Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Formed in the wake of the Jacobin Reign of Terror’s bloody guillotine, the Directoire was established to lead France into order through the leadership of a five-member council of directors. It was brief, lasting only from 1795 to 1799, ending with Napoléon Bonaparte’s coup d’état, and was economically tumultuous. Yet it was an essential bridge between the era of Louis XVI and the elaborate Empire style that followed, with Directoire furniture and decorative arts shaped by a royal passion for classical design and an enthusiasm for postrevolutionary France.
Much of the country’s furniture production had halted during the French Revolution when the furniture guilds system was abolished, but during the Directoire period, the cabinetmakers restarted their businesses, such as François-Honoré-Georges and Jacob-Desmalter who established a new workshop called Jacob-Frères. Pieces made in walnut, elm, mahogany and other inexpensive materials incorporated influences ranging from Egypt to Pompeii, with popular forms including the curule armchair based on an ancient Roman design. The aesthetics of the transitional style were more austere than during the monarchy, with court cabinetmaker Jean-Baptiste Sené, for instance, reimagining his workshop’s neoclassical-style furniture with ungilded surfaces and a reduction of ornamentation.
Symbols referencing the revolutionary tenets of liberty, equality and fraternity were frequently carved into Directoire furnishings, such as the Phrygian cap, clasped hands and the fasces, which is an image of a bound bundle of sticks adopted from the Roman Republic, where it was seen as an emblem of strength through unity.
Elements of the French Directoire style continued through Empire style. Designers Charles Percier and Pierre-François-Léonard Fontaine are credited today as major proponents of both movements. The classically inspired furniture design is represented in pieces such as the boat-shaped daybed and the klismos chair, which endured in French interiors as well as in styles abroad, including American Directoire.
Find a collection of antique Directoire chairs, tables, daybeds, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
19th Century French Antique Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Walnut
1990s Italian Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Marble
1780s French Antique Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century French Antique Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Wood
20th Century Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Mirror
1890s French Antique Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Carrara Marble, Brass
19th Century Italian Antique Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century Antique Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Marble, Bronze
2010s French Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Cherry, Oak
2010s French Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Cherry, Oak
Early 1800s Italian Antique Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Iron
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Wood
18th Century European Antique Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Fruitwood
21st Century and Contemporary American Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Mahogany
2010s American Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Nickel
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Brass
1870s French Antique Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Oak
1960s Italian Vintage Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Marble
19th Century French Antique Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Brass
1820s German Antique Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Walnut
1890s French Antique Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Rosewood
Late 19th Century French Antique Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Velvet, Walnut
19th Century French Antique Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Wood
1890s French Antique Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Maple, Pine
Late 20th Century American Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Brass
Late 19th Century Portuguese Antique Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century American Antique Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Wood, Olive, Burl, Lacquer
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Marble, Brass
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Oak, Pearwood
18th Century French Antique Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Brass
19th Century French Antique Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Wood, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Argentine Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Brass
19th Century French Antique Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Wood
1950s American Vintage Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Walnut
Early 1800s Italian Antique Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Iron
1940s French Vintage Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Walnut
Late 20th Century French Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Fruitwood
21st Century and Contemporary French Directoire Bedroom Furniture
Metal