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.
Crystal Inkwells and Pen Trays Desk Set by Jacques Adnet and Baccarat, France
By Jacques Adnet, Baccarat
Located in North Miami, FL
Early 20th century Art Déco crystal desk set of inkwells and pen Trays by Jacques Adnet manufactured by Baccarat, France By: Jacques Adnet, Baccarat Material: glass, crystal Techniq...
Crystal
Green Leather Desk Set by Jacques Adnet, France, 1950s
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Mouscron, WHT
Rich brown leather desk set by Jacques Adnet, France, 1950s.
Brass
Green Leather Documents Tray by Jacques Adnet, France, 1950s
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Mouscron, WHT
Green leather documents tray by Jacques Adnet, France, 1950s.
Brass
French Mid-Century Modern Leather Wastepaper Basket, 1950s
By Jacques Adnet, Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in SOTTEVILLE-LÈS-ROUEN, FR
A sculptural French wastepaper basket from the 1950s, distinguished by its clean, softly rounded silhouette and black leather-clad exterior. A wide leather strap encircles the body, ...
Brass
$300Sale Price|20% Off
H 20 in W 2.75 in D 1 in
MCM Brass / Leather Long Shoehorn in the Style of Jacques Adnet by Arfango
By Jacques Adnet
Located in San Diego, CA
A very cool MCM brass and leather long shoehorn in the style of Jacques Adnet by Arfango, circa 1960s. The piece has a brass handle and Horn attached by ...
Brass
$556Sale Price|20% Off
H 1.5 in W 7.5 in D 7 in
Antique French Faience Quimper Inkwell Pen Tray, circa 1900
By Henriot Quimper
Located in Pearland, TX
A charming antique French faience Quimper double inkwell and pen tray desk set, circa 1900. This gorgeous inkwell is hand painted with a traditional Breton man surrounded by bagpipes...
Faience
$2,865
H 5.32 in W 11.42 in D 8.27 in
Art Deco Letter Rack by Jacques Adnet, Chrome and Brass, France, 1930
By Compagnie Des Arts Français, Jacques Adnet
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
Elegant Red Leather Desk Set by Le Tanneur, France, 1950
By Le Tanneur
Located in Paris, FR
Midcentury French modern full leather desk set by Le Tanneur composed by: Calendar L 18.5cm x L 11cm depth 5cm Pencil case L 23cm x L 8cm depth 2....
Stainless Steel
$7,145
H 0.4 in W 7.01 in D 3.75 in
Desk Set stripes enamel Fountain pen, Ballpoint pen and Tray.Salimbeni
By Giorgio Salimbeni, Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Rectangular tray with rounded corners in 925/1000 sterling silver with translucent fired enamels with two-tone stripes on guilloche and hand engravings, cm. 9.5 x 18. For fountain pe...
Gold, Sterling Silver, Enamel
$330 / item
H 1 in W 11 in D 4 in
Crystal Pen Tray with Brass Accents – Luxury Clear Pen Holder for Desk
By DAINTE INC
Located in Monroe, NY
Elevate your workspace with the Crystal Pen Tray, a modern and sophisticated pen holder for desk organization that combines the brilliance of clear crystal with polished brass accents. Minimalist yet distinctive, this tray is designed to reflect your refined taste while keeping your essentials stylishly organized. Measuring 11’’ wide, 4.25’’ deep, and 1.25’’ high, and weighing 4 lbs, this crystal pen holder for desk is compact yet substantial, offering durability and timeless elegance. The universal grooves are carefully designed to fit pens and pencils of all sizes, while the extendable brass tray slides out to provide extra space for storing paper clips, pins, or other desk accessories. This luxury pen tray holder is not just functional—it is also a decorative piece of crystal desk décor, making it an ideal choice for executive offices, home workstations, or as a stylish gift. Pair it with the matching crystal and brass business card holder...
Crystal, Brass
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
$3,263 / set
H 10.24 in W 11.42 in D 4.14 in
Nice Baccarat Crystal and Jacques Adnet Liquor Bottles Set
By Jacques Adnet, Baccarat
Located in Brussels, BE
Nice Baccarat crystal and Jacques Adnet liquor bottles set, circa 1930. In perfect and original conditions. With key.
Crystal, Metal
$15,934
H 5.12 in Dm 8.67 in
Fabulous pair of Baccarat crystal candelabras, by Jacques Adnet, France, 1935
By Jacques Adnet, Baccarat
Located in Paris, FR
Jacques Adnet, a French architect and designer, began his career at one of the first modern art workshops, La Maîtrise, directed by Maurice Dufrêne. In 1928, Jacques Adnet found hims...
Crystal, Bronze
$443 / item
H 1.66 in W 3.15 in D 3.75 in
Set of 4 Midcentury Stackable Solid Brass Austrian Ashtrays After Adnet, 1950s
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Roma, IT
Wonderful and unique set of four stackable ashtrays in solid brass. This stylish and versatile set was produced in Austria during the 1950s after Jacques Adnet. Fully original and i...
Brass
Jacques Adnet Ashtray in Leather & Glass, France 1950's
By Jacques Adnet
Located in New York, NY
Cast glass vide poche with original leather brown trim.
Leather, Art Glass
Jacques Adnet Leather Wrapped Faux Bamboo Desk Organizer
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Stamford, CT
Jacques Adnet desk In/Out tray organizer of stitched leather over steel. France. Circa 1950. Possible to hang on wall or place on desk.
Leather
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
$995
H 7.49 in W 7.88 in D 2.76 in
French Handstitched Brown Leather Clock, Jacques Adnet Attributed, 1950s
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Den Haag, NL
French handstitched brown leather clock, Jacques Adnet attributed, 1950s.
Brass