Directoire Side 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.
Early 1900s French Antique Directoire Side Tables
Cherry
2010s North American Directoire Side Tables
Mahogany
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Side Tables
Brass
1960s French Vintage Directoire Side Tables
Travertine, Iron
2010s French Directoire Side Tables
Cherry, Oak
Mid-20th Century American Directoire Side Tables
Wood
19th Century French Antique Directoire Side Tables
Stone, Marble, Metal, Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Side Tables
Marble, Brass
Early 1800s French Antique Directoire Side Tables
Carrara Marble
1940s Italian Vintage Directoire Side Tables
Fruitwood
1950s European Vintage Directoire Side Tables
Metal, Brass
20th Century French Directoire Side Tables
Leather, Wood
20th Century French Directoire Side Tables
Aluminum
20th Century Directoire Side Tables
Onyx, Bronze
20th Century French Directoire Side Tables
Marble
1910s European Vintage Directoire Side Tables
Marble, Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Directoire Side Tables
Marble
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Side Tables
Wood
1940s Vintage Directoire Side Tables
Onyx, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Directoire Side Tables
Marble
2010s Mexican Directoire Side Tables
Oak
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Side Tables
Marble, Brass
1950s French Vintage Directoire Side Tables
Carrara Marble, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Directoire Side Tables
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Directoire Side Tables
Marble, Brass
1790s French Antique Directoire Side Tables
Mahogany
Late 20th Century Directoire Side Tables
Multi-gemstone, Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Directoire Side Tables
Mahogany
Early 1800s French Antique Directoire Side Tables
Mahogany
1890s French Antique Directoire Side Tables
Brass
1940s French Vintage Directoire Side Tables
Wood
19th Century French Antique Directoire Side Tables
Iron
1950s French Vintage Directoire Side Tables
Iron
Early 19th Century Antique Directoire Side Tables
Glass, Wood, Mahogany
20th Century Directoire Side Tables
Marble, Brass
1950s French Vintage Directoire Side Tables
Brass
2010s French Directoire Side Tables
Cherry, Oak
1840s French Antique Directoire Side Tables
Marble, Ormolu
1930s French Vintage Directoire Side Tables
Bronze
1970s French Vintage Directoire Side Tables
Brass, Steel
Early 20th Century French Directoire Side Tables
Marble, Brass
1920s Danish Vintage Directoire Side Tables
Marble
20th Century Directoire Side Tables
18th Century French Antique Directoire Side Tables
Ormolu