Directoire Sideboards
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.
1890s French Antique Directoire Sideboards
Bronze
1920s French Vintage Directoire Sideboards
Breccia Marble, Bronze
1940s French Vintage Directoire Sideboards
Marble
Mid-20th Century Argentine Directoire Sideboards
Marble, Brass
1920s French Vintage Directoire Sideboards
Breccia Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Directoire Sideboards
Wood
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Directoire Sideboards
Wood
1790s French Antique Directoire Sideboards
Mahogany
1790s French Antique Directoire Sideboards
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Directoire Sideboards
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Directoire Sideboards
Marble
Mid-20th Century Italian Directoire Sideboards
Maple, Walnut
1940s French Vintage Directoire Sideboards
Carrara Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Directoire Sideboards
Wood
1770s French Antique Directoire Sideboards
Steel
1920s French Vintage Directoire Sideboards
Marble
1920s French Vintage Directoire Sideboards
Marble
19th Century English Antique Directoire Sideboards
Mirror, Walnut
1940s French Vintage Directoire Sideboards
Brass
20th Century French Directoire Sideboards
Wood
1940s European Vintage Directoire Sideboards
Carrara Marble
1950s French Vintage Directoire Sideboards
Marble, Brass
20th Century French Directoire Sideboards
Mahogany
20th Century French Directoire Sideboards
Carrara Marble, Brass
1920s French Vintage Directoire Sideboards
Marble
19th Century French Antique Directoire Sideboards
Marble, Ormolu
1910s French Vintage Directoire Sideboards
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Directoire Sideboards
Wood
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Sideboards
Walnut
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Sideboards
Wood, Fruitwood
1940s French Vintage Directoire Sideboards
Carrara Marble, Brass
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Sideboards
Walnut
1940s French Vintage Directoire Sideboards
Marble, Brass, Bronze
1950s French Vintage Directoire Sideboards
Marble, Brass, Bronze
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Sideboards
Bronze
Early 2000s French Directoire Sideboards
Carrara Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Directoire Sideboards
Marble, Brass
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Sideboards
Walnut
1950s American Vintage Directoire Sideboards
Brass