Designer, artist and architect Eileen Gray was one of the most fascinating creative figures of the 20th century. Her body of work includes lustrous lacquered pieces — her Dragons chair set an auction record for modern furniture ($28 million) at the 2009 sale of the Yves Saint Laurent estate — and sleek chrome furnishings that rival the work of Le Corbusier and the members of the Bauhaus as exemplars of pure, modernist design.
The independent and unconventional daughter of Irish landed gentry, Gray studied painting at London’s Slade School of Fine Art in her early twenties before moving to Paris in 1906 to pursue her artistic dreams. Gray had become captivated by lacquerware after seeing an exhibit in the Victoria & Albert Museum, and in Paris persuaded an expatriate Japanese master of the painstaking process, Seizo Sugawara, to teach her. Within a few years, Gray had become known among the cognoscenti for her sculptural lacquered furnishings, which she incorporated into the homes of interior design clients.
Gray was ever evolving as a designer. By the early 1920s she was creating geometric works that embodied the essence of Art Deco and the nascent modernist design movement. Some pieces — such as her Bricks screen, an assemblage of pivoting rectangular panels — employ the planar forms favored by Gerrit Rietveld and other De Stijl architects of the Netherlands. Others feature the tubular chrome framing used by Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. These include the Bibendum chair — named for the resemblance of its semicircular back and armrest to the character known in English as the Michelin Man — and the adjustable E 1027 side table, conceived in 1927 for the interiors of a stark white villa she designed for herself in the South of France.
Never a self-promoter, Gray drifted out of the limelight in the 1930s. Interest in her work was revived in the early ’70s, however, when the estates of her early clients came to auction. Her original lacquer pieces are the most coveted, but, as the sale of the Dragons chair shows, are rare and extremely expensive.
None of Gray’s designs were made in large numbers until, a few years before her death, she granted a production license. These pieces range in price from $1,000 to $2,500, depending on furniture type and condition. Gray’s work has become iconic of practical and elegant modernist design. Yet, as you will see on 1stDibs, many of her creations have a simplicity that makes them welcome even in a traditional setting.
Sofa in fabric ClassiCon Lota Sofa design Eileen Gray
By Eileen Gray
Located in Varedo, MB
Brand: ClassiCon Model: Lota Sofa Design: Eileen Gray, 1924 The Lota Sofa originates from Eileen Gray's celebrated interior design for the apartment of Madame Mathieu-Levy on Rue de...
Leather, Wood
Customizable ClassiCon Lota Sofa by Eileen Gray
By Eileen Gray
Located in New York, NY
The apartment of Madame Mathieu-Levy on Rue de Lota in Paris was regarded as one of the most sensational examples of French interior architecture of the 1920s. Eileen Gray had create...
Fabric
$24,015 / item
H 33.47 in W 94.49 in D 34.65 in
Sofa in leather ClassiCon Lota Sofa design Eileen Gray
By Eileen Gray
Located in Varedo, MB
Brand: ClassiCon Model: Lota Sofa Design: Eileen Gray, 1924 The Lota Sofa originates from Eileen Gray's celebrated interior design for the apartment of Madame Mathieu-Levy on Rue de...
Leather, Wood
Eileen Gray 'Lota' Sofa in High Gloss Lacquered Wood
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Eileen Gray for ClassiCon, 'Lota' sofa, high gloss lacquered wood, fabric, design 1924 The French designer and architect Eileen Gray (1878-1976) initially designed this "Lota" sofa ...
Fabric, Wood
Eileen Gray Daybed
By Eileen Gray
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Red leather and tubular chrome daybed by Eileen Gray, 1980s.
Steel
$18,329 / item
H 23.63 in W 110.24 in D 37.41 in
Customizable ClassiCon Monte Carlo Sofa by Eileen Gray
By Eileen Gray
Located in New York, NY
Eileen Gray‘s perhaps most exclusive sofa radiates an allure from which no beholder can escape. The soft curve, the most unusual lines of the backrest make the Monte Carlo an incomp...
Leather, Fabric
Parker 2 Seats Sofa by Domkapa
Located in Geneve, CH
Parker 2 Seats Sofa by Domkapa Materials: Polished stainless steel, velvet (Alban 2940). Dimensions: W 230 x D 110 x H 88 cm. Also available in different materials. Please contact us. The most recent addition to Domkapa’s sofa collection, Parker expresses a straightforward aesthetics complemented by generous and welcoming proportions. Resting on slender wood or metal feet, the wide armrest allows great comfort combined with the fully padded double cushions on the back. The back and seat of this sofa have one thing in common: geometric and elegant vertical lines that elongate the design for a contemporary piece. Fitting in residential and contract projects, Parker sofa...
Stainless Steel
Malerba Loveletter Sofa
By Malerba
Located in Rochester, England
Introducing the epitome of luxury and elegance - the Loveletter Sofa by Malerba. This stunning piece features a sleek and modern design, with a curved silhouette and plush leather up...
Metal
Chloe 3 Seats Sofa by Domkapa
Located in Geneve, CH
Chloe 3 seats sofa by Domkapa Materials: Rose gold brushed, fabric (Logone 09). Dimensions: W 300 x D 100 x H 75.5 cm. Also available in different materials. Please contact us. Chloe is an outstanding design piece with striking aesthetic balance and refined materials. Available in two-seater, three-seater, and chaise-longue versions, it stars a wooden or metallic base and upholstered seat and backrest that can elevate any room. A stitched line is dividing the piece for easy assembling and transport while double-top stitching is seen across the sofa for a luxury touch. The soft curves prevail throughout every element of Chloe sofa...
Steel
Aniston 2 Seats Sofa by Domkapa
Located in Geneve, CH
Aniston 2 seats sofa by Domkapa. Materials: fiber, black texturized steel. Dimensions: W 180 x D 97 x H 83 cm. Also available in different materials. Aniston sofa is a modern...
Steel
Three-Seat Sofa by Vico MAGISTRETTI for CASSINA 1973
Located in Berlin, Berlin
Description will follow.
Velvet
Modular Sofa designed by George NELSON for HERMAN MILLER, 1960s
By George Nelson
Located in Berlin, Berlin
Two-seat Sofa designed by George Nelson. U.S.A., Herman Miller, 1960s. Modular Sofa by George Nelson with a strong metal structure including chrome-plated feet. Two vintage red Moha...
Metal
Two Seat "Bambole" Sofa by Mario BELLINI, B&B ITALIA
Located in Berlin, Berlin
Two-seat sofa, designed by Mario Bellini. Italy, B&B Italia, 1972. Original vintage 'BAMBOLE' sofa, with recent upholstery in mustard/yellow velvet fabric. What makes this sofa ...
Velvet
Original Sofa by Gigi RADICE for MINOTTI, 1960s
By Gigi Radice
Located in Berlin, Berlin
The classic sofa, designed by Radice in the 1960s using a wooden construction with four conical brass feet. The sofa has been re-upholstered in fine gray wool material. Gigi Radice...
Brass
Original D70 Sofa by Osvaldo BORSANI for TECNO, 1954
By Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Berlin, Berlin
The 'D70' variable tilt sofa-bed, produced by Tecno, Milan, 1954. Black tubular frame with foam rubber padding and brass knobs, for changing the back and seat height of the sofa. Up...
Metal, Brass
Fine Leather SORIANA Chaiselongue von Tobia & Afra Scarpa
By Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in Berlin, Berlin
Original re-edition Soriana Chaiselongue, created by the design duo in 1969 and re-editioned in 2021 by Cassina. Using a chrome-plated frame and taking advantage of new polyurethane ...
Leather
After years of diligent restoration, E-1027, the designer-cum-architect’s marriage of romance and modernism, is finally complete.
Decades after her death, appreciation for the legendary designer and architect's work continues to flourish.
