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.
1950s Italian Vintage Directoire Furniture
Marble, Brass
Late 17th Century Antique Directoire Furniture
Giltwood
1940s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Wood
1970s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Brass, Steel
1930s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Wood
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Gold Leaf
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Carrara Marble
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Marble, Bronze
1920s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Beech
Early 1800s Antique Directoire Furniture
Marble, Ormolu
1890s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Brass
1940s Vintage Directoire Furniture
Onyx, Bronze
1940s Vintage Directoire Furniture
Upholstery, Mahogany, Silk
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Wood
1950s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Iron
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Marble, Brass
1890s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Belgian Black Marble, Bronze
Early 20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Wood
1970s Vintage Directoire Furniture
Marble, Brass, Steel
Late 18th Century Antique Directoire Furniture
Wood
Late 18th Century European Antique Directoire Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Late 18th Century Belgian Antique Directoire Furniture
Silver
Late 20th Century Directoire Furniture
Multi-gemstone, Marble, Bronze
20th Century Directoire Furniture
Oak
Early 20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Mahogany
1950s American Vintage Directoire Furniture
Brass
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Marble, Breccia Marble, Statuary Marble
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Mirror, Wood
20th Century Directoire Furniture
Metal
1790s European Antique Directoire Furniture
Silver
Early 1800s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Leather, Mahogany
Early 1800s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Marble, Bronze, Iron
Early 1800s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Wood
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Oak
20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Limestone
1970s American Vintage Directoire Furniture
Marble
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Iron
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Iron
18th Century and Earlier French Antique Directoire Furniture
1960s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Mahogany
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Wood
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Marble, Brass
Early 19th Century Dutch Antique Directoire Furniture
Brass
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
Late 20th Century American Directoire Furniture
Upholstery, Cane, Walnut
1920s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Silk, Walnut, Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Ormolu
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Furniture
Carrara Marble, Brass
1790s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Bronze
1790s French Antique Directoire Furniture
Crystal, Ormolu
18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Stone, Marble, Metal, Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Wrought Iron
1950s French Vintage Directoire Furniture
Griotte Marble, Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Marble
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Furniture
Carrara Marble, Ormolu, Bronze




