Napoleon III Furniture
Under Napoleon III’s rule, Paris underwent a great rebuilding overseen by Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann, which created grand avenues and lavish landmarks like the Paris Opera. Antique Napoleon III–style furniture was flamboyant and eclectic. It was also known as Second Empire style since it followed and referenced the Empire style of his uncle Napoleon I.
Developing from 1852–70, Napoleon III furniture was plush and ornate, matching the fashion for masked balls and socializing in salons. It borrowed freely from earlier French styles including Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI as well as aesthetics from around the world, from antiquity to Asian art. As writer Gustave Claudin remarked in 1867, the country’s architects worked in “a style which one would be tempted to call neo-Greco-Gothico-Pompadour-Pompeian.”
Napoleon III chairs were completely covered with velvet and lined with tassels; pouf footstools invited people to put up their feet. Sofas were upholstered with tapestries, and beds were adorned with gilt bronze and theatrical canopies. The addition of conservatories to homes led to new indoor-outdoor furniture, while the spirit of hygiene promoted by Baron Haussmann inspired bright, floral motifs.
Although the most ostentatious designs were for the elite, as seen in the Napoleon III apartments preserved in the Louvre, where red velvet, gilding and chandeliers create a cacophony of luxury, these trends influenced homes across classes as manufacturing made design increasingly accessible. Papier-mâché furniture allowed for elaborate shapes that would have been difficult to carve in wood. The malleable material was painted with chinoiserie patterns and decorative designs. It was mass-produced by factories such as Jennens and Bettridge with varnishing and mother-of-pearl inlays creating an effect reminiscent of Asian lacquer. (Surfaces that had been “japanned” — a specialty of Jennens and Bettridge — were intended to resemble lacquer work that was created in East Asia.)
Find a collection of antique Napoleon III decorative objects, tables, seating and other furniture on 1stDibs.
21st Century and Contemporary French Napoleon III Furniture
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary French Napoleon III Furniture
Brass, Iron, Wrought Iron
21st Century and Contemporary French Napoleon III Furniture
Iron, Wrought Iron
21st Century and Contemporary French Napoleon III Furniture
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary French Napoleon III Furniture
Paint, Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary American Napoleon III Furniture
Shell, Wood
Early 2000s Italian Napoleon III Furniture
Gold Plate, Enamel, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary French Napoleon III Furniture
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Napoleon III Furniture
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary American Napoleon III Furniture
Velvet, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Napoleon III Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s American Napoleon III Furniture
Velvet, Wood
2010s American Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
2010s American Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
2010s Napoleon III Furniture
Fabric, Foam, Wood
2010s American Napoleon III Furniture
Cotton, Oak
2010s American Napoleon III Furniture
Upholstery, Bentwood
21st Century and Contemporary French Napoleon III Furniture
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary French Napoleon III Furniture
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary French Napoleon III Furniture
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary French Napoleon III Furniture
Iron
2010s Italian Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
2010s American Napoleon III Furniture
Wood, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
2010s American Napoleon III Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary French Napoleon III Furniture
Mohair, Silk
Mid-20th Century French Napoleon III Furniture
Brass
1930s French Vintage Napoleon III Furniture
Metal
Late 20th Century Napoleon III Furniture
Acrylic, Ceramic
Late 20th Century Napoleon III Furniture
Metal, Brass, Wire
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Napoleon III Furniture
Iron
1970s French Vintage Napoleon III Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Napoleon III Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Iron
20th Century American Napoleon III Furniture
Coral
Mid-19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Furniture
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary American Napoleon III Furniture
Iron
1920s Vintage Napoleon III Furniture
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Malagasy Napoleon III Furniture
Agate
21st Century and Contemporary American Napoleon III Furniture
Shell, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Napoleon III Furniture
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Napoleon III Furniture
Fabric, Wood
Early 2000s Italian Napoleon III Furniture
Giltwood, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary American Napoleon III Furniture
Velvet, Oak
Early 2000s French Napoleon III Furniture
Wood
2010s Canadian Napoleon III Furniture
Beads, Velvet, Wood
2010s Argentine Napoleon III Furniture
Wood
Early 2000s American Napoleon III Furniture
Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary French Napoleon III Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Napoleon III Furniture
Coral