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.
2010s French Directoire Furniture
Cherry, Oak, Wood
Early 20th Century Directoire Furniture
Leather, Fruitwood
2010s French Directoire Furniture
Lacquer, Wood, Cherry, Oak
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Metal, Brass
1960s American Vintage Directoire Furniture
Brass
1950s Argentine Vintage Directoire Furniture
Carrara Marble
1950s European Vintage Directoire Furniture
Metal, Brass
1940s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Brass
Late 18th Century Swedish Antique Directoire Furniture
1890s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Belgian Black Marble, Bronze
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Directoire Furniture
Cherry, Walnut
2010s American Directoire Furniture
Mahogany
2010s American Directoire Furniture
Gold, Brass
1920s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Breccia Marble, Bronze
Early 20th Century Directoire Furniture
Marble, Bronze
2010s French Directoire Furniture
Cherry, Oak
2010s French Directoire Furniture
Wood, Cherry, Oak, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary American Directoire Furniture
Brass
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Limestone
Mid-19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Wood, Paint
1960s Unknown Vintage Directoire Furniture
Walnut
1970s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Metal, Gold Leaf
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Marble, Statuary Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Directoire Furniture
Mahogany
Late 19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Marble
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Directoire Furniture
Paper
1960s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Bronze
1920s Vintage Directoire Furniture
Bronze
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Directoire Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Directoire Furniture
Fruitwood
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Gold Leaf
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone
Early 1800s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Directoire Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Directoire Furniture
Marble
19th Century European Antique Directoire Furniture
Fruitwood
1960s Unknown Vintage Directoire Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Italian Directoire Furniture
Brass, Steel
1790s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Marble, Brass
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Mahogany
1970s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Mahogany
1950s Vintage Directoire Furniture
Brass, Iron
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
1950s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Brass, Wrought Iron
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Marble
1820s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Oak
Early 2000s Unknown Directoire Furniture
Marble, Steel
1950s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Metal
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Directoire Furniture
Cherry
19th Century Northern Irish Antique Directoire Furniture
Pine
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Fabric, Sycamore
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Mirror, Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Linen, Upholstery, Giltwood
18th Century and Earlier French Antique Directoire Furniture
18th Century Italian Antique Directoire Furniture
Nutwood
21st Century and Contemporary American Directoire Furniture
Brass, Gold Leaf
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Velvet, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Brass