Designer, artist and architect Eileen Gray was one of the most fascinating creative figures of the 20th century. Her body of work includes lustrous lacquered pieces — her Dragons chair set an auction record for modern furniture ($28 million) at the 2009 sale of the Yves Saint Laurent estate — and sleek chrome furnishings that rival the work of Le Corbusier and the members of the Bauhaus as exemplars of pure, modernist design.
The independent and unconventional daughter of Irish landed gentry, Gray studied painting at London’s Slade School of Fine Art in her early twenties before moving to Paris in 1906 to pursue her artistic dreams. Gray had become captivated by lacquerware after seeing an exhibit in the Victoria & Albert Museum, and in Paris persuaded an expatriate Japanese master of the painstaking process, Seizo Sugawara, to teach her. Within a few years, Gray had become known among the cognoscenti for her sculptural lacquered furnishings, which she incorporated into the homes of interior design clients.
Gray was ever evolving as a designer. By the early 1920s she was creating geometric works that embodied the essence of Art Deco and the nascent modernist design movement. Some pieces — such as her Bricks screen, an assemblage of pivoting rectangular panels — employ the planar forms favored by Gerrit Rietveld and other De Stijl architects of the Netherlands. Others feature the tubular chrome framing used by Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. These include the Bibendum chair — named for the resemblance of its semicircular back and armrest to the character known in English as the Michelin Man — and the adjustable E 1027 side table, conceived in 1927 for the interiors of a stark white villa she designed for herself in the South of France.
Never a self-promoter, Gray drifted out of the limelight in the 1930s. Interest in her work was revived in the early ’70s, however, when the estates of her early clients came to auction. Her original lacquer pieces are the most coveted, but, as the sale of the Dragons chair shows, are rare and extremely expensive.
None of Gray’s designs were made in large numbers until, a few years before her death, she granted a production license. These pieces range in price from $1,000 to $2,500, depending on furniture type and condition. Gray’s work has become iconic of practical and elegant modernist design. Yet, as you will see on 1stDibs, many of her creations have a simplicity that makes them welcome even in a traditional setting.
$18,329 / item
Customizable ClassiCon Monte Carlo Sofa by Eileen Gray
By Eileen Gray
Located in New York, NY
Eileen Gray‘s perhaps most exclusive sofa radiates an allure from which no beholder can escape. The soft curve, the most unusual lines of the backrest make the Monte Carlo an incomp...
Leather, Fabric
LOTA Sofa designed by Eileen GRAY in Cognac Coloured Leather
By Eileen Gray
Located in Berlin, Berlin
The LOTA sofa, designed by Eileen Gray, produced by Aram Design London & Classicon Munich. Sofa with black and grey lacquered armrests, four loose sumptuous soft back and side cushions upholstered in Cognac coloured leather. The sofa was designed by Eileen Gray in 1924 for the apartment Madame Mathieu...
Leather, Wood
Eileen Gray “Monte Carlo” Red Leather and Chrome Sofa for ClassiCon
By Eileen Gray
Located in Miami, FL
The Monte Carlo sofa was originally designed by Eileen Gray in 1929 during the Bauhaus movement and was later licensed and produced by ClassiCon. This example is from circa 1990s an...
Chrome
$22,255 / item
Customizable ClassiCon Lota Sofa by Eileen Gray
By Eileen Gray
Located in New York, NY
The apartment of Madame Mathieu-Levy on Rue de Lota in Paris was regarded as one of the most sensational examples of French interior architecture of the 1920s. Eileen Gray had create...
Fabric
ClassiCon Eileen Gray Daybed Original Vintage Day Bed
By Eileen Gray
Located in Munich, Bavaria
Vintage daybed with the name Day Bed by Eileen Gray. Manufactured by Classicon. Classic all time piece of furniture by the original producer. Black leather and chrome tubular steel ...
Steel, Chrome
1980s Black Leather Eileen Gray LOTA Sofa by ALIVAR Made In Italy
By Eileen Gray, Alivar
Located in Monrovia, CA
The LOTA Sofa Is The Iconic Eileen Gray 1924 Design For The Small Apartment In Rue De Lota, Paris. This 1980s LOTA Sofa Is A Black Leather Sofa With 4 Large Down Filled Leather Cushi...
Leather, Wood
Eileen Gray Monte Carlo Sofa for ClassiCon, Black Leather and Chrome, Signed
By Eileen Gray
Located in Kansas City, MO
Monte Carlo Sofa designed in Eileen Gray in 1929 and produced by ClassiCon in the 2000s. Curved form in black leather and tubular chrome. This example...
Chrome
Sofa in red leather ClassiCon Monte Carlo Design Eileen Gray
By Eileen Gray
Located in Alcamo, IT
Brand: ClassiCon Model: Monte Carlo Designer: Eileen Gray (1929) Type: Sofa Designed in 1929, the Monte Carlo sofa is one of Eileen Gray's most exclusive and expressive creations. I...
Steel
Sofa in black leather ClassiCon Monte Carlo Design Eileen Gray
By Eileen Gray
Located in Alcamo, IT
Brand: ClassiCon Model: Monte Carlo Designer: Eileen Gray (1929) Type: Sofa Designed in 1929, the Monte Carlo sofa is one of Eileen Gray's most exclusive and expressive creations. I...
Steel
Sofa in white leather ClassiCon Monte Carlo Design Eileen Gray
By Eileen Gray
Located in Alcamo, IT
Brand: ClassiCon Model: Monte Carlo Designer: Eileen Gray (1929) Type: Sofa Designed in 1929, the Monte Carlo sofa is one of Eileen Gray's most exclusive and expressive creations. I...
Steel
Italian steel and cotton sofas or daybeds by Eileen Gray for Alivar, 1990s
By Eileen Gray, Alivar
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian steel and cotton sofas or daybeds by Eileen Gray for Alivar, 1990s. Twin daybed sofas, with a Bauhaus style design, with chromed tubular steel structure, padded seat covered ...
Steel
$19,085 / item
Sofa in fabric ClassiCon Lota Sofa design Eileen Gray
By Eileen Gray
Located in Alcamo, IT
Brand: ClassiCon Model: Lota Sofa Design: Eileen Gray, 1924 The Lota Sofa originates from Eileen Gray's celebrated interior design for the apartment of Madame Mathieu-Levy on Rue de...
Leather, Wood
$24,264 / item
Sofa in leather ClassiCon Lota Sofa design Eileen Gray
By Eileen Gray
Located in Alcamo, IT
Brand: ClassiCon Model: Lota Sofa Design: Eileen Gray, 1924 The Lota Sofa originates from Eileen Gray's celebrated interior design for the apartment of Madame Mathieu-Levy on Rue de...
Leather, Wood
Arne Vodder Sofa in Patinated Cognac Leather
By Arne Vodder
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Arne Vodder for Ivan Schlechter, sofa, patinated leather, teak, Denmark, design 1953, manufactured late 1950s-1960s. Elegant two-seat settee in admirable cognac leather and teak by ...
Leather, Teak
$9,770
H 28.35 in W 118.12 in D 35.44 in
4-Seater Sofa Gray Leather with Silk and Leather Cushions, Sormani Italy, 1980s
By Sormani, Luigi Sormani and Casabella Design Miami
Located in Arosio, IT
This four-seater, designed in the early 1980s by Luigi Sormani and Casabella Miami for a line of maxi-furniture destined to the United States is a comfortable one-block sofa for a luxury villa. The structure is in a warm gray leather and the fabric was especially made for this series called "Intrigue": a special very light grey silk fabric interwoven with burgundy leather threads. All cushions have grey leather inlays, entirely hand sewn. Julio Iglesias...
Leather, Fabric
$20,255
H 27.56 in W 181.11 in D 39.38 in
Togo Sofa in original black leather, Michel Ducaroy, Ligne Roset, 1980s
By Michel Ducaroy, Ligne Roset
Located in amstelveen, NL
Togo sectional sofa in black leather designed by Michel Ducaroy in the 1970s for Ligne Roset. Among Ligne Roset's most recognized pieces is the Togo line of seating, designed by Mic...
Leather
Eileen Gray 1980s Vintage Red Metal Daybed
By Eileen Gray
Located in Manzano, IT
Eileen Gray 1980s Vintage Red Metal Daybed This striking vintage daybed, designed by the iconic Eileen Gray in the 1980s, offers a unique blend of modernist elegance and retro charm...
Fabric, Rubber
Arne Norell 'Merkur' Sofa in Cognac Leather
By Norell Möbel AB, Arne Norell
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Arne Norell for Norell Möbel AB, sofa model 'Merkur', leather, mahogany, Sweden, 1960s This high-quality sofa called ‘Merkur’ is designed by the talented Swedish designer Arne Nore...
Leather, Mahogany
$10,604 / set
H 27 in W 70 in D 28 in
Le Corbusier LC2 Armchair + 3-Seat Sofa Set in Black Leather & Chrome, Alivar
By Alivar, Cassina, Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand Cassina
Located in Grand Cayman, KY
Timelessly iconic Le Corbusier LC2 set of 3-seater sofa and armchair in chrome tube steel and black leather. Made in Italy by Alivar, a highly collectible licensed / authorized produ...
Steel, Chrome
$3,300 / item
H 31.11 in W 17.72 in D 20.87 in
ClassiCon Roquebrune Chair in Black with Chrome Legs by Eileen Gray
By Eileen Gray
Located in New York, NY
For the terrace of her second house in Castellar Eileen Gray designed a very comfortable chair with a deep seating area. It was covered with blue canvas. She created another version,...
Steel
Eileen Gray Daybed
By Eileen Gray
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Red leather and tubular chrome daybed by Eileen Gray, 1980s.
Steel
$7,429 / item
H 29.53 in W 24.81 in D 26.38 in
Customizable ClassiCon Bonaparte Lounge Chair by Eileen Gray
By Eileen Gray
Located in New York, NY
Bonaparte is one of the seldom cases in which the luxurious comfort of an upholstered chair has been successfully united with a tubular steel construction. The result communicates bo...
Upholstery
$2,690
H 24 in W 74 in D 35 in
Eileen Gray Black Daybed Leather and Chrome Modern Chaise Lounger Daybed
By Eileen Gray
Located in Rochester, NY
One of Eileen Gray's most celebrated designs, this minimalist elegant piece hosts black leather on a tubular chrome frame. Since the structure is mainly open, the piece can be sat u...
Chrome
Italian Sofa in Cognac Leather and Aluminum
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Sofa, aluminum, leather, Italy 1970s Comfortable sofa made in the 1970s. This sofa strongly represent the essence of furniture design of the 1970s, going beyond the strict conventio...
Aluminum
Danish Two Seat Sofa in Cognac Leather
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Sofa, leather, mahogany, Denmark, 1960s Wonderful Danish two seat sofa. The brown leather shows a light patina and is in good condition, showin...
Leather, Wood
sofa in pelle cognac, by Eileen Gray, 1980/1990
By Eileen Gray
Located in Manzano, IT
Daybed sofa in pelle cognac, by Eileen Gray, 1980/1990 Struttura in tubolare di acciaio cromato, cuscini in gomma poliuretanica e dacrom, rivestito in pelle color cognac ...
Steel
Eileen Gray "Monte Carlo" Leather & Chrome Sofa
By Eileen Gray
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Eileen Gray "Monte Carlo" Leather & Chrome Sofa
Steel
Monte Carlo Sofa for ClassiCon by Eileen Gray
By Eileen Gray
Located in Centreville, VA
Monte carlo Ssofa Eileen gray, 1929 Eileen Gray‘s perhaps most exclusive sofa radiates an allure from which no beholder can escape. The soft curve, the most unusual lines of ...
Stainless Steel
Eileen Gray Original Monte Carlo Sofa Chaise in Italian Mohair
By Eileen Gray, Marcel Breuer, Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand Cassina
Located in San Diego, CA
Incredible Eileen Gray Monte Carlo sofa designed in 1929, this piece is one of a kind as it has been upholstered in a beautiful short Italian M...
Steel, Chrome
LOTA Sofa by Eileen Gray
By Eileen Gray
Located in Berlin, Berlin
Sofa, designed by Eileen Gray. Germany, Classicon, 1990s. The LOTA sofa, designed by Eileen Gray, produced by Classicon in Munich. Sofa with black lacquer...
Wool, Wood
Monte Carlo Sofa in White Leather by Eileen Gray
By Eileen Gray
Located in Dronten, NL
Eileen Gray’s perhaps most exclusive sofa radiates an allure from which no beholder can escape. The soft curve, the most unusual lines of the backrest make the Monte Carlo an incomp...
Chrome
Black Leather Monte Carlo Sofa by Eileen Gray for ClassiCon
By Eileen Gray
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Designed by the Irish-Scottish architect and designer Eileen Gray in 1929, the Monte Carlo sofa is a true icon of Modern Design and enshrines Gray's c...
Chrome
Unique Lota Sofa and Daybed by Eileen Gray
By Eileen Gray
Located in Voorburg, NL
Unique Lota sofa and daybed by Eileen Gray. The apartment of Madame Mathieu-Levy on Rue de Lota in Paris was regarded as one of the most sensational examples...
Velvet, Wood
19th Century Sofa Lota by Eileen Gray Canapé Lounge Daybed
By Eileen Gray
Located in Telgte, DE
Original sofa "Lota" by Eileen Gray Canapé lounge daybed 19th century, design 1924 The sofa, designed by Eileen Gray 1924, stands out with its lacquered sides and elegant simplic...
Mohair, Velvet, Beech