Art Deco Furniture

Art Deco furniture is architecture at domestic scale. The cabinet becomes a stepped facade, the chair a stack of geometric planes, and the surface a field for veneer in contrasting woods or lacquer in a single depth of colour. Nothing is carved; everything is composed.

The two markets inside it are distinct. French work is precious and hand-finished — lacquer by Dunand, metal by Adnet, and pieces made in small numbers for interiors that were designed whole. The wider European and American production is machine-made and confident, and it is where most collectors start.

The French luxury line (1910–1935) is lacquer, shagreen and silvered metal, usually signed or stamped by a named workshop.

The wider production (1920–1939) is veneer, chrome and moulded detail, made in quantity and often unmarked.