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 60.63 in W 39.38 in D 16.93 in
Art Deco Cabinet by Maurice Dufrene, France, c. 1940
By La Maitrise, Maurice Dufrêne
Located in Vienna, AT
Wonderful Art Deco Cabinet designed by Maurice Dufrene and manufactured by La Maitrise around 1940. The cabinet is made from rosewood and has mother of pearl inlays. Rosewood-vene...
Mother-of-Pearl, Rosewood
H 52.76 in W 63 in D 17.33 in
Italian Bar Cabinet in the Manner of Paolo Buffa, 1950s
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Budapest, HU
Adorable bar cabinet in the style by Paolo Buffa. Precious wood inlays.
Palisander
H 50 in W 51.25 in D 20 in
A French Modernist Bar Cabinet, in the Manner of Jules Leleu, C. 1950.
By Jules Leleu
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A refined French bar cabinet exhibiting the elegant modernist style associated with Jules Leleu later designs. The upper section fitted with mirrored interior and sliding glass doors...
Mother-of-Pearl, Glass, Mirror, Wood
H 62 in W 62.75 in D 16.75 in
Art Deco Cabinet by Jean Desnos, Polished Rosewood, France, Circa 1940
By Jean Desnos
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A light-brown, vintage Art Deco French cabinet made of handcrafted polished Rosewood, designed by Jean Desnos and produced by Rambaudi-Dantoine in good condition. The cupboard is com...
Metal, Brass, Bronze
H 54.5 in W 32.25 in D 14.75 in
Jules Leleu Rosewood Display Cabinet, French Marquetry, Circa 1950s
Located in Queens, NY
French Post-War Design (1950s) rosewood display cabinet with a Pair of marquetry inlaid doors trimmed with pearl & ebony over a large glass door on Paire...
Bronze
H 37.41 in W 29.53 in D 15.75 in
Midcentury Extravagant Bar Cabinet by Umberto Mascagni, 1950s
By Umberto Mascagni
Located in Rome, IT
This fancy bar cabinet designed in Italy by Umberto Mascagni .This piece features a cream colored vinyl with anodized aluminium and centered by colorful Italian landscape prints. An ...
Wood
H 71.26 in W 68.51 in D 19.69 in
Cabinet, Buffet of Maurice Dufrêne
By Maurice Dufrêne
Located in NEUILLY-SUR-SEINE, FR
Maurice Dufrêne (1876-1955) Important 3-door cabinet in pommelé mahogany with wood marquetry and mother-of-pearl decoration French designer, Circa 1925, H: 181 cm D: 50 cm W: 174 cm ...
Wood
H 60.5 in W 74 in D 21 in
French Art Deco Signed Jules Leleu Cabinet
By Jules Leleu
Located in North Bergen, NJ
This sunning French Art Deco cabinet is designed by famous artisan Jules Leleu. The cabinet reflects the craftsmanship and quality of the Art Deco period. The bronze trim is pictured...
Brass
H 51.58 in W 44.89 in D 18.51 in
Mid-Century Bar Cabinet inlaid Wood in the style of Paolo Buffa, Italy, 1950s
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Kampen, NL
Bar cabinet, Italy, 1950s. Designed in the refined style of Paolo Buffa, this exquisite piece exemplifies the Italian mid-century neoclassical aesthetic. Meticulously crafted with ex...
Brass
H 59.06 in W 73.63 in D 19.69 in
Fine French 1940s Cabinet - Armoire by Jean Pascaud 'Marquetry by J.D Malcles
By Jean Pascaud
Located in Long Island City, NY
Jean Pascaud (1903-1996) - A fine French Art Deco walnut stained armoire/cabinet with a carved diamond pattern that frames three doors, each with a refined brass inlay by J.-D. Malcl...
Brass
Jules Leleu Cabinet, France, 1956
By Jules Leleu
Located in New York, NY
Vitrine by Jules Leleu in mahogany marquetry with glass sliding doors and gilt bronze legs Bears its original label dated Nov 9th 1956, and is numbered on the back: 28332 Prove...
Bronze
Jules Leleu, Art Deco Walnut Cabinet, France, C. 1944
By Jules Leleu
Located in New York, NY
Fine walnut four-door cabinet by Jules Leleu with bronze medallion by Champreix For an illustration of an identical cabinet, see Mobilier et Décoration, no. 5. December 1946. F...
Bronze
Maison Leleu, Four-Door Cabinet, France, 1961
By Maison Leleu
Located in New York, NY
This cabinet was specifically designed for the living room of Mr. Frilet, one of Leleu’s most important clients. This cabinet is recorded in Maison Leleu’s Livre des Cre´ations under: 5457 Grand Meuble - Salon de Mr Frilet in 1961. It is also mentioned in the document: Statement Lacquer Cabinets 03 -28-1962 Sm res, dated March 28...
Gold Leaf
Jules Leleu, Large Lacquered Walnut Cabinet, France, 1933
By Jules Leleu
Located in New York, NY
Unique and important Art Deco four-door cabinet in walnut with lacquered doors and nickel-plated details. Lacquer work by Katsu Hamanaka (1895-1982)....
Walnut, Lacquer
Large Two-Door Commode by Jules Leleu, France, 1939
By Jules Leleu
Located in New York, NY
Macassar ebony two-door commode with mother of pearl and ebony inlay by Jules Leleu (1883-1961). Marquetry by Messager. This cabinet was exhibited in the museum show "Leleu 50 ans de mobilier et de décoration, 1920-1970" held in 2007 and 2008 at the Musée des Années 30, Boulogne-Billancourt, Paris, France and at La Piscine - Musée Art et Industrie...
Macassar, Mother-of-Pearl, Ebony
Jules Leleu, Vanity Cabinet, France, 1948
By Jules Leleu
Located in New York, NY
Rare palissander drop front vanity cabinet by Jules Leleu (1883-1961). The drop front opens to reveal an illuminated mirror in three sections Bibliog...
Brass, Bronze
