A designer and ensemblier, Jules Leleu was one of the key authors of the Art Deco movement. While he did not win the fame of such contemporaries as Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann and Jean-Michel Frank, Leleu had a longer career and was easily their peer in the conception of trim, refined furniture forms and in the use of the opulent materials — from lacquer and ivory to sharkskin and exotic woods — that were a keynote of haute Art Deco design.
Leleu was born into a family of artisans and decorators. Their firm, Maison Leleu, had existed since the 18th century and Jules would guide it through much of the 20th. (The business lasted until 1973, headed at the end by Jules's children.) He studied architecture, served as an aviator in World War I, and after the conflict took up design full-time.
Leleu presented work at the 1925 exposition in Paris that gave us the term Art Deco, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York purchased a burl amboyna wood commode by Leleu directly from the show.
As the desks, dining tables and other furniture on 1stDibs show, Leleu was a stickler for precision craft and preferred to let his materials do the talking — his furniture is generally spare and sleek; its presence is established by figuring (or patterning/graining) in the wood and the occasional marquetry medallion. He had a keen eye for currents in design and an adaptable sensibility.
Maison Leleu would embrace many of the starker forms of modernism after the 1940s, as well as new materials such as artificial lacquer and plastics (then considered cutting-edge rather than cheap). Jules Leleu is a guiding light of 20th-century modernism: a man whose work represents both a devotion to traditional handiwork and an appreciation for the next wave in design.
Find Jules Leleu tables, sideboards, dining chairs and other furniture on 1stDibs.
French Art Deco Ebonized Bench By Jules Leleu
By Maison Jansen, André Arbus, Jules Leleu, Dominique, Jacques Adnet
Located in Houston, TX
French Art Deco Ebonized Bench By Jules Leleu. This stunning French Art Deco ebonized bench or ottoman designed by Jules Leleu has beautifully curved legs and is professionally uphol...
Velvet, Wood
$24,000 / set
H 32.5 in W 25.75 in D 29 in
Jules Leleu French Art Deco Bergères Armchairs, Tapestry, Circa 1940
By Jules Leleu
Located in Queens, NY
Pair of French Art Deco (Circa 1940) Bergères Armchairs with tapestry upholstery having a round back and scroll design arm (by JULES LELEU) (Reference: Decorateurs Ensemble, Francois...
Oak, Tapestry
Jules Leleu Set of Four Art Deco Armchairs
By Jules Leleu
Located in Bridgewater, CT
A set of four French Art Deco armchairs by Leleu, in rosewood upholstered with blue/vert leather. Model 2915, circa 1939.
Leather, Rosewood
Jules Leleu, Art Deco Sofa with Rounded Back, French, 1930s
By Jules Leleu
Located in New York, NY
A lush, upholstered sofa with rounded arms, back, and feet. These last, executed in French polished beech, serve as a charming, subtle accent. A 1930s de...
Upholstery, Beech
Pair of Fine French Art Deco Armchairs by Jules Leleu
By Jules Leleu
Located in Long Island City, NY
A pair of fine French Art Deco stained beech "bridge" armchairs by Jules Leleu.
Fabric, Beech
$9,800 / set
H 31.89 in W 24.81 in D 26.38 in
A Pair of Fine French Art Deco Walnut Armchairs by Jules Leleu
By Jules Leleu
Located in Long Island City, NY
A pair of fine French Art Deco upholstered walnut armchairs by Jules Leleu.
Leather, Walnut
Fine French Art Deco Armchair by Jules Leleu
By Jules Leleu
Located in Long Island City, NY
A fine French Art Deco stained beech "bridge" armchair by Jules Leleu.
Fabric, Beech
$17,500 / set
H 36.62 in W 22.05 in D 22.84 in
Pair of Fine French Art Deco Mahogany Armchairs by Jules Leleu
By Jules Leleu
Located in Long Island City, NY
A Pair of fine French Art Deco mahogany bridge armchairs by Jules Leleu. Price includes re-upholstery with customer's own material.
Mahogany
French Art Deco Bench
Located in North Bergen, NJ
French Art Deco Walnut Bench fully restored. Having a beautiful walnut wood frame with styled legs. With reupholstered blue mohair.
Walnut
Rare Art Deco Armchair No 2, France, 1930s/40s
By Dominique, Jules Leleu, André Arbus, Paul Dupré-Lafon
Located in Lewes, East Sussex
A rare, unusual Art Deco armchair, France, 1930s/40s. Fast shipping worldwide. 46 cm x 56 cm x H 94 cm SH 33cm A similar chair is available - see final photo
Fabric, Wood
$12,000 / set
H 36.62 in W 22.05 in D 22.84 in
Pair of Fine French Art Deco Mahogany Armchairs by Jules Leleu
By Jules Leleu
Located in Long Island City, NY
Jules Leleu (1883-1961) - A Pair of fine French Art Deco mahogany bridge armchairs with bronze sabots. Bibliography: Françoise Siriex. Leleu Decorateur ensembliers: Editions Monelle...
Mahogany, Upholstery
$677
H 32.68 in W 23.23 in D 21.26 in
Restored Art Deco Armchair, by Jules Leleu, Beech, Revived Polish, France, 1930s
By Jules Leleu
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
This elegant Art Deco armchair originates from France from the 1930s and is attributed to the influential designer Jules Leleu. It embodies the French sophistication and charm of the...
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Beech, Lacquer
Fine French Art Deco Mahogany Armchair by Jules Leleu
By Jules Leleu
Located in Long Island City, NY
Jules Leleu: A fine French Art Deco mahogany bridge armchair with bronze sabots.
Fabric, Mahogany
Jules Leleu, Pair of Art Deco Side Chairs, France, 1925
By Jules Leleu
Located in New York, NY
The house of Leleu rose to prominence in the 1920s during the Art Deco period, and became known for the ornate classicism of its richly refined furniture...
Macassar
$3,446 / set
H 37.41 in W 18.12 in D 26.38 in
Pair of Restored Art Deco Chairs, by Jules Leleu, Rosewood, France, 1920s
By Jules Leleu
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
This exceptional pair of chairs dates back to the 1920s, was manufactured in France, and carries the artistic signature of the prominent designer Jules Leleu. The overall concept of ...
Fabric, Wood, Rosewood, Upholstery, Lacquer
Art Deco Armchair, France, 1930s/40s
By André Arbus, Dominique, Jules Leleu, Paul Dupré-Lafon
Located in Lewes, East Sussex
A rare and unusual Art Deco armchair, France, 1930s/40s. Reupholstery options available - please enquire. Fast shipping worldwide.
Fabric, Wood
Sold
H 20 in W 40 in D 18 in
Jules Leleu, Upholstered Bench with Bronze Sabots & Storage Seat, France, 1940s
By Jules Leleu
Located in New York, NY
Likely designed as a piano bench, the bench seat lifts to reveal a storage compartment probably intended to hold sheet music. Numbered 25124.
Bronze
Sold
H 20 in W 41 in D 15 in
Jules Leleu, Art Deco Bench with Fluted Mahogany Frame, France, circa 1925
By Jules Leleu
Located in New York, NY
Please note that the fluted carving seen on our bench is an element of the design vocabulary used by Jules Leleu in the mid-1920s, as seen on the chair featured on the dust jacket of the French edition of the book "House of Leleu." This is possibly a grand piano bench and was purchased several decades ago from the Calderwood Gallery...
Upholstery, Mahogany