André Sornay modernist art deco studded furniture from the 30's unique piece
View Similar Items
André Sornay modernist art deco studded furniture from the 30's unique piece
About the Item
- Creator:Andre Sornay (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 44.49 in (113 cm)Width: 61.03 in (155 cm)Depth: 14.18 in (36 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1930
- Condition:Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use. Minor fading.
- Seller Location:Lyon, FR
- Reference Number:Seller: G8801stDibs: LU3066335309482
Andre Sornay
Although he is among the least known of the like-minded French Art Deco furniture designers of his era, André Sornay introduced innovative fabrication techniques and a unique decorative style to his modernist seating, case pieces and other creations.
Sornay was born in Lyon in 1902, and graduated from École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Lyon in 1918. His career as a furniture designer began in 1919 when he was appointed head of his family’s furniture company after his father’s death.
In the early 1920s — inspired by the Bauhaus and De Stijl as well as his friends and fellow French avant-garde designers Francis Jourdain and Pierre Chareau — Sornay shifted the company’s focus from manufacturing period reproductions to creating contemporary designs.
Sornay’s work fused tradition with modernism. He preferred to work with metals, exotic woods such as mahogany and rosewood, rubber and Duco lacquer for a range of cabinets, desks, chairs and mirrors. Sornay’s pieces featured sleek brass drawer pulls and sharply geometric lines, and the distinctive mode that he worked in was known throughout Lyon as “Le Style Sornay.”
Sornay was also recognized for his inventive design methods that were not only decorative but functional. In 1932, he patented the cloudage technique — studding the perimeter of veneered furniture panels with uniform brass nails. Sornay integrated this technique into his wardrobes, side tables and the armchairs he designed, which were frequently defined by clean lines and sharp angles. In the early 1950s, he also patented a technique called the “Tigette,” which allowed for quick and easy assembly or disassembly of modular furniture — a forerunner to IKEA’s flat-packed furniture.
While Sornay isn’t as well known as other European modernists like Le Corbusier and Charlotte Perriand, he attracted modest attention at exhibitions of the day, such as the 1923 Salon d’Automne and the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris, the design fair that brought the Art Deco style to the world. He was awarded the bronze medal at Paris’s Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne in 1937.
In the late 1950s, Sornay ceded control of his furniture design company to his children, remaining as an advisor until production ceased in 1999. He died the following year.
On 1stDibs, discover a range of vintage André Sornay case pieces and storage cabinets, seating and tables.
- rare André Sornay sideboard in Oregon pine and studded 40s art deco modernistBy Andre SornayLocated in Lyon, FRSideboard of the Lyon designer André Sornay dating from the 40s. Structure in veneered and solid Oregon pine, stained on the bottom of the base in black. The sideboard is composed of...Category
Vintage 1940s French Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
MaterialsBrass
- Rare André Sornay French Wardrobes Armoires Art Deco Modernist 40s - F613By Andre SornayLocated in Lyon, FRArmoire, bookcase from the 50's by the french designer André Sornay. Structure in solid mahogany and veneer highlighted by a system of brass nails perfectly aligned around the furniture (see photos). The large sliding door opens on a series of solid wood shelves...Category
Vintage 1940s French Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
MaterialsBrass, Copper
- 1940s Oregon Pine Coat Rack with Pegs by André Sornay French Art Deco ModernistBy Andre SornayLocated in Lyon, FR1940s Wall coat rack by French designer André Sornay. Structure in solid Oregon wood and veneer highlighted by a system of brass nails perfectly aligned underlining the sober and pur...Category
Vintage 1940s French Mid-Century Modern Coat Racks and Stands
MaterialsBrass
- 40's Cabinet by French Designer Andre Sornay Mahogany and Copper Art DecoBy Andre SornayLocated in Lyon, FR1940s cabinet by French designer André Sornay. The structure is made of solid mahogany and veneered wood, highlighted by a system of brass nails perfectly aligned around the edges of...Category
Vintage 1940s French Art Deco Cabinets
MaterialsBrass, Copper
- Wall Sideboard Arne Vodder from the 60s Danish Scandinavian Design SibastBy Arne Vodder, SibastLocated in Lyon, FRWall unit from the 60's by designer Arne Vodder published by Sibast. Structure in solid teak and veneer, and painted wood. The front consists of five drawers of different colors, a s...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
MaterialsTeak
- Chest of Drawers André Monpoix Model 812 for Meuble TV, 1960sBy Andre Monpoix, Meubles TVLocated in Lyon, FRRare chest of drawers from the 1960s by the French designer André Monpoix edited at the same time by Meuble TV. Chest of drawers structure in light wood, black lacquered metal legs a...Category
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMetal
- Modernist Sideboard In Studded Rosewood By Andre Sornay, France 1940sBy Andre SornayLocated in Hellouw, NLModernist sideboard in studded rosewood by Andre Sornay.Andre Sornay was an extremely gifted furniture designer who belonged to the absolute avant-garde both conceptually and artisti...Category
Vintage 1940s French Modern Sideboards
MaterialsTravertine
- Art Deco Cabinet by Andre SornayBy Andre SornayLocated in Bridgewater, CTA French Art Deco cabinet by Andre Sornay (1902-2000,) circa 1920-1925, in ebony Macassar and oak, with walnut root marquetry.Category
20th Century French Art Deco Cabinets
MaterialsEbony, Macassar
- Sideboard by Andre Sornay in Beech and Zebrano, circa 1940By Andre SornayLocated in JASSANS-RIOTTIER, FRSideboard designed by Andre Sornay in the forties Structure in beech, front and side panels in zebrano veneer 2 sliding doors in front, one central shelf inside some traces of tim...Category
Mid-20th Century French Sideboards
MaterialsBeech, Zebra Wood
- André Sornay Bookcase Art Deco, circa 1935By Andre SornayLocated in Saint-Ouen, FRAndré Sornay bookcase, circa 1935, satin varnich, with inclusion of brass nails. André Sornay (1902-2000) French creator from Lyon, who owes his celebrity to his modernist vision of...Category
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Bookcases
MaterialsWood
$6,180 Sale Price25% Off - André Sornay bookcaseBy Andre SornayLocated in LYON, FRVintage bookcase from the 60's by designer and publisher André Sornay, famous Lyon cabinetmaker and master of art deco furniture. Stamped with the Sornay sticker. Electric blue panel...Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsBeech, Lacquer
$3,186 - 1930s Modernist Wardrobe by André Sornay, Stamped and DocumentedBy Andre SornayLocated in London, GBThis masterful and exceptionally proportioned Modernist wardrobe by André Sornay shows why his stature as one of the most important designers ...Category
Vintage 1940s French Art Deco Wardrobes and Armoires
MaterialsWood