Louis-Jean-Sylvestre Majorelle, more commonly known as Louis Majorelle, was a French artist, metalworker and Art Nouveau designer celebrated for his bedroom furniture, cabinets, chairs and decorative objects.
In 1877, Majorelle moved to Paris from the town of Nancy where he began his studies in painting under Jean-François Millet at the École de Beaux Arts. Following the death of his father, a furniture designer, he returned to Nancy and took over the family workshop. Parisian architect Henri Sauvage designed Majorelle’s house in Nancy, Villa Majorelle, which featured stained glass by Jacques Gruber.
In order to increase productivity and reduce costs — as well as shift the family business’s focus from reproductions of 18th-century furniture such as Louis XV chairs to instead working in the era’s Art Nouveau style — Majorelle integrated modern techniques and processes at Atelier Majorelle (these changes were in part inspired by innovative glassmaker Emile Gallé).
The workshop became known for Majorelle’s distinctive designs and the pronounced craftsmanship of its offerings. There were tables made from mahogany and ormolu that featured handsome bronze mounts and marquetry, table lamps that shared common ground with the prized designs associated with Tiffany Studios, and decorative pieces that Majorelle produced in partnership with Daum, a revered manufacturer of French art glass.
The work was very much characterized by the botanical motifs and curvaceous silhouettes of Art Nouveau design, and the business was successful. Majorelle produced a range of items during the early 1900s and was a participant in the 1900 Paris Exposition as well as the Exposition de l'Ecole de Nancy in 1903.
In 1916, a devastating fire broke out in Majorelle’s factory on the rue du Vieil-Aître in Nancy. It destroyed all of the company’s awards, sketches, molds, equipment and archives of Majorelle’s work. In 1917, destruction again shook his business when his shop on the rue Saint-Georges was bombed by German aircraft. The designer marched on — he relocated to Paris where he shared a workspace and created vases and other vessels in the Art Deco style before he moved back to Nancy. Majorelle designed the Nancy Pavilion at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in 1925 with Alfred Lévy. He died in 1926.
Find antique Louis Majorelle cabinets, seating and decorative objects on 1stDibs.
$14,110Sale Price|35% Off
Art Deco Sideboard by Majorelle, France, 1935
By Atelier Majorelle
Located in Saarbruecken, DE
Art Deco sideboard by Majorelle, France 1935. Fully restored, high gloss lacquor, hand polished. Gold leaf details. Ornament gold plated. Signed.
Wood
Louis Majorelle Bureau Art Nouveau "Trèfles"
By Atelier Majorelle
Located in NANCY, FR
Superbe bureau en acajou massif et placage d’acajou satiné, mouluré et sculpté. Il ouvre par deux portes vitrées, deux tiroirs, une niche sur le gradin et deux grands tiroirs en cein...
American Mahogany
French Art Deco Mahogany Sideboard by Maurice Dufrêne, 1926
By Maurice Dufrêne
Located in Queens, NY
French Art Deco mahogany sideboard cabinet with 4 glass front doors and inlaid trim edge under a marble top with 4 tapered fluted ebonized ...
Marble
Art Deco Italian Parchment Sideboard, 1930s
Located in Montelabbate, PU
Art Deco Italian parchment sideboard, 1930s.
Parchment Paper
$9,138
H 38.59 in W 114.97 in D 21.26 in
Italian Art Deco Sideboard with Mirror in the Style of Osvaldo Borsani, 1940s
By Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Traversetolo, IT
This elegant Italian sideboard, produced in the 1940s, is a refined example of high-end Italian decorative furniture inspired by the work of Osvaldo Borsani. Its sculptural proportio...
Marble
Fine Art Deco Sideboard Designed by Christian Krass
By Christian Krass
Located in New York, NY
A fine and elegant Art Deco sideboard designed by Christian Krass.
Giltwood, Oak
French Art Deco 1935's Parchment Sideboard / Buffet
Located in Carmine, TX
Masterpiece French art deco 2 Doors 5 drawers parchment sideboard 1935s, the sideboard is in perfect condition Black High gloss piano finish expertly restored outside and inside, 2 s...
Bronze
Parchment & Lacquer Commode Designed by Andre Arbus, circa 1935
By André Arbus
Located in Stamford, CT
An elegant chest of drawers in parchment, ivory (now replaced with faux ivory) and gold lacquer 1935 Similar model presented at the salon of decorative artists 1935 Examples of th...
Parchment Paper
Vintage Art Deco Sideboard by Jindřich Halabala, Circa 1935
By Jindřich Halabala
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A light-brown, vintage Art Deco Czech sideboard, cabinet made of hand crafted Mahogany and Pinewood, in the style of Jindrich Halabala in good condition. The cupboard is composed with two doors and round polished door handles, pulls. The interior of the tall commode...
Metal, Chrome
Art Deco Limed and Exotic Wood Bar/Sideboard
Located in Riverdale, NY
Handsome Art Deco limed wood and exotic wood inlay sideboard. Sleek, low profile cabinet, designed for bar ware and entertaining. There is a pair ...
Wood
$18,000
H 37.38 in W 94.5 in D 16.32 in
A Fine French Art Deco Walnut Music Cabinet or Sideboard by Jules Leleu
By Jules Leleu
Located in Long Island City, NY
With two pairs of doors opening to four vinyl record storage compartments, a center drop front opens to receive a turntable and a center speaker compartment; center panel ornamented ...
Bronze
Louis Majorelle Art Nouveau Walnut Armoire with Floral Inlay
By Louis Majorelle
Located in Queens, NY
French Art Nouveau walnut and inlaid floral design 3 door armoire cabinet with shelf on bottom and top with spindle sides. (signed: LOUIS MAJORELLE). ...
Walnut
1940s Mirrored French Sideboard
Located in Miami, FL
Superb two door Eglomise Mirrored French sideboard. Patinated Wrought iron base , eglomise and pink mirror .
Wrought Iron
$9,640Sale Price|27% Off
H 47.64 in W 129.93 in D 25.6 in
Art Deco Credenza in Marble and Burl Wood, France, 1930s
By Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann
Located in Antwerp, BE
This Art Deco sideboard, crafted in France during the 1930s, is a sophisticated piece that exemplifies luxurious materials and extraordinary craftsmanship. Featuring a harmonious ble...
Marble
$5,500
H 30 in W 72 in D 21.25 in
Art Deco Paul Frankl for Johnson Furniture Mahogany and Cork Sideboard
By Paul Frankl, Johnson Furniture Co.
Located in Chicago, IL
Art Deco Paul Frankl for Johnson Furniture Mahogany and Cork sideboard An exquisite, iconic and truly timeless and unparalleled classic sideboard by Paul Frankl for Johnson Furnitur...
Brass
Low Art Deco sideboard – Italy 1935
Located in Girona, Girona
Low Art Deco sideboard in walnut-veneered wood, with drawers veneered in parchment, and diamond-shaped walnut and parchment marquetry on the doors. Maple interior. Polished brass kno...
Brass
French Art Deco buffet with beautiful mother of pearl inlay
Located in North Bergen, NJ
Stunning French Art Deco buffet with beautiful mother of pearl inlay. One of the beauties of this buffet is the nickel female sculpture which enhances the beauty of the wood. Deco li...