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.
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Bronze
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Gold
Late 20th Century North American Directoire Furniture
Brass
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Gold
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Paint
Late 19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Mahogany, Walnut
1820s Italian Antique Directoire Furniture
Fir
1930s Italian Vintage Directoire Furniture
Brass
1930s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Brass, Bronze
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Beech
Early 20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Wood, Beech, Paint
1950s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Faux Leather, Walnut
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Mahogany
1830s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Directoire Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Wood, Paint
1940s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Brass
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Directoire Furniture
Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Carrara Marble, Brass
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Fabric, Paint, Wood, Upholstery, Textile
20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Brass
2010s French Directoire Furniture
Brass
2010s French Directoire Furniture
Cherry, Oak
Late 18th Century European Antique Directoire Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
1940s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Brass
1860s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
1960s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Marble, Brass
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Wood
20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Brass, Steel
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Marble, Brass
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Gold Leaf
Late 20th Century Unknown Directoire Furniture
Upholstery, Cane, Wood
1910s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Brass
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Walnut
2010s French Directoire Furniture
Brass
18th Century Italian Antique Directoire Furniture
Cord, Walnut
20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Bronze
Early 1800s Italian Antique Directoire Furniture
Carrara Marble
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Brass, Ormolu
1890s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Glass, Wood, Paint
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Silver Plate
Late 20th Century Philippine Directoire Furniture
Brass
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
Early 20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Bronze
1890s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Directoire Furniture
Silver Leaf
1960s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Marble, Brass
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Upholstery, Ash
1960s American Vintage Directoire Furniture
Chrome
Late 20th Century Unknown Directoire Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Directoire Furniture
Iron
20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Granite, Marble, Bronze
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Directoire Furniture
Wood
1860s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Wood
1980s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Steel





