A designer and ensemblier, Jules Leleu was one of the key authors of the Art Deco movement. While he did not win the fame of such contemporaries as Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann and Jean-Michel Frank, Leleu had a longer career and was easily their peer in the conception of trim, refined furniture forms and in the use of the opulent materials — from lacquer and ivory to sharkskin and exotic woods — that were a keynote of haute Art Deco design.
Leleu was born into a family of artisans and decorators. Their firm, Maison Leleu, had existed since the 18th century and Jules would guide it through much of the 20th. (The business lasted until 1973, headed at the end by Jules's children.) He studied architecture, served as an aviator in World War I, and after the conflict took up design full-time.
Leleu presented work at the 1925 exposition in Paris that gave us the term Art Deco, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York purchased a burl amboyna wood commode by Leleu directly from the show.
As the desks, dining tables and other furniture on 1stDibs show, Leleu was a stickler for precision craft and preferred to let his materials do the talking — his furniture is generally spare and sleek; its presence is established by figuring (or patterning/graining) in the wood and the occasional marquetry medallion. He had a keen eye for currents in design and an adaptable sensibility.
Maison Leleu would embrace many of the starker forms of modernism after the 1940s, as well as new materials such as artificial lacquer and plastics (then considered cutting-edge rather than cheap). Jules Leleu is a guiding light of 20th-century modernism: a man whose work represents both a devotion to traditional handiwork and an appreciation for the next wave in design.
Find Jules Leleu tables, sideboards, dining chairs and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Fine French 1930s 5 piece Living Room Set by Jules Leleu
By Jules Leleu
Located in Long Island City, NY
Jules Leleu (1883-1961) - A fine French Art Deco five piece living room set - 2 bergere and 3 arm chairs - in solid walnut with rounded, scrolled and fluted details. Stamped "Leleu ...
Walnut, Velvet
Art Deco Salon Set by Jules Leleu ( 4 pieces)
By Jules Leleu
Located in Miami, FL
Art Deco Salon Set by Jules Leleu, France, circa 1940. Elegant four-piece seating suite in richly finished mahogany, comprising a curved-back sofa and three generous bridge chairs, n...
Mahogany
Colonial Indo-English Living- Room
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
Beautiful colonial Indo-English living room. It consists of a sofa and a pair of armchairs. The structure is made from native wood and dates from the early twentieth century. The front legs are made of turned wood and end in casters. The set with an interesting design is covered with a vintage mustard yellow tapestry.
Tapestry, Wood
Italian Venetian Gold 6-Piece Living Room Set
Located in Queens, NY
Set of 6 Italian Venetian-style (19th Cent) walnut high-back salon / living room set with carved cupid heads and gold upholstery. (3 side chairs, 2 arm ch...
Upholstery, Walnut
$2,692Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 35.04 in W 54.73 in D 32.68 in
Vintage Ivory Original Fabric Living Room Set of 3 Pieces by Paolo Buffa, Italy
By Paolo Buffa
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made in Italy, 1950s. This set is very particular and interesting because both the sofa and the armchairs feature vintage brass cones feet. Their fabric is original and, as you can s...
Brass
Fine French Art Deco Mahogany Armchair by Jules Leleu
By Jules Leleu
Located in Long Island City, NY
Jules Leleu: A fine French Art Deco mahogany bridge armchair with bronze sabots.
Fabric, Mahogany
Fine French Art Deco Walnut Armchair by Jules Leleu
By Jules Leleu
Located in Long Island City, NY
Jules Leleu: A fine French Art Deco walnut armchair with bronze sabots. Original Aubusson tapestry (in vintage condition).
Tapestry, Walnut
American Victorian Rosewood 5-Piece Living Room Set
Located in Queens, NY
American Victorian filigree carved & laminated rosewood 5 piece salon set (STANTON HALL pattern, J & JW MEEKS) (Available individually: settee 044...
Upholstery, Rosewood
$1,914 / set
H 31.5 in W 22.45 in D 19.3 in
Set of Two Original Art Deco Armchairs, by Jules Leleu, Beech, France, 1930s
By Jules Leleu
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
Designer: Jules Leleu Source: France Period: 1930-1939 This exceptional pair of Art Deco armchairs dates back to the early 20th century and bears the signature of renowned French de...
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Beech, Lacquer
$10,211 / set
H 48.43 in W 59.85 in D 25.6 in
Theatrical "Egyptian" Living-Room Set, France, circa 1940s
Located in Isle Sur La Sorgue, Vaucluse
Unusual and extravagant living-room set comprised of a settee, two armchairs and a table, of Egyptian inspiration. Polychrome decor. The seating pieces are raised on paw feet (front)...
Jules Leleu armchair, circa 1930
By Jules Leleu
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Jules Leleu armchair, circa 1930
Wood, Fabric
French Art Deco Ebonized Bench By Jules Leleu
By Jules Leleu, André Arbus, Maison Jansen, Jacques Adnet, Dominique
Located in Houston, TX
French Art Deco Ebonized Bench By Jules Leleu. This stunning French Art Deco ebonized bench or ottoman designed by Jules Leleu has beautifully curved legs and is professionally uphol...
Velvet, Wood
Fine French Art Deco Armchair by Jules Leleu
By Jules Leleu
Located in Long Island City, NY
A fine French Art Deco stained beech "bridge" armchair by Jules Leleu.
Fabric, Beech
$5,200Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 32.68 in W 27.56 in D 27.56 in
Art Deco Chairs by Jules Leleu, Walnut & Chenille, 1920s
By Jules Leleu
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Set of 8 chairs designed by Jules Leleu (1883-1961). Walnut wood with inlay and chenille upholstery. Francoise Sirex (2008) "The House of Leleu: Classic French Style for a Modern Wo...
Chenille, Walnut
Art Deco Salon Set by Jules Leleu
By Jules Leleu
Located in Miami, FL
A salon set by Jules Leleu made out of a solid mahogany frame and upholstered in fabric. Made in France, circa 1935 Reference: House of Leleu by Francoise Siriex, Page 73.
Chenille, Mahogany, Rosewood
5 Piece Aubusson Upholstered Seating Set By Jules Leleu
By Jules Leleu
Located in Bridgewater, CT
JULES LELEU (1883-1961)
Five –piece set comprising sofa, two club chairs and two armchairs, made of oak wood, with gilt-bronze sabots and upholstered with Aubusson tapestry.<...
Bronze