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.
H 30.71 in W 18.12 in D 21.66 in
Set of 6 Fine French 1930s Dining Chairs by Jules Leleu
By Jules Leleu
Located in Long Island City, NY
Jules Leleu (1883 - 1961)- A set of six fine French Art Deco palisander dining chairs. Bibliography: Françoise Siriex, "Leleu Décorateurs Ensembliers", Éditions Monelle Hayot, Paris...
Palisander
H 42.5 in W 18 in D 20 in
Pair of French Mahogany Side Chairs Attributed to Jules Leleu, C1940
By Jules Leleu
Located in Kent, CT
A stunning pair of French, 1940s mahogany side chairs attributed to Jules Leleu and newly covered in a dusty rose velvet fabric. The lines on this set are spectacular; the backs curv...
Mahogany
H 32.29 in W 18.12 in D 21.66 in
Set of 8 Fine French 1930s Dining Chairs by Jules Leleu (Dining Table Available)
By Jules Leleu
Located in Long Island City, NY
Jules Leleu - A set of eight fine French Art Deco palisander dining chairs with nickeled sabots. Some of them are stamped.
Palisander, Rosewood
H 37.8 in W 21.66 in D 23.23 in
Set of 10 Fine French Mid-Century Dining Chairs by Jules Leleu
By Jules Leleu
Located in Long Island City, NY
Jules Leleu (1883 - 1961)- Rare set of 10 fine French Mid-Century dining chairs with a tubular lacquered metal frame and gilded brass feet. Signed
Metal, Brass
H 37.01 in W 18.51 in D 22.84 in
Pair of Fine French Art Deco Mahogany Chairs by Jules Leleu
By Jules Leleu
Located in Long Island City, NY
Jules Leleu- A pair of fine French 1940s mahogany chairs with intertwining curved wood backs Numbered: 21956 & 21957 For an illustration of a similar armchair, see Siriex, Francoise. The House of Leleu. New York: Hudson Hills...
Mahogany
H 36.62 in W 21.66 in D 21.66 in
Pair of Fine French Art Deco Chairs in the Style of Jules Leleu Restored
By Jules Leleu
Located in Vigonza, Padua
1930s Pair of fine French Art Deco chairs with armrest in the style of Jules Leleu in walnut and rattan, restored. Good conditions Measure...
Rattan, Walnut
H 40 in W 20.25 in D 21 in
Vintage Art Deco Mahogany Dining Chairs, Jules Leleu Style, 1920s
By Jules Leleu
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A black-brown, vintage Art Deco French pair of dining room chairs made of hand crafted polished Mahogany in the style of Jules Leleu, in good condition. The upholstered backrest of the Parisian armchairs...
Fabric, Cotton, Upholstery, Mahogany
H 38.59 in W 18.31 in D 17.72 in
Set of Six Art Deco Yellow Dining Chairs, Jules Leleu Style
By Jules Leleu
Located in Lisbon, PT
This set of six Art Deco dining chairs features a design inspired by Jules Leleu. The chairs have a lacquered doucine base and are upholstered in yellow vinyl. Take into account t...
Wood
H 34.25 in W 22.25 in D 20.9 in
Set of Six Ocean Liner Armchairs by Jules Leleu
By Jules Leleu
Located in Bridgewater, CT
Jules Leleu (1883-1961). Set of six beechwood armchairs, "fauteuils de paquebot", with coiled armrest supports, reupholstered with dark green leather, standing on four slightly arch...
Leather, Beech
H 34.75 in W 19 in D 18 in
Set of Six English Chinoiserie Side Chairs. Circa 1820-30
Located in Charleston, SC
Set of six English Chinoiserie black lacquered side chairs with Oriental figures, cane seats, and terminating on turned floral splayed legs. Dealers please call for trade price.
Jules Leleu, Set of Three Art Deco Mahogany Side Chairs, France, C. 1930
By Jules Leleu
Located in New York, NY
Set of three side chairs by Jules Leleu in mahogany with gilt bronze sabots For an illustration of identical armchairs, see: Ensembles Mobiliers....
Bronze
Jules Leleu, Set of Four Art Deco Dining Chairs, France, circa 1947
By Jules Leleu
Located in New York, NY
These beautiful dining chairs rest on solid interconnected bases and possess charming, crisscrossing backs. For illustrations of this identical model, see: Ensembles Mobiliers. Vol...
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
Jules Leleu, Pair of Gondola Armchairs, France, circa 1929
By Jules Leleu
Located in New York, NY
Sumptuously upholstered in Prelle's luminous Les Danseuses (front) and silk velvet (back), the front legs of each gondola chair are spherical while the rear legs arched. Each chair i...
Upholstery, Mahogany
Jules Leleu, Art Deco Armchair, France, circa 1940
By Jules Leleu
Located in New York, NY
With rounded and scrolled detail on the armrest, this Jules Leleu Art Deco armchair is the picture of elegance and comfort. Bibliography: For an illustration of a similar model, se...
Velvet, Oak
Jules Leleu, Pair of Oak Armchairs, France, circa 1948
By Jules Leleu
Located in New York, NY
This pair of cabriolet armchairs are constructed with oak frames with an upholstered seat and back, its elegant curves contrasting with its sharp lines. The angled armrests finish in...
Upholstery, Oak
