Directoire Furniture
Formed in the wake of the Jacobin Reign of Terror’s bloody guillotine, the Directoire was established to lead France into order through the leadership of a five-member council of directors. It was brief, lasting only from 1795 to 1799, ending with Napoléon Bonaparte’s coup d’état, and was economically tumultuous. Yet it was an essential bridge between the era of Louis XVI and the elaborate Empire style that followed, with Directoire furniture and decorative arts shaped by a royal passion for classical design and an enthusiasm for postrevolutionary France.
Much of the country’s furniture production had halted during the French Revolution when the furniture guilds system was abolished, but during the Directoire period, the cabinetmakers restarted their businesses, such as François-Honoré-Georges and Jacob-Desmalter who established a new workshop called Jacob-Frères. Pieces made in walnut, elm, mahogany and other inexpensive materials incorporated influences ranging from Egypt to Pompeii, with popular forms including the curule armchair based on an ancient Roman design. The aesthetics of the transitional style were more austere than during the monarchy, with court cabinetmaker Jean-Baptiste Sené, for instance, reimagining his workshop’s neoclassical-style furniture with ungilded surfaces and a reduction of ornamentation.
Symbols referencing the revolutionary tenets of liberty, equality and fraternity were frequently carved into Directoire furnishings, such as the Phrygian cap, clasped hands and the fasces, which is an image of a bound bundle of sticks adopted from the Roman Republic, where it was seen as an emblem of strength through unity.
Elements of the French Directoire style continued through Empire style. Designers Charles Percier and Pierre-François-Léonard Fontaine are credited today as major proponents of both movements. The classically inspired furniture design is represented in pieces such as the boat-shaped daybed and the klismos chair, which endured in French interiors as well as in styles abroad, including American Directoire.
Find a collection of antique Directoire chairs, tables, daybeds, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Crystal, Metal
1880s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Brass
Early 20th Century Directoire Furniture
Metal
1980s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Brass, Steel
1790s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Paper
2010s French Directoire Furniture
Wood, Cherry
1950s American Vintage Directoire Furniture
Brass
1950s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Metal
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone
1990s European Directoire Furniture
Mahogany
Early 20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Tôle
1940s American Vintage Directoire Furniture
Fruitwood
1980s European Vintage Directoire Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Ormolu
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Directoire Furniture
Wood
1820s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Oak
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone
1790s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Beech
1790s Italian Antique Directoire Furniture
Walnut
1940s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Carrara Marble, Bronze
2010s French Directoire Furniture
Wood, Cherry, Oak
20th Century English Directoire Furniture
Creamware
1960s Vintage Directoire Furniture
Brass, Bronze
2010s French Directoire Furniture
Wood, Cherry
2010s French Directoire Furniture
Brass
1950s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Walnut
1970s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Brass, Steel
1940s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Marble, Bronze
1980s American Vintage Directoire Furniture
Cotton, Wood
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone
1970s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Brass
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Directoire Furniture
Wire
2010s American Directoire Furniture
Mahogany
2010s French Directoire Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Carrara Marble, Brass
20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Marble
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone
Early 20th Century American Directoire Furniture
Fabric
2010s French Directoire Furniture
Wood, Cherry, Oak
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Cherry
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone, Marble
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Directoire Furniture
Walnut
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Limestone
20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Crystal, Iron
Early 20th Century Persian Directoire Furniture
Wool
2010s French Directoire Furniture
Cherry, Oak
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Directoire Furniture
Silver Leaf
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Directoire Furniture
Paper
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone
1940s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Walnut
2010s French Directoire Furniture
Brass
1950s American Vintage Directoire Furniture
Cane, Walnut
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Directoire Furniture
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Bronze
2010s French Directoire Furniture
Wood, Cherry, Oak, Lacquer
1950s European Vintage Directoire Furniture
Walnut