Endeavoring to create exquisite work that would endure forever, designer Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann defined the grandeur of the French Art Deco movement of the 1920s. His luxurious storage cabinets, seating, other furniture and interiors garnered considerable popularity alongside the growth in post–World War I Paris’s population of newly wealthy residents.
The Paris-born Ruhlmann was the son of a decorating contractor, a business he took over in the early 1900s and expanded into furniture and interior design. But by the end of his career, he was best known for being a skilled ensemblier, a term for a designer who not only makes furniture and decorates spaces but rather personally crafts each and every piece required in the space, from doorknobs to sofas. This practice ensured that the space was harmonious and consistent with Ruhlmann’s vision, and it contributed to the lasting popularity of his designs.
Ruhlmann enjoyed the patronage of the newly affluent and was encouraged by the popularity of Art Deco. While the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau movements were early influences, he is renowned for the modernity of his Art Deco–era designs, which reflected the celebratory nature of the times, including an integration of opulent flourishes; luxurious materials like Macassar ebony, amboyna burl, ivory and precious metals; and skilled craftsmanship and construction techniques.
Renowned all over the world, Ruhlmann was commissioned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to design a cabinet in 1925, embellishing its curved door with a sophisticated floral motif by way of an ornate marriage of wood and ivory veneer. Also in 1925, at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, arguably the exhibition that introduced Art Deco on an international level, his pavilion was the most popular.
By the time the economic depression of the 1930s materialized, Ruhlmann’s exorbitantly expensive designs were no longer viable. But the majesty and elegance of the ’20s remain an important part of design history, and Ruhlmann has been described as “perhaps its finest exponent.”
Find a collection of authentic Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann furniture on 1stDibs.
Ruhlmann 'Consolette' Mahogany and Marble Console Table
By Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann
Located in Berlin, DE
Console table known as 'Consolette’ in mahogany with a black marble top and elegantly curved leg. Referenced in the Ruhlmann Archives under nos. 4002 NR t 1034 AR. The model exhibite...
Marble
Ruhlmann Rare Two-Tier Macassar Ebony Console
By Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann
Located in Berlin, DE
Rare two-tier console in Macassar ebony, a variation of the console originally created by Ruhlmann in 1915. The rectangular top, framed by an elegant gadroon, rests on four tall, sli...
Ebony, Macassar
Pair of French 1940’s Walnut Burl and Ebonized Consoles
By Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann
Located in North Miami, FL
Pair of French 1940’s walnut burl and Ebonized consoles with incorporated mirrors attributed to Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann.
Mirror, Burl, Walnut, Wood
Ruhlmann 'Rasson Model Macassar Ebony Small Table
By Alfred Porteneuve, Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann
Located in Berlin, DE
One small table ‘Rasson’ Model in Macassar ebony with glass top. The table was designed by Ruhlmann and edited by Porteneuve. Stamped 'Dessiné par Ruhlmann, Edité par Porteneuve'. Re...
Glass, Ebony, Macassar
$18,500
H 17 in W 58 in D 31 in
Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann French Art Deco Style Rectangular Coffee Table, Macassar
By Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann
Located in Stamford, CT
Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann French Art Deco Style Rectangular Coffee Table, Macassar Ebony Low table is the style of Émile-Jacques Ruhlman's "Cabanel Basse-Boule" coffee table originally ...
Wood, Ebony, Macassar
Louis XVI Console Table, Ebonized Mahogany, Marble, French, 1800
Located in Austin, TX
Console table from France from Louis XVI period. This piece is made of solid wood construction, primarily mahogany. It has been ebonized and finished with a lustrous French polish of...
Marble, Brass
$18,034
H 33 in W 74 in D 17 in
'Giorgio Collection' Luna Ebony Macassar Wood High Gloss Italian Console Table
By Giorgio Collection
Located in New York, NY
Art Deco style console with top in sunburst ebony Macassar wood with 6mm filet in Zebra veneer in high gloss polyester. 1 full extension ebony center drawer with bottom velvet and eb...
Chrome
Superb Laquered Macassar Veneer Console Table
By Maison Dominique
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Eye catching superb laquered console having gorgeously grained macassar veneer wood. Console curves up at each side and bookend legs with stretchers add to the silhouette.
Macassar
$13,409 / item
H 31.5 in W 66.93 in D 15.75 in
Art Deco Fontaine Console Table, Macassar Ebony, Handmade Portugal by Greenapple
By GF Modern, Greenapple
Located in Lisboa, PT
Art Deco Fontaine Console Table, Modern Collection, Handcrafted in Portugal - Europe by Greenapple. The Fontaine console table is named after Jean de La Fontaine, the renowned Frenc...
Onyx, Marble, Travertine, Brass, Stainless Steel, Gold Leaf
French Art Deco Macassar Ebony Console Table
Located in North Bergen, NJ
Stunning French Art Deco Macassar ebony accent table / Console table. Perfect for any room in your home and adds a nice touch of decor.
Macassar
Custom English Walnut Burl Demilune / Console
Located in Woodbury, CT
Custom made for us in England by our talented craftsmen this table features a segmented, bookmatched top with boxwood inlays, a deep apron and tapered legs. A classic look that offer...
Walnut, Boxwood, Olive, Satinwood
$3,731
H 23.63 in W 46.46 in D 12.21 in
Console Art Deco, entrance cabinet, in burl walnut and ebonized walnut.
Located in Vigonza, Padua
1920s Art Deco entrance cabinet, console , in burl walnut and ebonized walnut . Black marble with white veins . Two cabinet with top in crystal. Mea...
Crystal, Marble
$6,763
H 31.11 in W 63 in D 17.33 in
Italian 1940s Art Deco Console in Black Lacquer, Walnut and Maple Burl
Located in Meda, MB
Elegant Italian Art Deco console, 1940s. The structure is finished in glossy black lacquer, enriched by solid walnut profiles that add warmth and contrast. The top features maple bur...
Maple, Walnut
Deco-Inspired, Macassar Ebony Side Table
By Dunleavy Bespoke
Located in Caragh, IE
Side table featuring rich, dark burr walnut, metal inlay with a Macassar ebony waterfall edge detail. The table legs are hand-sculpted and ebonized to achieve this blackened finish. ...
Macassar, Walnut
English Georgian Style Mahogany and Black Marble Console Table
Located in Queens, NY
English Georgian-style (19th century) dark mahogany console table with a rectangular black marble top, single drawer with key and four tapered sq...
Marble
Mahogany Console Table
Located in Tyrone, Northern Ireland
A George III period mahogany side table in the neo-classical Adam style. The moulded serpentine top raised over a carved frieze of classical decoration, the long central drawer finel...
Mahogany