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.
20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Wood
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Belgian Black Marble, Bronze
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Directoire Furniture
Ebony, Fruitwood, Walnut, Pine
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Metal
1940s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Carrara Marble, Brass
1820s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Oak
1920s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Brass
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Ceramic
1940s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Walnut
1920s European Vintage Directoire Furniture
Brass
1940s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Carrara Marble, Brass
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Pine
1860s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Mahogany, Satinwood
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Steel
1950s Argentine Vintage Directoire Furniture
Carrara Marble
1770s Italian Antique Directoire Furniture
Cherry, Maple, Walnut
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Velvet, Wood, Giltwood
20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Marble, Bronze
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Iron
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Wood, Paint
20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Glass, Wood, Mahogany
1980s American Vintage Directoire Furniture
Brass
1970s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Carrara Marble, Brass
1950s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Brass
1890s Italian Antique Directoire Furniture
Cherry
Late 20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Leather, Hardwood, Down
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Fabric, Wood
Early 20th Century Argentine Directoire Furniture
Bronze
Early 1800s Italian Antique Directoire Furniture
Iron
Early 20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Carrara Marble, Brass
1920s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Carrara Marble, Brass
19th Century Antique Directoire Furniture
Marble, Brass
2010s American Directoire Furniture
Glass, Wood, Paint
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Velvet, Wood, Paint
Late 20th Century Directoire Furniture
Hardwood, Lacquer
20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Cane, Wood
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Wood
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Wood
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Silk, Upholstery, Mahogany
20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Mahogany
Late 19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Marble, Bronze
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Canvas
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Directoire Furniture
Walnut
1960s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Travertine, Iron
1890s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Marble, Brass, Bronze
Early 1900s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Carrara Marble, Brass
20th Century American Directoire Furniture
Oak
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Iron
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Canvas, Hardwood
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Wood
20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Fabric, Wood
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Directoire Furniture
Walnut
1950s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Marble, Brass
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Directoire Furniture
Walnut





