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.
Price Upon Request
Jules Leleu, Art Deco, Two-Tiered Side Table with Removable Tray, France
By Jules Leleu
Located in New York, NY
Remarkable Art Deco, two-tiered table with blue-backed, glass topped, removable top, brass handles, and swirled supports.
Brass
$1,219
H 19.69 in W 15.75 in D 15.75 in
Brass and Glass Two-Tier Side Table or Nightstand, Maison Jansen, France, 1970s
By Maison Jansen
Located in Roma, IT
Elegant and unique two-tier side table in solid brass and thick crystal glass. This stylish piece was produced in France during the 1970s and is attributed to the mastery of Maison J...
Brass
French Art Deco Table By Jules Leleu
By Paul Follot, Maison Dominique, Jean Dunand, Jules Leleu, Eugene Printz
Located in Houston, TX
French Art Deco Table By Jules Leleu. Offered is a gorgeous 1930's era French Art Deco sycamore table trimmed in stunning bronze accents and sabots and topped with a beautiful gold e...
Bronze
Fine Art Deco Coffee Table by Jules Leleu
By Jules Leleu
Located in Bridgewater, CT
Jules Leleu (1883-1961). A modernist French Art Deco mirrored table, created circa 1936. In sycamore, with gilt bronze accents. Signed and referenced in "Mobilier et Decorati...
Brass
Art Deco Guéridon Table by Jules Leleu, France, 1935
By Jules Leleu
Located in Kampen, NL
Elegant Art Deco guéridon attributed to Jules Emile Leleu, France, circa 1935. Expertly crafted in rosewood and walnut veneer, the circular top features refined marquetry inlay, whil...
Brass
Jules Leleu Pair of French Art Deco Side Tables
By Jules Leleu
Located in Bridgewater, CT
A pair of French Art Deco side tables, circa 1930s signed LELEU, in rosewood with mother of pearl inlaid.
Rosewood
$2,496
H 28.5 in W 31 in D 27 in
Scandinavian Modern Style Two-Tier Fold-Up Rolling Bar Cart with Removable Trays
Located in Germantown, MD
A Scandinavian Modern Style Two-Tier Fold-Up Rolling Bar Cart with two Removable Trays and two fold-up leaves. Measures 31" with leaves open, 17" with leaves close, 27" in depth and ...
Brass
French Art Deco Coffee Table in the Style of Jules Leleu
By Jules Leleu
Located in North Bergen, NJ
This amazing French Art Deco coffee table with mother-of-pearl inlay detail is in the style of famous French artist Jules Leleu. The marquetry is spectacular with butterfly details. ...
Art Deco Bar Cart With Removable Tray
Located in New York, NY
Art Deco Bar Cart With Removable Tray. Nickeled metal with mirrored surfaces.
Metal
Jules Leleu Round Coffee Table, France, 1955
By Jules Leleu
Located in Lonigo, Veneto
Jules Leleu Round Coffee Table, wood, brass and glass, France, 1955 Designed in 1955, this round coffee table distills Jules Leleu’s mature language into a quiet, composed gesture. ...
Brass
French Art Deco Table by Jules Leleu, circa 1925
By Jules Leleu
Located in Paddock Wood Tonbridge, GB
Jules Leleu - Art Deco table An Art Deco circular coffee table by Jules Leleu, Exceptionally high quality and appealing design as to be...
Wood
$14,400Sale Price|20% Off
H 21.5 in W 38.5 in D 21 in
Art Deco U-Shaped Coffee Table by Jules Leleu, France, 1928
By Jules Leleu
Located in Miami, FL
Art Deco U-Shaped coffee table in Loupe D'Amboine Burl (Amboyna) by Jules Leleu.
Amboyna
Jules Leleu Low Round Table
By Jules Leleu
Located in Bridgewater, CT
A Jules Leleu rosewood and chromium-plated metal and glass low table. Literature: Viviane Jutheau, Jules and Andre Leleu, 1989, page 75 for a similar...
Brass