Royere Gouffe Cerused Oak Daybed Deco, France, 1930s-1940s Midcentury
About the Item
- Creator:Jean Royère (Designer),Maison Gouffé (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 28 in (71.12 cm)Width: 84 in (213.36 cm)Depth: 36.5 in (92.71 cm)
- Style:Art Deco (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Oak,Cerused
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1937
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. very good original condition.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU189337376543
Jean Royère
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.
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- Gouffe Deco Cerused Oak Cabinet France, 1940s, Mid-CenturyBy Jean RoyèreLocated in New York, NYThis is a very unusual piece that was part of a seven-piece bedroom set. It is in very good original condition. It is labeled Gouffe on the back. Has original key. It is believed to have been designed by Royere while he worked for Gouffe. Royere later used this square pattern to create other cabinets. This is an early example. More information or photos available upon request. Price is for this item only. In 1931, aged 29, Jean Royère (1902-1981) resigned from a comfortable position in the import-export trade in order to set up business as an interior designer. He learnt his new trade in the cabinetmaking workshops of the Faubourg Saint-Antoine in Paris. In 1934, he signed the new layout of the Brasserie Carlton on the Champs Elysées and found immediate success. This was the beginning of an international career that was to last until the early 1970s. A key figure of the Avant-garde in the 1950s, Royère tackled all kinds of decoration work and opened branches in the Near East and Latin America. Among his patrons were King Farouk, King Hussein of Jordan, and the Shah of Iran, who were captivated by his freedom of creation and his elegance and entrusted him with the layout of their palaces. Royère pioneered an original style combining bright colors, organic forms and precious materials within a wide range of imaginative accomplishments. In 1980, he left France for the United States, where he lived until his death. Jean Royere (July 3, 1902-14 May 1981) was from a privileged social class and lived a pleasant childhood in the French capital. He started to worked at Le Havre in the import and export business from its 24 to its 29 years. This profession guarantee him a good lifestyle. However, this young man left this comfortable career and choose a more risky path: the designer career, field in which he was a passionate and talented artist. He started as an employee in a furniture factory boulevard Diderot, located in the Faubourg Saint Antoine, epicenter of Parisian furniture makers. In 1933, he received a prestigious order from the Carlton on the Champs Elysees. His career took off and a year later, he was in charge of the contemporary furniture section at Pierre Gouffé...Category
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