One of the most elegant and innovative 20th-century French furniture designers, Jacques Adnet created a simple, unadorned signature style that is both trim and vigorous. He began his career in the heyday of the Art Deco era, and in the 1950s, in association with Hermès, created chairs, lamps, desks and other pieces that employed slender metal frames clad in stitched saddle leather. With such furnishings, Adnet brought a fashion sensibility to design and decor that had not been seen since the 1920s prime of the great Paris couturier-decorator Paul Poiret.
Adnet was born in a provincial town in Burgundy, where he studied design before moving, along with his twin brother, Jean, to Paris to study at the École des Arts Décoratifs. After their graduation in the early 1920s, the brothers were hired to work in the decorative-arts atelier of the department store Galeries Lafayette, under the direction of Maurice Dufrêne, an Art Deco master who developed a singularly robust and opulent style. Both Adnets showed their work at the 1925 Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes — the design fair from which the term Art Deco is derived.
In 1928, Jacques Adnet took charge of the struggling La Compagnie des Arts Français, a decorative-arts firm founded by Louis Süe and André Mare that created modern furnishings that bore traces of 18th-century styling. Adnet immediately took the company in a different direction. He developed a simple lithe and lean look that incorporated industrial materials such as metal and glass, along with exotic woods and finishes such as parchment and sharkskin.
Adnet’s furniture begs to be described in terms of personalities: charming faux-bamboo side tables, suave chrome lighting and urbane club chairs. His most noted pieces, which feature sleek metal frames wrapped in Hermès leather, have a character all their own — smooth, elegant and self-assured, they inhabit a room with the same wit and grace as Jean-Paul Belmondo and Catherine Deneuve.
Find vintage Jacques Adnet furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Jacques Adnet Art Deco Chrome Double Inkwell, France 1930s
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Atlanta, GA
French designer Jacques Adnet (1901 - 1984) designed this elegant Art Deco modernist chromed metal heavy desk accessory. The piece features a minimalist geometric shape double inkwel...
Metal, Chrome
Jacques Adnet Modernist Desk Office Waste Paper Basket, circa 1930
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Atlanta, GA
Rare Jacques Adnet Art Deco Chrome Desk Waste Basket, France, circa 1930 An extraordinary artifact of French Art Deco design, this sculptural chrome desk accessory—meticulously craft...
Chrome
Desk Accessories, Letter Holder by Jacques Adnet and Letter Tray Paper Holder
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
Handsome saddle leather letter holder by Jacques Adnet. Signature contrast stitching. Great patina to leather. Excellent vintage condition. Paris...
Leather
1950's Pair of stitched Leather book end by Jacques Adnet
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Bois-Colombes, FR
1950's Stitched leather book end by Jacques Adnet France
Leather, Oak
Desk Accessories, Letter Holder by Jacques Adnet, France, 1940
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
Handsome saddle leather letter holder by Jacques Adnet. Signature contrast stitching. Great patina to leather. Excellent vintage condition. Paris...
Leather
$837Sale Price|36% Off
Leather desk set Jacques Adnet.
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Marcq-en-Barœul, Hauts-de-France
This very nice and elegant desk displayer is made of a black leather. This is a model by famous French designer Jacques Adnet. Circa 1950
Leather
Green Leather Documents Tray by Jacques Adnet, France, 1950s
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Green leather documents tray by Jacques Adnet, France, 1950s.
Brass
Green Leather Desk Set by Jacques Adnet, France, 1950s
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Rich brown leather desk set by Jacques Adnet, France, 1950s.
Brass
Desk Card Holder, France, 1940s
Located in Palermo, IT
Desk card holder, France, 1940s Golden Spelter, one of the small studs on the front is missing. Lacks in the gilding, as evidenced by the descriptive photographs.
Spelter
French Art Deco Palisander and Pewter Inkwell
Located in Queens, NY
French Art Deco palisander and pewter inlaid inkwell with 2 crystal wells.
Crystal, Pewter
$795
H 10.63 in W 8.47 in D 5.52 in
Mid-Century Curved Leather Italian Picture Frame, Adnet, Italy 1970s
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Roma, IT
Gorgeous and large photo frame fully made in a fantastic Italian pleated leather. This charming object was hand-made in Italy during the 1970s clearly in the style of Jacques Adnet d...
Leather, Glass
Letter Rack by Jacques Adnet
By Jacques Adnet, Compagnie Des Arts Français
Located in Henley-on Thames, Oxfordshire
Jacques Adnet & the Compagnie des arts Français letter rack. Chromed metal consisting of a series of vertical blades of curved section resting on rectangul...
Silver Plate, Brass, Chrome
Jacques Adnet Art Deco Crystal Balls Table Lamp, France, 1930s
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Buenos Aires, Olivos
Jacques Adnet Art Deco crystal balls table lamp, France, 1930s. Stamped made in France. We have specialized in the sale of Art Deco and Art Nouveau and Vi...
Crystal, Bronze
Vintage Brown Stitched Leather Covered Telephone by Contempra 1970s
By Ralph Lauren, Hermès, Jacques Adnet
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Vintage Northern Telecom Contempra Stitched Leather clad tone touch Telephone, Desk or Wall Mount.Vintage Northern Telecom Contempra telephone covered in stitched brown leather.Could...
Leather, Bakelite
$1,300
H 7.69 in W 13.38 in D 5.69 in
Macassar, Chrome and Lucite Desk Accessory Letter Holder, circa 1940
By Studio Art Deco
Located in Atlanta, GA
Exceptional French Art Deco Desk Accessory in Macassar, Chrome, and Lucite, circa 1940 A rare and refined embodiment of Art Deco modernism, this exquisite desk accessory was crafted ...
Metal, Chrome
$775
H 1.13 in W 4.38 in D 6.38 in
Vintage 1980s Gucci Desk Set Accessories - Leather Pen + Paper Holder & Tray
By Gucci
Located in St. Louis, MO
Nice 1980s Gucci - Italy designed leather desk accessories set, includes pen holder, note paper holder and small tray. The leather pieces have the classic green and red stripe, with ...
Ceramic, Leather, Suede
Vintage French Brown Leather Desk Set, Mid-20th Century
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Vintage French Brown Leather Desk Set Mid-20th Century A luxurious vintage French leather desk set, crafted in the mid-20th century and designed in the spirit of Jacques Adnet inspir...
Leather
Art Deco wooden letter holder, 1940's, France
Located in BELFORT, FR
French Art Deco wooden letter holder.
Wood
$1,300
H 5.69 in W 12.19 in D 7.88 in
Art Deco Macassar Wood and Chrome Desk Accessory Letter Holder, circa 1930
By Travail Francais
Located in Atlanta, GA
This exceptional Art Deco modernist desk accessory, meticulously crafted in France circa 1930, is a striking fusion of sophistication and utility. The stunning, bold geometric silhou...
Metal, Chrome
$1,520 / set
H 7.5 in W 6.25 in D 3 in
Jacques Adnet Stitched Leather and Silver Pique-Sellier Desk Accessories
By Jacques Adnet
Located in San Francisco, CA
Two Jaques Adnet leather and silvered metal "pique-sellier" desk accessories. Each cast with riding spur form frames, one with leather wallet form holder the second a tray beneath a ...
Metal, Chrome
Jacques Adnet Leather and Plaid Desk Office Paper Waste Basket
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Atlanta, GA
A functional 1950s modernist desk accessory, office waste-basket by French Designer Jacques Adnet, (1900-1984). Streamline shape with black hand-stitched ...
Leather, Fabric
Rich Brown Leather Desk Set by Jacques Adnet, France, 1950s
By Jacques Adnet
Located in New York, NY
A desk set by Adnet, comprises a complete inkwell, an ink blotter, a letters holder and a desk mat that opens up and can be fitted with writing paper. In exce...
Leather
Emerald Green Leather Desk Set by Jacques Adnet, France, 1950s
By Jacques Adnet
Located in New York, NY
Desk set by Jacques Adnet comprises a desk mat a pen holder, ink blotter and a clock. All with signature Adnet saddle-stitch detail. In excellent vintage shap...
Leather
Jacques Adnet Art Deco Chrome Desk Accessory Letter Holder
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Atlanta, GA
Stunning Art Deco modernist chromed metal desk accessory, letter holder designed by French Jacques Adnet (1901 - 1984). Elegant Minimalist geometric shape mail rack. Measurements: ...
Chrome, Metal
Jacques Adnet Chrome Desk Tray Letter Holder Organizer
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Atlanta, GA
Elegant Art Deco modernist chromed metal heavy desk accessory, office tray by French Designer Jacques Adnet (1900-1984). Minimalist geometric shape, typical Art Deco design. Measur...
Chrome, Metal
Sold
H 10.24 in W 8.67 in D 8.67 in
Jacques Adnet Art Deco Chrome Desk Accessory Office Waste Paper Basket
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Atlanta, GA
Elegant Art Deco modernist heavy chromed metal desk accessory, office waste basket by French Designer Jacques Adnet (1900 - 1984). Minimalist geometric sq...
Chrome
Sold
H 1.97 in W 9.65 in D 14.38 in
Modernist Letter Tray by Jacques Adnet Art Deco, France, circa 1930
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Paris, FR
Exceptional letter tray by Jacque Adnet (1900-1984). Chrome-plated metal, circa 1930. Typical Modernist Art Deco style. Excellent condition Referenced in "Jacques Adnet" by Alain-...
Metal
Jacques Adnet Leather Letter Holder
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Handsome letter holder by French designer Jacques Adnet. Black leather with signature Adnet contrast stitching. Great desktop object and letter holder. Excellent vintage condition.
Leather
Jacques Adnet Desk Set
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Incredible collection of a complete Jacques Adnet desk set in red leather. Includes desk blotter, desk lamp, trash can, cigarette box, and glass accesso...
Leather
Jacques Adnet Letter Holder
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Handsome saddle leather letter holder by Jacques Adnet. Signature contrast stitching. Great patina to leather. Excellent vintage condition.
Leather
Jacques Adnet Letter Holder
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Handsome letter holder by Jacques Adnet. Dark green leather with signature contrast stitching. Three brass arcs for holding mail or envelopes also have leather trim. Great patina to ...
Brass