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Jean Royère Furniture

French, 1902-1981

World traveler, polyglot and avant-garde visionary Jean Royère (1902–81) is one of the biggest names in French mid-century design. He was fascinated by different materials, such as raffia and zebrawood, and aesthetics from around the world, from Scandinavian modernism to the traditions of the Middle East. Owing to this venturesome spirit, Royère produced an eclectic body of work that truly doesn’t fit a singular style. One light fixture might have organic shapes reminiscent of Art Nouveau, while a table would be crafted with minimalist straw marquetry.

Born in Paris, Royère studied classics at Cambridge University and then worked for an import-export company. In 1931, he switched gears to design, studying cabinetmaking in the workshops of Faubourg Saint-Antoine and furniture making under the tutelage of Pierre Gouffé. He made his debut in interior design in 1934 when he won a design contest for the brasserie in the Hotel Carlton on the Champs-Élysées.

Royère’s most famous piece of furniture was his biomorphic Boule sofa, sometimes playfully called the Ours Polaire, or Polar Bear. Designed for his mother in 1947, the curved sofa with its fuzzy white velvet shocked the French interior design world when it was displayed at the Art et Industrie exhibition, but it proved enduringly popular with customers, such as the Shah of Iran, who purchased several for his daughter. Royère would continue to design furniture and interiors for an elite clientele, including the kings of Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

Royère retired in 1972, then moved to the United States in 1980. After he died a year later, his archives were given to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. His works continue to be highly coveted — Kanye West, for instance, once tweeted that the Polar Bear sofa is his favorite piece of furniture. In 2016, Galerie Patrick Seguin in Paris opened a retrospective of his distinctive designs, from the plush 1943 Eléphanteau chair to the 1963 Tour Eiffel table with its elegant metal supports.

Find vintage Jean Royère tables, storage cabinets and other furniture today on 1stDibs.

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Creator: Jean Royère
Jean Royere Book by Catherine and Stephane de Beyrie and Jacques Ouaiss
By Jean Royère
Located in New York, NY
Book with stiff pictorial wrappers showcasing the work of renowned French designer Jean Royere, with many of the designs in this collection originating from Lebanese commissions. Pub...
Category

Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Jean Royère Furniture

Materials

Paper

Royere Gouffe Cerused Oak Daybed Deco, France, 1930s-1940s Midcentury
By Jean Royère, Maison Gouffé
Located in New York, NY
Royere Gouffe cerused oak daybed deco, France, 1930s-1940s midcentury Amazing rare pair of daybeds designed by Royere and made by Maison Gouffe. In...
Category

1930s French Art Deco Vintage Jean Royère Furniture

Materials

Oak

'40s Jean Royère 'Sangle' Armchair in cotton and wood
By Jean Royère
Located in Paris, FR
Jean Royère 'Sangle' armchair 1946 Wood, cotton Measures: 81 x 53 x 55 cm
Category

1940s French Vintage Jean Royère Furniture

Materials

Cotton, Wood

Jennifer Rutherford Biodegradable Sustainable Lamp by Glowdog in Bioplastic 3D
By Jean Royère
Located in London, GB
Jennifer Rutherford. “The distinctly feminine design of our Jennifer Rutherford lamp possesses an endearing elegance that oozes class into any room of the house. The gentle light that the lamp emits through its precisely sculpted grooves adds an enchanting indoor light after sunset. The fine textured shade is made with a plant-derived material that is biodegradable, reducing the lamp’s overall impact on the environment. It is a powerful piece of interior decoration that is sure to draw the eye of all who encounter it. Sharp Blossom The Sharp Blossom lamp is inspired by the spiralled petals of a budding flower. The unusual yet natural shape of this lamp causes light to be evenly distributed throughout any room that it is used in. It is a fascinating merge of classic and extremely contemporary styles. The lamp can be easily personalised to suit your interior, with three colours of base available as well as a clear or white lampshade. Blossom Delicately sculpted in the shape of a flower bud at the start of Spring, the Blossom lamp diffuses light in a unique manner thanks to the plant-derived bioplastic from which it is made. The shades take a total of over 10 hours to sculpt in our London factories, such is the intricacy of their design. This lamp is a beautiful physical embodiment of old and new entwined, offering a modern and nature-inspired twist on a classic design. Bloom Just as the Sharp Blossom draws inspiration from a flower’s initial blooming stages, the ridged twists of the Bloom lamp...
Category

2010s British Tulu Jean Royère Furniture

Materials

Plastic

'50s Jean Royère 'Ours Polaire' Armchair in Oak and Velvet Upholstery
By Jean Royère
Located in Paris, FR
Jean Royère 'Ours polaire' armchair 1950 Oak and velvet upholstery
Category

1950s European Vintage Jean Royère Furniture

Materials

Upholstery, Velvet, Oak

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Previously Available Items
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Stool
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Stool
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Jean Royère furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Jean Royère furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Jean Royère furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Jean Touret, Marc Held, and Philippe Cheverny. Prices for Jean Royère furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $445 and can go as high as $33,203, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $5,378.
Questions About Jean Royère Furniture
  • 1stDibs ExpertNovember 26, 2024
    What a fancy armchair is called depends on its design. Here are some of the most common types of fancy armchairs: An armchair with an exposed, elaborately carved wood frame and a deep seat is a bergère, while one that has a tall back that wraps inwards is a wingback chair. A balloon chair is an ornate, dramatic armchair with a soaring back that forms a half dome at the top. Chesterfield is the name for a boxy armchair with a low, rolled back that continues along the sides, forming arms. Explore a wide variety of armchairs on 1stDibs.

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