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.
1940s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Upholstery, Beech
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone
2010s French Directoire Furniture
Wood, Cherry
18th Century and Earlier French Antique Directoire Furniture
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone
1940s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Carrara Marble, Bronze
Early 20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Carrara Marble, Brass
Early 20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Carrara Marble, Brass
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone
1930s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Fruitwood
Mid-20th Century Italian Directoire Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary French Directoire Furniture
Brass
1960s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Mahogany
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Belgian Black Marble, Stone
1880s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Bronze, Iron
1950s European Vintage Directoire Furniture
Walnut
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
20th Century American Directoire Furniture
Brass
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Directoire Furniture
Bronze
Late 20th Century Unknown Directoire Furniture
Masonite, Paint
1890s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Belgian Black Marble, Bronze
20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Carrara Marble
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone
2010s American Directoire Furniture
Brass
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Directoire Furniture
Paper
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Pine
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Walnut
20th Century Turkish Directoire Furniture
Wool
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Carrara Marble, Brass
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
1790s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Early 20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Carrara Marble, Brass
1930s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Bronze
1970s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Steel
Late 20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Brass
1950s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Brass, Steel
Early 1800s Italian Antique Directoire Furniture
Carrara Marble
20th Century Directoire Furniture
Onyx, Bronze
Early 1800s Italian Antique Directoire Furniture
Carrara Marble
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Carrara Marble, Brass
1950s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Metal
1950s European Vintage Directoire Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Carrara Marble, Ormolu, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Metal, Iron
1940s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Directoire Furniture
Brass
1950s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Brass
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Fabric, Wood, Mahogany
2010s American Directoire Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Wood
20th Century American Directoire Furniture
Oak
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Paint, Plaster, Wood
20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Marble
1920s Vintage Directoire Furniture
Bronze