the Bauhaus and De Stijl as well as his friends and fellow French avant-garde designers Francis Jourdain and Pierre Chareau — Sornay shifted the company’s focus from manufacturing period reproductions to creating contemporary designs.
Sornay’s work fused tradition with modernism. He preferred to work with metals, exotic woods such as mahogany and rosewood, rubber and Duco lacquer for a range of cabinets, desks, chairs and mirrors. Sornay’s pieces featured sleek brass drawer pulls and sharply geometric lines, and the distinctive mode that he worked in was known throughout Lyon as “Le Style Sornay.”
Sornay was also recognized for his inventive design methods that were not only decorative but functional. In 1932, he patented the cloudage technique — studding the perimeter of veneered furniture panels with uniform brass nails. Sornay integrated this technique into his wardrobes, side tables and the armchairs he designed, which were frequently defined by clean lines and sharp angles. In the early 1950s, he also patented a technique called the “Tigette,” which allowed for quick and easy assembly or disassembly of modular furniture — a forerunner to IKEA’s flat-packed furniture.
While Sornay isn’t as well known as other European modernists like Le Corbusier and Charlotte Perriand, he attracted modest attention at exhibitions of the day, such as the 1923 Salon d’Automne and the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris, the design fair that brought the Art Deco style to the world. He was awarded the bronze medal at Paris’s Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne in 1937.
In the late 1950s, Sornay ceded control of his furniture design company to his children, remaining as an advisor until production ceased in 1999. He died the following year.
On 1stDibs, discover a range of vintage André Sornay case pieces and storage cabinets, seating and tables.
rare André Sornay sideboard in Oregon pine and studded 40s art deco modernist
By Andre Sornay
Located in Ternay, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Sideboard of the Lyon designer André Sornay dating from the 40s. Structure in veneered and solid Oregon pine, stained on the bottom of the base in black. The sideboard is composed of...
Brass
André SORNAY (1902-2000), varnished plywood chest of drawers
By Andre Sornay
Located in Paris, FR
André Sornay (1902-2000) was a French furniture designer who transformed his family's business after taking over in 1919. Influenced by Bauhaus and De Stijl, he created modern, funct...
Brass
1930s French Buffet by André Sornay, Wood and Marble, Art Deco Style
By Andre Sornay
Located in Paris, FR
An elegant collectible buffet from the 1930s, designed by french designer André Sornay, crafted with meticulous attention to quality, featuring a sturdy wooden frame, complemented by...
Marble, Brass
$2,808Sale Price|30% Off
H 41.34 in W 59.06 in D 22.64 in
French Art Deco Buffet in Burl Walnut and Verde Antico Marble, France, 1930s
Located in Lille, BE
French Art Deco buffet dating from the late 1920s to early 1930s. The cabinet is veneered in beautifully figured burl walnut and topped with a dramatic slab of Verde Antico marble. ...
Mahogany, Walnut, Burl
André Sornay (1902–2000) Pair of chests of drawers
By Andre Sornay
Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
André Sornay (1902–2000) Pair of chests of drawers Beechwood and laminate 3 drawers Dimensions: W 104 × D 54 × H 75 cm Date: circa 1965 A beautiful pair of chests of drawers attribu...
Wood
Magnificent Restored Bullnose Nine-Drawer Chest in Bamboo
Located in Atlanta, GA
This magnificent chest is shipped as professionally photographed and described in the listing narrative: Meticulously professionally restored and completely Installation Ready. An absolutely jaw-dropping custom commissioned vintage nine-drawer chest...
Bamboo, Hardwood
French Art Deco Buffet in Bleached Oak with Marble Top, 1930s
Located in Kaštel Sućurac, HR
French Art Deco Buffet in Bleached Oak with Marble Top, 1930s. This Art Deco buffet is built from solid oak with a bleached, light finish that reveals open grain and quarter-sawn fi...
Marble, Brass
Antique French, Louis XVI Chest of Drawers Commode Buffet Bar
Located in Senonches, Centre-Val de Loire
Antique French Louis XVI style bar buffet topped with a white Carrara marble, fluted legs finished with golden bronze clogs. One dovetailed drawer, two doors and a practical storage ...
Carrara Marble
art deco chest of drawers chest of drawers 1940s
Located in Lemmer, NL
art deco chest of drawers chest of drawers 1940s period 1940-1949 design unknown condition good light signs of use size 88 x 45 x 34 (hxwxd) details oak; iron; article n...
Oak
Oak Art Deco French Buffet Sideboard 1930s-1940s
By Gaston Poisson, Charles Dudouyt
Located in London, London
This sideboard is a stunning blend of Art Deco and Brutalist design elements from the 1930s to 1940s. It is crafted from oak, showcasing the natural beauty and strength of the wood w...
Oak
$14,162
H 46.86 in W 66.93 in D 17.33 in
French Modernist Sideboard by André Sornay, Cloutage Technique, 1950s
By Andre Sornay
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
A refined French modernist sideboard designed by Andre Sornay in Lyon, France, circa 1950s. Crafted using Sornay’s signature cloutage technique, the cabinet reveals delicate nail-he...
Wood
$9,950
H 32 in W 70 in D 21 in
Remarkable Chest or Buffet by American of Martinsville in Cream Lacquer
By American of Martinsville
Located in Atlanta, GA
An absolutely jaw-dropping chest/buffet from a rare series by American of Martinsville, circa 1960. Beautiful, stout hardwood case construction, with brass and leather accents. Fabul...
Brass
French Brutalist Art Deco Oak Buffet Sideboard 1930s-1940s
By Charles Dudouyt, Gaston Poisson
Located in London, London
This sideboard is a remarkable example of the merging of Brutalist and Art Deco styles from the 1930s to 1940s. Constructed from solid oak, the piece features a robust and earthy aes...
Oak
Art Deco Sideboard Attributed to Eliel Saarinen
By Eliel Saarinen
Located in Atlanta, GA
Rare sideboard attributed to Eliel Saarinen (father of Eero Saarinen) designed before his immigration to the United States. In a style that we now refer to as "Art Deco," this style was considered the "National Romantic Style" in Finland essentially a twist on what became known worldwide as Art Deco with its strong vertical lines and medieval references. The workmanship of this cabinet and its materials is magnificent. Note the carefully matched panels of golden masurbjork (birch root), the intricate carvings of medieval knights (very similar to those guarding Saarinen's Helsinki Railway Station built in 1906) and the high contrast of golden and dark birch wood seen again in Saarinen's furniture designed in the United States in the late 1920s. While Saarinen's son Eero went on to become the more famous of the two, it was Eliel who could be considered the grandfather of Nordic Art Deco...
Birch, Burl
$4,425
H 39.38 in W 49.22 in D 17.72 in
French Art Deco Buffet, Carved Hardwood and Rouge Marble, 1930s
Located in Kaštel Sućurac, HR
French Art Deco Buffet, Carved Hardwood and Rouge Marble, 1930s. This Art Deco buffet is built from a warm exotic hardwood with a light honeyed finish and topped with a thick slab o...
Marble, Bronze
1940s Sideboard by André Sornay in Solid Wood and Copper
By Andre Sornay
Located in Ternay, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Sideboard, sideboard from the 40's by the Lyon designer André Sornay. Structure in solid veneered mahogany with a black marble top and copper handles. The sideboard is composed of tw...
Marble, Copper
Dresser Buffet André Sornay, 1950s
By Andre Sornay
Located in Grenoble, FR
Dresser buffet André Sornay, 1950s very beautiful original condition, original blue paint. Structure mahogany sipo screws brass typical of this production. Furniture with a Japanes...
Formica, Mahogany
A Buffet by Andre Sornay
By Andre Sornay
Located in Albany, NY
A rectangular oak buffet on a recessed base. The 'cloutage' or nail inlays are in copper, not the more common brass. The interior has four drawers and two removable shelves. Sorna...
Oak