Antique Brass Swivel Hook

Art Deco furniture is characterized by its celebration of modern life. More than its emphasis on natural wood grains and focus on traditional craftsmanship, vintage Art Deco dining chairs, tables, desks, cabinets and other furniture — which typically refers to pieces produced during the 1920s and 1930s — is an ode to the glamour of the “Roaring Twenties.” 

ORIGINS OF ART DECO FURNITURE DESIGN

• Emerged in the 1920s 
• Flourished while the popularity of Art Nouveau declined
• Term derives from 1925’s Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts) in Paris, France
• Informed by Ancient Egypt, Cubism, Futurism, Louis XVI, De Stijl, modernism and the Vienna Secession; influenced Streamline Moderne and mid-century modernism 

CHARACTERISTICS OF ART DECO FURNITURE DESIGN

• Bold geometric lines and forms, floral motifs
• Use of expensive materials such as shagreen or marble as well as exotic woods such as mahogany, ebony and zebra wood
• Metal accents, shimmering mirrored finishes
• Embellishments made from exotic animal hides, inlays of mother-of-pearl or ivory

ART DECO FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW

• Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann
• René Lalique
• Eileen Gray
• Jean Dunand
• Donald Deskey
• Jean Perzel

VINTAGE ART DECO FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS

Few design styles are as universally recognized and appreciated as Art Deco. The term alone conjures visions of the Roaring Twenties, Machine Age metropolises, vast ocean liners, sleek typography and Prohibition-era hedonism. The iconic movement made an indelible mark on all fields of design throughout the 1920s and ’30s, celebrating society’s growing industrialization with refined elegance and stunning craftsmanship.

Widely known designers associated with the Art Deco style include Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, Eileen Gray, Maurice Dufrêne, Paul Follot and Jules Leleu.

The term Art Deco derives from the name of a large decorative arts exhibition held in Paris in 1925. “Art Deco design” is often used broadly, to describe the work of creators in associated or ancillary styles. This is particularly true of American Art Deco, which is also called Streamline Moderne or Machine Age design. (Streamline Moderne, sometimes known as Art Moderne, was a phenomenon largely of the 1930s, post–Art Nouveau.)

Art Deco textile designers employed dazzling floral motifs and vivid colors, and while Art Deco furniture makers respected the dark woods and modern metals with which they worked, they frequently incorporated decorative embellishments such as exotic animal hides as well as veneers in their seating, case pieces, living room sets and bedroom furniture.

From mother-of-pearl inlaid vitrines to chrome aviator chairs, bold and inventive works in the Art Deco style include chaise longues (also known as chaise lounges) and curved armchairs. Today, the style is still favored by interior designers looking to infuse a home with an air of luxury and sophistication.

The vintage Art Deco furniture for sale on 1stDibs includes dressers, coffee tables, decorative objects and more.

Your guests might have to endure all kinds of harsh climes to get to your housewarming party, so let’s make sure their trusty overcoats and umbrellas have a home. Shop the antique and vintage coat racks and stands on 1stDibs today.

Coat racks, umbrella stands, wall-mounted hooks for outerwear — they’ve long served a practical purpose. In the days of travel by horse or foot, a guest might arrive on your doorstep bedraggled, windblown and often dripping with rain. While transportation has thankfully improved since then, a coat rack in the entryway or foyer of your home is still the beacon it was back then: It says, “Come in, where it’s dry and warm. Hang up your coat and stay a while.”

Coat stands are among history’s fairly rudimentary ideas, so it’s difficult to point to the original inventor of this eternally functional fixture, but Thomas Jefferson was said to have fashioned one of his own at Monticello. Jefferson, who would’ve made a great interior designer, placed a long wooden pole in his closet that was adorned with spokes from which his coats and other garments could be hung. The simplicity of Jefferson’s coat-tree is echoed in designs from the 18th and 19th centuries.

The timeless convenience of a wooden coat rack has endured. While there are striking Art Deco coat stands made of oak and walnut that would meet your mudroom needs well, some of the product designers behind what we now call mid-century modern coat stands turned to materials other than wood, working frequently with plastic and chrome to create unconventional alternatives. Simpler and pared-down coat stands of the mid-20th century were occasionally so interesting in form that they could pass as minimalist sculptures when not in use. Some designers, such as Jacques Adnet, helped to redefine what these classic furnishings could look like, integrating saddle leather and brass and sometimes even horseshoes for his wall hooks and racks.

Although a coat rack is undoubtedly a practical investment, we know that fun comes along with functionality. There is plenty to explore in the collection of antique, vintage and contemporary coat racks and stands on 1stDibs, so go ahead — hang up your coat and stay a while.