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.
Art Deco Rosewood Cabintet/Sideboard by Jacques Adnet
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Miami, FL
An Elegant Art Deco Rosewood buffet/sideboard with three drawers in the center with nickel handles and 2 doors on each side with shelves inside designed by Jacques Adnet. Jacques Ad...
Nickel
1950's Sideboard in Oak, Stitched Leather and Ceramic by Jacques Adnet
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Bois-Colombes, FR
A Rare French Midcentury Modern hand stitched leather and ceramic top sideboard by Jacques Adnet, circa 1955. Adnet had a rare talent for creating works that had used exquisite for...
Ceramic, Leather, Oak
$9,500
H 37.41 in W 76.78 in D 20.87 in
Fine French Art Deco Mahogany Sideboard by Albert Guenot for "Atelier Pomone"
By Albert-Lucien Guenot
Located in Long Island City, NY
Albert-Lucien Guénot (1894-1993): A fine French Art Deco sideboard with 2 doors, 4 carved drawers, and patinated bronze legs and knobs. Edited by "Atelier Pomone" for "le Bon Marché...
Bronze
Fine French Art Deco Rosewood and Mahogany Bar
Located in Long Island City, NY
A Fine French Art Deco rosewood marquetry and mahogany bar with a pull-out mirrored tablet and brass details.
Brass
Alpine Chalet Chic Sideboard in Oak, France
By Votre Maison, Guillerme et Chambron
Located in Split, Splitsko-dalmatinska županija
Step into the world of authentic French design with this exquisite cabinet, a delightful sideboard crafted from solid oak and inspired by the renowned French designer duo Guillerme e...
Oak
19th Century English Oak Sideboard
Located in High Point, NC
19th century oak sideboard from England with a beveled edge around the top, following down to paneled sides and two drawers in the front with raised geometric panels, flanked by hand...
Oak
$7,749
H 49.22 in W 89.77 in D 19.69 in
Guillerme & Chambron - Sideboard - Oak & Ceramic Tiles - 1960 - France
By Guillerme et Chambron
Located in Split, Splitsko-dalmatinska županija
This characteristic cabinet, buffet in solid oak is designed by the French designer duo Jacques Chambron (1914-2001) and Robert Guillerme (1913-1990). It features two sliding front d...
Oak
Modern Black Cerused Oak Sideboard Buffet
Located in North York, ON
Modern black cerused oak sideboard buffet. Featuring a dark ebonized black ceruse finish with contrasting white grains. Doors open with sleek pus...
Oak
Olavi Hanninen - Sideboard - Elm - 1950 - Brutalist
By Olavi Hanninen
Located in Split, Splitsko-dalmatinska županija
Austere yet richly tactile, this sideboard by Olavi Hänninen commands with its elemental massing and raw sculptural presence. Hewn from deeply grained elm, the façade is animated by...
Elm
Fine French Art Deco Sideboard by Rene Prou
By René Prou
Located in Long Island City, NY
A fine French Art Deco walnut and burled walnut sideboard by René Prou, in collaboration with Albert Guenot. The facade features three central doors in burled walnut, flanked by two ...
Walnut
$3,800
H 37.75 in W 102.5 in D 19.75 in
Fine French 1950s Sycamore and Rosewood Sideboard with Original Painted Doors
Located in Long Island City, NY
A Fine French Mid-Century rosewood and sycamore sideboard with original four painted doors and brass details.
Brass
Fine French Art Deco Palisander Sideboard by Maxime Old
By Maxime Old
Located in Long Island City, NY
A fine French Art Deco palisander sideboard by Maxime Old, with 2 doors, 5 drawers and bronze hardware. Signed A matching dining table is...
Bronze
Art Deco Macassar Sideboard Cabinet 1940’s France
Located in North York, ON
This exquisite 1940’s French Art Deco sideboard is crafted from luxurious Macassar ebony, finished in a hand-polished high-gloss that dramatically highlights its striking grain. Its ...
Brass
Modern Cerused Oak Sideboard Buffet in Natural Wash Finish
Located in North York, ON
Modern Cerused oak sideboard Buffet in natural wash finish. Featuring natural whitewash ceruse finish with contrasting white grains. Doors open with slee...
Oak