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.
$5,800 / set
Pair of Jacques Adnet Chandeliers
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Miami, FL
French chandelier by Jacques Adnet, 8 opalines tubes. Adjustable height. Pair available. US wired and in working condition.
Chrome
Jacques Adnet Chrome Ceiling Fixture
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Philadelphia, PA
French Modernist Art Deco ceiling fixture by Jacques Adnet in chrome with crystal fittings. Rewired for American installation. 16” wide x 10” deep x 30” high. JACQUES ADNET (19...
Crystal, Metal, Chrome
Pair of Vistosi Disc Murano Chandelier, 1970s
By Vistosi
Located in Rome, IT
Each chandelier is made of 50 discs of precious Murano glass are arranged on four levels. Nine light bulbes E 14.
Metal
Pair of Amazing Pink Tronchi Murano Glass Chandelier
Located in Rome, IT
Pair of chandelier includes 36 precious pink tronchi Murano glasses 20 cm long. Nickel-plated metal structure on three levels. Takes 5 base bulbs (E-27) up to 40 watts per bulb. We ...
Metal
Pair of Blue Tronchi Murano Glass Chandelier
Located in Rome, IT
Amazing chandelier includes precious blu tronchi Murano glasses 20 cm long. Gold-plated metal structure on three levels. We can customize the frame and glass color on request. Seven...
Metal
Capiz Ceiling Light Fixture
Located in New York, NY
A circa 1960's French semi-flush mounted capiz shell ceiling fixture with four interior candelabra lights. Measurements: Diameter: 16" Drop: 12"
Shell
Murano Opaline Glass Ceiling Fixture
Located in Austin, TX
Italian handblown Murano glass ceiling fixture, rewired for the US. The bell curve and subtle texture of the opaline glass make this a stand out light fixtu...
Murano Glass
Pair of Italian Flush Mount Chandeliers, Murano
Located in Budapest, HU
Realized in pure Murano glass each chandelier consists of an incredible number of leaves. The structure is painted gold color. 18-light spread a magical light. Measures: Diameter 1...
Metal
Gigantic Murano Blown Ceiling Fixture
Located in Westport, CT
Blown in a soft gold toned color this lovely extra large dome shaped ceiling fixture with finial is illuminated with 5 medium base lights, non UL please note weight of 36 lbs Origi...
Blown Glass
Lalique "Dahlias" Ceiling Fixture
By Lalique
Located in Bridgewater, CT
A Lalique "Dahlias" chandelier mounted as a ceiling fixture. In clear and frosted glass molded with flower heads and leaves, hanging from a modern nickelled metal plate.
Glass
Pair of Vistosi Disc Murano Chandelier 1970s
Located in Rome, IT
The rare 24 turquoise discs of precious Murano glass are arranged on floor levels. Nine E14 light bulbs. Measures: Height without chain 40 cm.
Glass
Outsider Art Flush Mount Ceiling Fixture
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Outsider Art flush mount ceiling fixture newly wired with four standard porcelain sockets, each able to take a light bulb up to 125 watts. ...
Glass
Vintage Metal Ceiling Light Fixture
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Four-light semi-flush mount ceiling fixture Antique metal finish Period - Contemporary Decorative Style - Transitional Style Materials - Painted Metal * Two light bulbs (they may be ...
Metal
Murano Leaf Textured Ceiling Fixture
Located in Westport, CT
Striking Murano blown dome shaped ceiling fixture shown with a ribbed and a stylized leaf pattern. Note while this glass is blown clear the textures and thickness of the glass diffu...
Blown Glass
French Art Deco Six Light Chandelier Attributed To Jacques Adnet
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Houston, TX
Desirable French Art Deco or Art Moderne brass and copper six-light chandelier, attributed to Jacques Adnet. Newly wired for U.S. market.
Brass, Copper