Directoire Tables
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.
1960s Italian Vintage Directoire Tables
Brass
19th Century Belgian Antique Directoire Tables
Marble, Brass
20th Century Directoire Tables
Wood
1950s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Brass
Mid-19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Tables
Steel, Bronze
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Tables
Brass, Bronze, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Directoire Tables
Wood
Late 20th Century Directoire Tables
Iron
1920s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Carrara Marble, Brass
20th Century Directoire Tables
Wood
1930s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Bronze
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Directoire Tables
Nutwood
19th Century Antique Directoire Tables
Wood
1990s French Directoire Tables
Belgian Black Marble, Brass
2010s American Directoire Tables
Gold, Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Mahogany
1950s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Brass, Steel
19th Century European Antique Directoire Tables
Walnut
1920s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Marble, Bronze
1950s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Brass
1920s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Bronze
1790s French Antique Directoire Tables
Mahogany
1920s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Walnut
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Walnut
1920s Vintage Directoire Tables
Bronze
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Mahogany
2010s Mexican Directoire Tables
Oak
19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Marble, Bronze
20th Century Unknown Directoire Tables
Brass
1950s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Marble, Brass, Bronze
1970s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Metal, Gold Leaf
19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Marble
1950s Vintage Directoire Tables
Marble, Brass
1930s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Carrara Marble, Brass
1940s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Bronze
Early 1800s French Antique Directoire Tables
Marble
Early 2000s Unknown Directoire Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Tables
Brass
Early 20th Century French Directoire Tables
Granite, Bronze
Late 18th Century Caribbean Antique Directoire Tables
Mahogany, Cedar
1790s French Antique Directoire Tables
Wood
1790s French Antique Directoire Tables
Mahogany
1990s French Directoire Tables
Brass, Steel
1920s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Argentine Directoire Tables
Silver Leaf
1950s Unknown Vintage Directoire Tables
Marble
1990s Italian Directoire Tables
Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century Directoire Tables
Carrara Marble
Early 2000s European Directoire Tables
Marble, Metal
Early 20th Century French Directoire Tables
Brass
Early 20th Century French Directoire Tables
Brass
1980s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Steel
Early 1900s French Antique Directoire Tables
Carrara Marble, Brass
Early 2000s Unknown Directoire Tables
Marble, Steel
Early 19th Century European Antique Directoire Tables
Brass
1980s French Vintage Directoire Tables
Steel