Louis-Jean-Sylvestre Majorelle, more commonly known as Louis Majorelle, was a French artist, metalworker and Art Nouveau designer celebrated for his bedroom furniture, cabinets, chairs and decorative objects.
In 1877, Majorelle moved to Paris from the town of Nancy where he began his studies in painting under Jean-François Millet at the École de Beaux Arts. Following the death of his father, a furniture designer, he returned to Nancy and took over the family workshop. Parisian architect Henri Sauvage designed Majorelle’s house in Nancy, Villa Majorelle, which featured stained glass by Jacques Gruber.
In order to increase productivity and reduce costs — as well as shift the family business’s focus from reproductions of 18th-century furniture such as Louis XV chairs to instead working in the era’s Art Nouveau style — Majorelle integrated modern techniques and processes at his atelier (these changes were in part inspired by innovative glassmaker Emile Gallé).
The workshop became known for Majorelle’s distinctive designs and the pronounced craftsmanship of its offerings. There were tables made from mahogany and ormolu that featured handsome bronze mounts and marquetry, table lamps that shared common ground with the prized designs associated with Tiffany Studios, and decorative pieces that Majorelle produced in partnership with Daum, a revered manufacturer of French art glass.
The work was very much characterized by the botanical motifs and curvaceous silhouettes of Art Nouveau design, and the business was successful. Majorelle produced a range of items during the early 1900s and was a participant in the 1900 Paris Exposition as well as the Exposition de l'Ecole de Nancy in 1903.
In 1916, a devastating fire broke out in Majorelle’s factory on the rue du Vieil-Aître in Nancy. It destroyed all of the company’s awards, sketches, molds, equipment and archives of Majorelle’s work. In 1917, destruction again shook his business when his shop on the rue Saint-Georges was bombed by German aircraft. The designer marched on — he relocated to Paris where he shared a workspace and created vases and other vessels in the Art Deco style before he moved back to Nancy. Majorelle designed the Nancy Pavilion at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in 1925 with Alfred Lévy. He died in 1926.
Find antique Louis Majorelle cabinets, seating and decorative objects on 1stDibs.
Pair of French Art Nouveau Console Tables by Louis Majorelle
By Louis Majorelle
Located in Queens, NY
2 French Art Nouveau mahogany bracket console tables with a floral carved apron supported on a single leg with "D" shaped yellow marble top (PRICED EACH)
Marble
$4,500
H 29.5 in W 39.5 in D 17.5 in
French Art Nouveau Giltwood Console Table with Marble Top, Circa 1900
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
French Art Nouveau giltwood console table circa 1900, a sculptural piece of furniture that expresses the artistry of the period when every aspect of interior design was an opportunit...
Marble
$4,600
H 29.25 in W 32 in D 22.25 in
Antique Italian Art Nouveau Desk or Side Table in the Manner of Louis Majorelle
By Louis Majorelle
Located in Chicago, IL
A study in proportion and material, this petite writing desk, dating to the early 1900s, reflects the sensibility of the Art Nouveau period, in the manner of Louis Majorelle. Its sc...
Wood, Parchment Paper
Louis Majorelle French Art Nouveau Table
By Louis Majorelle
Located in New York, NY
A French Art Nouveau table by Louis Majorelle. The table top is decorated with leaves and flowering vines in fruitwood marquetry. The table's marquetry sides are ornamented with a ...
Wood
Pair of French Console Tables
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Console Tables with Decorative Parisian Door Panel Where history meets modern artistry. This stunning pair of console tables transforms a salvaged Parisian entry door panel into an ...
Steel, Iron
Louis Majorelle French Art Nouveau Games Table
By Louis Majorelle
Located in New York, NY
A French Art Nouveau games table by Louis Majorelle, featuring an inlaid marquetry top and carved legs and skirt. The marquetry decoration features stems, leave and, flowers around a...
Wood
$5,000
H 30.25 in W 27.5 in D 27.5 in
Louis Majorelle Signed French Art Nouveau Game Table, circa 1900
By Louis Majorelle
Located in Dallas, TX
A French Art Nouveau marquetry walnut and exotic wood game table signed by Louis Majorelle. The tabletop is decorated with large leaves and stems. Stylized with fine marquetry side a...
Walnut
$8,416Sale Price|20% Off
H 29.53 in W 25.99 in D 25.99 in
Olga Pedestal Table by Louis Majorelle, France, circa 1900
By Louis Majorelle
Located in VÉZELAY, FR
Superb pedestal / side table in mahogany with double trays. Each foot is decorated with a bronze shoe / hoof with a floral motif (clematis or orchids). Art Nouveau, France, circa ...
Bronze
Pair of French Console Tables
Located in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
Interesting pair of 19th C French rustic bleached oak console tabbles. 1830
Oak
French Art Nouveau Table by Louis Majorelle
By Louis Majorelle
Located in New York, NY
A French Art Nouveau mahogany salon table with fruitwood marquetry by Louis Majorelle. The table top is decorated with leaves and vines. The legs have carved flowers, circa 1900. ...
Fruitwood
Louis Majorelle French Art Nouveau Table
By Louis Majorelle
Located in New York, NY
A French Art Nouveau marquetry walnut and macassar ebony salon table by Louis Majorelle. The table top is decorated with leaves and vines. The legs have carved flowers. Circa 1900 P...
Ebony, Macassar, Walnut
$22,800
H 29.92 in W 32.7 in D 24.4 in
Art Nouveau Marquetry Desk Table by Louis Majorelle, France 1900
By Louis Majorelle
Located in Vienna, AT
A French Art Nouveau desk table by Louis Majorelle, France, circa 1900-Signed, “L Majorelle.” Rare desk version with a drawer and the intricate twisted leg motive. The table top is ...
Fruitwood
French Art Nouveau Marble Pastry Table Console
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Fantastic French Art Nouveau pastry table or console table featuring a dark green marble slab top. The thick marble is supported by a bronze mounted steel decorative arts base with w...
Marble, Bronze, Steel
Art Nouveau Console and Mirror by Louis Majorelle
By Louis Majorelle
Located in Englewood, NJ
An amazing French Art Nouveau carved mahogany "Aux Algues" (seaweed) pattern mirror and console decorated with carved seaweed decoration throughout the corners. Measurements: C...
Wood