James Mont’s life as an unmistakably talented furniture designer and interior decorator could fill the pages of a best-selling novel or be reimagined as a Hollywood feature film. From the 1930s through the 1960s, Tinseltown’s glitterati and Manhattan’s Mafia underworld coveted his sofas, coffee tables and table lamps.
Mont was born Demetrios Pecintoglu in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1904 to a family of artists. He reportedly studied architecture and art in Spain and France, and during the 1920s, Mont immigrated with his family to the United States.
Mont and his family settled in New York, where he found work in a Brooklyn electrical supply shop. There he sold hardware and designed his own lighting fixtures. The latter caught the eye of a gangster named Frankie Yale, who commissioned him to refurnish his house. Mont’s opulent designs drew on Art Deco, Hollywood Regency and were occasionally marked by chinoiserie, then a very popular trend in decorating. He created the kind of low-profile side tables and sofas that are frequently associated with mid-century modernism, and he is credited today with helping popularize the integration of Asian influences in modern American design.
Mont soon attracted New York City’s most infamous crime bosses, including Charles “Lucky” Luciano and Frank Costello. For a range of mobsters, he created fashionable, functional and sophisticated pieces such as collapsible home bars that would fold down and out of view — a particularly convenient feature during Prohibition — and tables and desks with secret drawers, which were also handy to Mont’s shady clientele.
“You bought a bar from him, and he would also deliver booze in a baby carriage,” antiques dealer and furniture retailer Todd Merrill told New York about Mont in 2008.
Mont designed a room for the World’s Fair in 1939 and later befriended Hollywood celebrities such as Bob Hope, who was best man at his wedding, Irving Berlin and Lana Turner. During the 1940s and ‘50s, Mont continued designing furniture, mastering finishing techniques such as lacquering and incorporating a distinctive “leafing” print effect with silver and gold into his pieces.
Mont’s designs enjoyed a resurgence in the 1990s, and his pieces continue to be sought after by collectors.
On 1stDibs, discover a range of vintage James Mont sideboards, tables and storage cabinets.
James Mont Rectangle Black Lacquer Glass Top Deco Mid Century Coffee Table
By James Mont
Located in Rockaway, NJ
James Mont rectangle black lacquer glass top Deco mid-century coffee table. Two tier glass top coffee table.
Glass, Hardwood
Silver Leaf Dining Table by James Mont
By James Mont
Located in Stamford, CT
A silver leaf over wood dining table by James Mont. Includes two leaves measuring 12" each. Measures: 42" diameter when closed.
Silver Leaf
$1,250
H 15.5 in W 35.375 in D 35.375 in
Mid-Century Brutalist Wenge Framed Stone Topped Coffee or Side Table with Shelf
By Martin Visser
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Mid-Century Brutalist stone topped coffee or side table with Wenge frame, lower shelf and asymmetrical legs. Earth toned slate tiles inset into frame w...
Stone
$1,564Sale Price|59% Off
H 19.69 in W 33.47 in D 18.9 in
Mid-Century Italian Coffee Table with Marble Top, 'circa 1950s'
By Ico Parisi
Located in London, GB
Mid-century Italian coffee table with marble top in the style of Ico Parisi (1950s). A tan with white highlights, rectangular (with curved ends) marble top sits upon a very stylish b...
Marble
Triangular Base Dining Table by Pace
By Leon Rosen
Located in New York, NY
Minimalist dining table by Leon Rosen Pace. The triangular glass and polished chrome pedestal base supports a 1/2" thick 42" diameter glass top, which creates a simple and elegant l...
Chrome
$2,530
H 14 in W 42 in D 42 in
Muller & Barringer for Kittinger Coffee Table with Lacquer Top, Circa 1950
By James Mont
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Asian inspired coffee table with black sculpted base and black lacquer top by Muller and Barringer for Kittinger in the 1950's. Dimensions: 42" D x 14" H SKU: SKU00006298
Hardwood
$2,850
H 18.5 in Dm 40 in
Chinoiserie Marble and Gilt Wood Coffee Table style of James Mont Mid Century
By James Mont
Located in Atlanta, GA
Glamorous Marble and Gilt Wood Coffee Table, in the manner of James Mont, American, circa 1950s. Beautiful white marble top with gray veining. Retains warm original patina.
Marble
$3,040Sale Price|20% Off
H 13.5 in W 62 in D 22 in
Art Deco Coffee Table by James Mont in Original Estate Condition
By James Mont
Located in New York, NY
Classic Art Deco, Hollywood Regency style low slung coffee, cocktail table by enigmatic designer, James Mont. The table exhibits Art Deco, Asia Modern and traditional Chinese design ...
Wood
Mid-Century Modern Glass Top Coffee Table
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A beautiful vintage modern propeller shaped metal base and a thick round glass top is sure to make an impression in any modern interior. An elegant design that boasts a tripod base w...
Metal
Dining Table, Design by Vittorio Dassi, Italy, 1950s
By Vittorio Dassi
Located in Wolfurt, AT
This dining table was designed by Vittorio Dassi in Italy in the 1950s. The table frame is made of rosewood and an antique pink glass top is set i...
Brass
Sculpture Dining Table by Jacques Jarrige
By Jacques Jarrige
Located in New York, NY
Part of Jacques Jarrige’s celebrated Meanders series, this sculptural dining table exemplifies his poetic approach to form, space, and movement. Crafted in MDF and finished in lacque...
Plywood
Mid-century Coffee Table with Brass Base
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This simple yet decorative midcentury coffee table features a wonderful brass base with a wood grain finished top. Unique vintage table with interesting brass details, woodgrain lami...
Brass
$5,000 / item
H 13 in W 51.19 in D 31.5 in
Slit Coffee Table, Cast-Glass Top with Dynamic Look, Black Oak
By Yet Design Studio
Located in Istanbul, 34
Step into Slit's world of creative interplay of textures and axes. It exalts the 'Off_Grid' concept by disrupting wooden slats' axes on three different vertical levels and crown them...
Wood, Glass
$4,250
H 30.25 in W 87.5 in D 42.5 in
A mahogany and bronze dining table in the manner of James Mont, C. 1950.
By James Mont
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A bold dining table crafted from mahogany with striking bronze accents, in the distinctive style of James Mont, circa 1950. The table’s dramatic silhouette reflects Mont’s signature ...
Bronze
Sold
H 29 in W 48 in D 40 in
James Mont Asian Style Dining Table with Custom Oil Lacquer Finish, 1940s
By James Mont
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Asian style small dining table with single leaf and custom oil lacquer finish by James Mont, American, 1940s.
Wood, Lacquer
Silvered Urn Form Pedestal Table By James Mont
By James Mont
Located in Hanover, MA
Gracious center table with an elaborately carved two-handled fluted urn-form pedestal base terminating in a round foot mounted on a classical square plinth. The oval shaped glass t...
Unusual Large Urn Table By James Mont
By James Mont
Located in New York, NY
This wonderful large dramatic urn table in a beautiful gilt leaf finish has a center opening in the 42" piece of glass for that special arrangement by JAMES MONT.
Wood, Glass