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Art Deco Commodes and Chests of Drawers

ART DECO STYLE

Art Deco furniture is characterized by its celebration of modern life. More than its emphasis on natural wood grains and focus on traditional craftsmanship, vintage Art Deco dining chairs, tables, desks, cabinets and other furniture — which typically refers to pieces produced during the 1920s and 1930s — is an ode to the glamour of the “Roaring Twenties.” 

ORIGINS OF ART DECO FURNITURE DESIGN

CHARACTERISTICS OF ART DECO FURNITURE DESIGN

  • Bold geometric lines and forms, floral motifs
  • Use of expensive materials such as shagreen or marble as well as exotic woods such as mahogany, ebony and zebra wood
  • Metal accents, shimmering mirrored finishes
  • Embellishments made from exotic animal hides, inlays of mother-of-pearl or ivory

ART DECO FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW

VINTAGE ART DECO FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS

Few design styles are as universally recognized and appreciated as Art Deco. The term alone conjures visions of the Roaring Twenties, Machine Age metropolises, vast ocean liners, sleek typography and Prohibition-era hedonism. The iconic movement made an indelible mark on all fields of design throughout the 1920s and ’30s, celebrating society’s growing industrialization with refined elegance and stunning craftsmanship.

Widely known designers associated with the Art Deco style include Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, Eileen Gray, Maurice Dufrêne, Paul Follot and Jules Leleu.

The term Art Deco derives from the name of a large decorative arts exhibition held in Paris in 1925. “Art Deco design” is often used broadly, to describe the work of creators in associated or ancillary styles. This is particularly true of American Art Deco, which is also called Streamline Moderne or Machine Age design. (Streamline Moderne, sometimes known as Art Moderne, was a phenomenon largely of the 1930s, post–Art Nouveau.)

Art Deco textile designers employed dazzling floral motifs and vivid colors, and while Art Deco furniture makers respected the dark woods and modern metals with which they worked, they frequently incorporated decorative embellishments such as exotic animal hides as well as veneers in their seating, case pieces, living room sets and bedroom furniture.

From mother-of-pearl inlaid vitrines to chrome aviator chairs, bold and inventive works in the Art Deco style include chaise longues (also known as chaise lounges) and curved armchairs. Today, the style is still favored by interior designers looking to infuse a home with an air of luxury and sophistication.

The vintage Art Deco furniture for sale on 1stDibs includes dressers, coffee tables, decorative objects and more.

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Style: Art Deco
Creator: Donald Deskey
Donald Deskey Chest Of Drawers
Located in West Palm Beach, US
Beautiful art deco chest by Donald Deskey. It has been refinished at some point in its life. The metal shows patina and wear. It is a very beautiful piece. Literature: Craft in the ...
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Early 20th Century American Art Deco Commodes and Chests of Drawers

Materials

Wood

A Vintage Donald Deskey Armchair And Ottoman for Valentine Seaver Ca' 1930's
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
An unusual and rare armchair and ottoman designed by Donald Deskey for Valentine-Seaver Co, circa 1930s. Completely restored and reupholstered in mohair. The chair measures 22.5"w, 3...
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1930s American Vintage Art Deco Commodes and Chests of Drawers

Materials

Mohair, Mahogany

Incredible Art Deco Commode in Curly Maple by Donald Deskey for Widdicomb
Located in Atlanta, GA
This magnificent commode is shipped as professionally photographed and described in the listing narrative: Meticulously professionally restored and completely installation ready. ...
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1930s American Vintage Art Deco Commodes and Chests of Drawers

Materials

Brass

Breathtaking Art Deco Commode by Donald Deskey with Unique Hardware, circa 1935
Located in Atlanta, GA
This magnificent chest is shipped as professionally photographed and described in the listing narrative: Completely installation ready. A magnificent example from a rare case series...
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1930s American Vintage Art Deco Commodes and Chests of Drawers

Materials

Brass

Donald Deskey Deco Chest of Drawers
Located in Chicago, IL
A great period Donald Deskey chest with exceptional wood grain. Chrome detailed handles and corner capping. This would make a great small buffet sideboard cabinet or dresser for the ...
Category

Early 20th Century American Art Deco Commodes and Chests of Drawers

Materials

Wood

Vintage Donald Deskey Art Deco Dresser with Bronze Pulls
Located in East Hampton, NY
Manufactured and labelled by Amodec, this important Art Deco piece displays simple lines and elegant and original bronze hardware. Original ivory lacquer.
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1930s American Vintage Art Deco Commodes and Chests of Drawers

Materials

Bronze

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Donald Deskey Streamline Art Deco Highboy Dresser Widdicombe
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Original English European high-style Art Deco bronze highboy dresser featuring a stepped black lacquer base, black trim, and bird's-eye maple body. Each drawer features custom-made s...
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Widdicomb Modern Original Figured Mahogany Three-Drawer Commode
Located in Chicago, IL
Widdicomb modern original Art Deco three-drawer commode with figured mahogany drawer fronts. Picture frame style casing with recessed curved front pli...
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John Widdicomb Art Deco Black Lacquered Dresser Chests, Newly Refinished
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous pair of Art Deco or Mid-Century Modern dressers or bedside chests By John Widdicomb USA, Circa 1940s Black lacquered mahogany, with brass accents. Measures: 36"W x 19....
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Bel Geddes for Simmons Dresser
Located in New York, NY
Norman Bel Geddes design, for Simmons Furniture Company. Art Deco, Machine Age classic form, considered very Avant Garde when introduced and still considered stylish and relevant. Fo...
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1930s American Vintage Art Deco Commodes and Chests of Drawers

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Bel Geddes for Simmons Dresser
Bel Geddes for Simmons Dresser
H 35 in W 44 in D 19 in
Pair Streamline Modern Chests by Leo Jiranek
Located in Hanover, MA
Pair of 1938 vintage American Modern streamline art deco chests of drawers designed by Leo Jiranek and possibly manufactured by J.B. Van Sciver Co. of Camden, NJ. Unsigned. The design is bookended as each chest has a corresponding rounded vertical corner with waterfall edge, four drawers with chrome backplates and elongated lacquered horizontal pulls aligned to convey the Art Deco dynamics of speed and forward motion. So strong is the design that it is not necessary to place them side by side. They speak to one another from across a room and would make great bedside chests as well. The tops, horizontal pulls and base are lacquered black and have been freshly restored. The primavera wood cases and drawer faces have a highly polished and figural grained veneer. Drawers are clean and open and close as they ought. This specific design is often attributed to Donald Deskey which is understandable since Jiranek and Deskey were close associates and together in 1934 they formed AMODEC, Inc. for the manufacture and promotion of their own modern furniture designs. LEO A. JIRANEK (b. 1900 d. 1990) was known as the ''Dean of Furniture Designers," one of the Industry's first, and unrepentant freelancers, who enjoyed 67 years in the business.He studied engineering at Princeton University where he graduated in 1922. Throughout his career, Jiranek contributed to more furniture companies than any other known designer, among them Magnavox, Thomasville, Ethan Allen, Kroehler, Heywood Wakefield, The Lane Co...
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1930s American Vintage Art Deco Commodes and Chests of Drawers

Materials

Chrome

1930s Art Deco Commode in Burl Walnut by Osvaldo Borsani Per Atelier Di Varedo
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Majestic and elegant chest of drawers by Osvaldo Borsani produced in the Varedo Atelier of his father Gaetano Borsani , original in every part, with bakelite handles, 1930s Art Deco chest of drawers, commode , in burl walnut with mirror, polished to wax. Excellent condition. Measures cm: D 53, W 120, H 100. mirror cm: W 90 H 75. About Osvaldo Borsani Osvaldo Borsani (born 1911, Varedo, Italy–died 1985, Milano, Italy) was an Italian designer and architect, born into a family of furniture makers with along and well established artisanal tradition. His father, Gaetano Borsani, owned his own furniture shop, the Atelier di Varedo, where the 16-year-old Osvaldo received his first training. At that time, the designer of the atelier was the architect Gino Maggioni, who brought with him influences of the early 20th century Jugendstil movement from Vienna and who instilled in the young Borsani an appreciation for the arts and crafts and furniture making. Osvaldo Borsani first studied fine arts at Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan, graduating in 1931, and then pursued studies in architecture at Politecnico di Milano, where he graduated in 1936. In 1933, two years before graduating as an architect, Borsani designed the Casa Minima project for the V Triennale di Milano (Milan Triennial), along with architects Cairoli and Varisco. This project earned him a silver medal for its Rationalist code and geometries, and he received positive reviews from the critic Edoardo Persico of Casabella magazine. Villa Borsani And Other Prominent Architectural Work In 1937, Osvaldo Borsani designed Villa Presenti in Forte dei Marmi, a sea town in Tuscany where the Italian aristocracy and industrial elite would build their houses, a project that displayed the same rationalistic rigor displayed in Casa Minima, but softened by the use of mediterranean finishes and materials. Villa Borsani designed by Osvaldo Borsani. Varedo, Italy Villa Borsani. Varedo, Italy In 1943, Osvaldo designed and built his own house, the Villa Borsani, in Varedo, which, despite being conceptualized under strict Rationalist principles, incorporated objects and art of younger artists that communicate a freer approach to the human expression. The Villa Borsani project involved artists such as Adriano Spilimbergo, Fausto Melotti, Lucio Fontana (who made the ceramic fireplace and the ceramic Madonna), and Agenore Fabbri (who made the bronze statue in the staircase). To this day, Villa Borsani has been preserved with most of its original furniture and it remains with Osvaldo Borsani’s family along with the extensive archives of his work. Osvaldo Borsani As a Successful Product and Furniture Designer After Villa Borsani, Osvaldo continued to develop many projects for the Milanese bourgeoisie, frequently with many of the same artists whom he employed for his villa. A particularly strong relationship was the one that Osvaldo developed with artist Lucio Fontana, a close friend since the time of the Accademia de Belle Arti di Brera, and whom Borsani assigned to make a large metal balcony for the Tecno company in 1956. Osvaldo Borsani’s design work, just as his larger architectural projects, which he also considered design work, very often incorporated elements created by other artists and designers such as: Roberto Crippa, Arnaldo and Giò Pomodoro, Agenore Fabbri, Fausto Melotti, Andrea Cascella...
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1920s Italian Vintage Art Deco Commodes and Chests of Drawers

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French Art Deco Commode
Located in Bridgewater, CT
An elegant French Art Deco chest of drawers, veneered in Macassar ebony, with three drawers, silvered bronze trimmings on tapered gadrooned legs, circa 1930.
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1930s French Vintage Art Deco Commodes and Chests of Drawers

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French Art Deco Commode
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H 34 in W 31.5 in D 16.5 in
Antique John Widdicomb Art Deco Burl Wood Chest of Drawers, Circa 1920s
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous Art Deco three-drawer dresser chest or commode By John Widdicomb USA, Circa 1920s Exotic burl wood, with hand-painted details and original hardware. Measures: ...
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1920s American Vintage Art Deco Commodes and Chests of Drawers

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Burl, Paint

Swedish Art Deco Painted Chest of Drawers
Located in Atlanta, GA
Handsome Art Deco chest of drawers. Original painted finish and golden elm top. Detailed with brass pulls, decorative centerpiece and uniquely shaped legs.
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1940s Swedish Vintage Art Deco Commodes and Chests of Drawers

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Elm

Donald Deskey Bar Cabinet for Hamilton Company
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Streamline Art Deco medical cabinet doubles as a dry bar by the Hamilton company of Milwaukee designed by Donald Deskey. Cabinet features two ...
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1930s American Vintage Art Deco Commodes and Chests of Drawers

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Art Deco Walnut and Goat Skin Italian School Commode Chest of Drawers, 1930
Located in Rome, IT
Italian Art Deco dresser of the first half of the last century. One can recognize his Italian style, Paolo Buffa, Vittorio Dassi, Osvaldo Borsani. Precious materials that have been u...
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1930s Italian Vintage Art Deco Commodes and Chests of Drawers

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Goatskin, Walnut

Vintage Oak and Brass Chest of Drawers by Paul Frankl for Brown Saltman
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Stunning vintage oak and brass chest of drawers / tall dresser designed by Paul Frankl for Brown Saltman, circa 1950s. This beautiful chest of drawer’s features a Minimalist but highly functional design that highlights the elegance of the oak wood used for its construction. The contrast offered between the different shades of oak and mahogany wood makes the dresser's structure stand out even more and captivates the viewer's eye. Features four large pull-out dovetailed drawers, all integrated with original brass X-pulls. Its spacious drawers make it the ideal home addition for storing bedroom essentials...
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1950s American Vintage Art Deco Commodes and Chests of Drawers

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Previously Available Items
A Striking Pair of Indian Rosewood Chests of Drawers by Donald Deskey
Located in Stamford, CT
A striking pair of Indian rosewood chests of drawers by Donald Deskey, designer of Radio City Music Hall ( American. 1894 - 1989 ). Each chest having 5 drawers with ball pulls. C...
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Early 20th Century American Art Deco Commodes and Chests of Drawers

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Donald Deskey Art Deco Tall Chest or Dresser circa 1930s
Located in Atlanta, GA
Tall Art Deco Chest or Dresser, designed by Donald Deskey, American, circa 1930s. This piece is currently being refinished and will look incredibl...
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1930s American Vintage Art Deco Commodes and Chests of Drawers

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Metal

Donald Deskey Art Deco Chest of Drawers Pair
Located in Phoenix, AZ
This chest of drawers pair was created in the 1930s by Art Deco master and designer of Radio City Music Hall, Donald Deskey. The pair reflect one...
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1930s American Vintage Art Deco Commodes and Chests of Drawers

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Mahogany

Art Deco Commode by Donald Deskey
Located in New York, NY
Fantastic Art Deco demilune cabinet/sideboard made from Birdseye Maple with black lacquer band details at base and around the top edge. Commo...
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Early 20th Century American Art Deco Commodes and Chests of Drawers

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Art Deco Commode by Donald Deskey
Art Deco Commode by Donald Deskey
H 35 in W 51 in D 22.5 in
Pair of Art Deco Chests by Donald Deskey
Located in Atlanta, GA
Pair of Art Deco Chests, designed by Donald Deskey, American, circa 1930s. Completely restored in black lacquer with beautifully grained natura...
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1930s American Vintage Art Deco Commodes and Chests of Drawers

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Art Deco Tall Chest by Donald Deskey
Located in Atlanta, GA
Art Deco tall chest or dresser, designed by Donald Deskey for his own company, AMODEC, circa 1930's. The exotic burled wood has incredible graining, with...
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1930s American Vintage Art Deco Commodes and Chests of Drawers

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Wood

Art Deco Tall Chest by Donald Deskey
Art Deco Tall Chest by Donald Deskey
H 46.5 in W 37 in D 18.5 in

Art Deco commodes and chests of drawers for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Art Deco commodes and chests of drawers for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage commodes and chests of drawers created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include case pieces and storage cabinets, more furniture and collectibles, tables and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, metal and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Art Deco commodes and chests of drawers made in a specific country, there are Europe, France, and Italy pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original commodes and chests of drawers, popular names associated with this style include R & Y Augousti, Kifu Augousti, Gilbert Rohde, and Donald Deskey. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for commodes and chests of drawers differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $388 and tops out at $275,000 while the average work can sell for $6,220.

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