Robert Guillerme and Jacques Chambron, the French creative duo behind Votre Maison, met under unusual circumstances: They discussed design while imprisoned in a forced labor camp. The pair’s combined talents later resulted in modern, sculptural furniture — today, vintage Guillerme et Chambron desks, dining tables, chairs and other pieces still look conceptually playful and vibrant but could fit harmoniously into any home.
Guillerme had graduated from the École Boulle in 1934 with a degree in design and architecture, and Chambron had studied at the School of Applied Arts in Reims. They were captured by the Germans in East Prussia during the Second World War and struck up a friendship over their mutual love for all things design.
After the war ended, Guillerme moved to Lille in northern France; Chambron left his job as a painter and decorator in Paris and joined him in 1948. In 1949, the pair met Émile Dariosecq, a skilled cabinetmaker who enthusiastically agreed to manufacture the duo’s designs, leading to the start of Votre Maison.
Guillerme and Chambron were as prolific as they were detailed, producing more than 2,000 pieces in the second half of the 20th century out of a former gun factory. Their furniture, which was mostly made with different tones of waxed oak, adhered to the trends of design that emerged after the war: mid-century modernism.
European furniture in the postwar period largely prioritized function as much as it did form and lacked any unnecessary ornamentation. Guillerme and Chambron wanted people to actually use their furniture, not just look at it. That design philosophy was a pillar of their company, its name translating to “your house” in French. Their signature touches included ornate tiles, hidden drawers and vibrant textiles on pieces such as desks, tables, shelving, lighting, benches and other seating. One of Votre Maison’s most famous and popular pieces was the Grand Repos armchair, a stately, high-backed wide piece with a skeletal oak frame, six spindles and plush cushions.
While Guillerme and Chambron were a team, they handled different aspects of the business: Guillerme designed much of the furniture and Chambron concentrated on decor. Votre Maison was a full-service design business. In 1983, the dynamic duo passed on their company to Chambron’s son, Hervé, a designer and graduate of École Boulle.
Find a collection of vintage Guillerme et Chambron furniture on 1stDibs.
Guillerme & Chambron ‘Grégoire’ Stool in Black Oak and Pink Upholstery
By Guillerme et Chambron, Votre Maison
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Guillerme et Chambron for Votre Maison, stool, lacquered oak, wool, France, 1960s This stool in black lacquered oak construction is the perfect example where functionality and aesth...
Oak, Wool
A Guillerme et Chambron unique bar stool
By Guillerme et Chambron
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Rare and unique stool bar Guillerme et Chambron you can recognize the feet like wooden rifle cross
Oak
Guillerme et Chambron Sculptural Oak Stool, France, 1950s
By Guillerme et Chambron
Located in New York, NY
Guillerme et Chambron for Edition Votre Maison solid oak stool with elegant sculptural form, France, 1950s. The stool's composition is playfully graphic with the top composed of slig...
Oak
A Guillerme et Chambron Oak Armchair, France, 1960s
By Guillerme et Chambron, Votre Maison
Located in Lewes, East Sussex
A lovely oak Guillerme et Chambron lounge chair / armchair, France, 1960s. Edition Votre Maison. Good original condition, nice patina, with what is presumably the original fabric. Fa...
Fabric, Oak
$680
H 14.57 in Dm 15.36 in
Danish Mid-Century Danish Hexagonal Oak Stool with Lambswool Upholstery, 1950s
By Henning Kjærnulf, Flemming Lassen, Viggo Boesen
Located in Odense, DK
This elegant stool is a fine example of Danish Modern design, crafted by a skilled Danish cabinetmaker in the 1950s. The piece features a distinctive hexagonal seat and finely carved...
Lambskin, Sheepskin, Wool, Oak
Guillerme et Chambron "José" Armchair, France 1950s
By Guillerme et Chambron
Located in Utrecht, NL
The company Votre Maison is one that has left an indelible mark on the history of French design. The 'José' armchair, designed by Robert Guillerme along with his sales partner Jacque...
Fabric, Oak
Mid-Century Danish Hexagonal Oak Stool with Lambswool Upholstery, 1950
By Henning Kjærnulf, Flemming Lassen, Viggo Boesen
Located in Odense, DK
An elegant example of Danish Modern design, this oak stool features a distinctive hexagonal seat and finely carved legs, newly upholstered in luxuriously soft, natural taupe-colored ...
Lambskin, Sheepskin, Wool, Oak
Oak Dining Chairs by Guillerme et Chambron
By Guillerme et Chambron
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Set of four sculptural oak dining chairs by Guillerme et Chambron. Made in France circa 1960s.
Oak
Chene Wood Stool in Oak, Maple or Ash
By Atelier de Troupe
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Measures: W 13in (33cm) x D 13in (33cm) x H 17in (43cm). Available in Bleached Ash, Ebonized Ash, Natural Waxed Oak, Fumed Oak, or Oxidized Oak. Also available in Walnut upon reques...
Wood
French Guillerme et Chambron Stool, Hungarian Oak, Wool
By Votre Maison, Guillerme et Chambron
Located in Uccle, BE
A vintage stool upholstered in original wool fabric Designed by French designers Robert Guillerme et Jacques Chambron. Edition Votre Maison, circa 1960. Hungarian oak...
Oak
$4,475
H 20.5 in W 21.5 in D 16 in
Mid-Century Modernist Oak Stool by Guillerme et Chambron Edition Votre Maison
By Guillerme et Chambron
Located in New York, NY
This Mid-Century Modernist oak stool by Guillerme et Chambron, crafted for Edition Votre Maison in France circa 1970, is a remarkable example of the era's design ethos, combining fun...
Oak
Guillerme et Chambron Armchair, France, c. 1950
By Guillerme et Chambron
Located in New York City, NY
Armchair by Guillerme et Chambron in France, circa 1950.
Linen, Upholstery, Oak
1950’s Oak Sofa by Guillerme et Chambron
By Guillerme et Chambron
Located in Chicago, IL
1950’s French oak sofa designed by Guillerme et Chambron. New upholstery. Arm height 22
Upholstery, Oak
$6,000 / set
H 18 in W 18.75 in D 15 in
Guillerme & Chambron, Pair of Oak Stools with Concave Seats, France, Mid-Century
By Votre Maison, Guillerme et Chambron
Located in New York, NY
Robert Guillerme studied design and architecture at the École Boule, graduating in 1934. After the Second World War he moved to Lille, in the north of France, where he decorated homes and designed furniture for the well regarded Rogier workshops. In 1948 Jacques Chambron left his work as a painter and decorator on the Rue Nollet in Paris, and relocated his family to join Guillerme. The two had met in 1940 while imprisoned by the Germans in East Prussia and bonded over, among other more obvious things, their shared passion for design. In 1949 the pair discovered Émile Dariosecq, a master cabinet maker who had a shop in the city, and who was willing to produce their designs. The three started Votre Maison. The association was destined to be as influential as prolific. Not only did Votre Maison produce over two thousand models during the later half of the twentieth century, it also left an indelible stamp on design of the 50s, 60s and 70s. The company’s output served as a model for a vast field of livable contemporaneous design. The soul of Guillerme et Chambron’s work was in the company’s name (“Your House"). Their focus was as keenly attuned to functionality—furniture’s use in daily life—as to the creation of innovative design. For the pair of designers the home was envisioned as a place where the family could live both comfortably and in aesthetic harmony. Robert Guillerme, who designed most of the work, possessed a limitless creative ambition, producing designs for everything from grand dressers and sideboards to the smallest elements of a space, such as pedestals, shelving, benches, and lighting. This steady output of beautiful furniture bucked convention not merely in the equal emphasis Guillerme placed on function and aesthetics, but in the almost paradoxical creation...
Upholstery, Oak
A Guillerme et Chambron oak stool 'Thierry''
By Guillerme et Chambron
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
an oak stool by Guillerme edition Votre Maison
Oak
A Guillerme et Chambron oak and fabric stool
By Guillerme et Chambron
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
An unusual stool in oak and fabric
Oak
Pair of Footrests Guillerme et Chambron
By Guillerme et Chambron
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Pair of footrests Guillerme et Chambron In light oak. The upholstery is made of white buckle and has been refurbished. Work from the 60's. Excellent...
Oak
Guillerme et Chambron Midcentury Oak Denis Footstool/Pouffe
By Guillerme et Chambron
Located in London, GB
A rare Guillerme et Chambron footstool. Oak, upholstery and leather. Scarce Denis model. Upholstery is usable and the original but wants updating or replacing. We can arr...
Oak
Pair of Guillerme et Chambron Midcentury French Oak Stools
By Guillerme et Chambron
Located in London, GB
A rare pair of oak stools or tabourets by Guillerme et Chambron. One of their most desired and stylish stools created, circa 1960s, French. Two available, priced individua...
Oak