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.
Signed Leleu Vintage French Art Deco Circle Rug with Medallion - Rug & Kilim
Located in Long Island City, NY
Made with hand-knotted wool in France circa 1950, this 6x6 vintage French Art Deco rug is an extremely collectible mid-century circle rug from Leleu Decorateur—the work of an iconic ...
Wool
Round Chinese Art Deco Rug
Located in Chicago, IL
A beautiful early 20th century Chinese Art Deco round rug with a dark indigo field surrounded by a thin taupe stripe and wide burgundy stripe border, overlaid with multi-colored peon...
Wool
Rug Art Deco, circa 1950 signed by Jules Leleu company – Diameter 2.45m -N° 1625
By Paule Leleu, Maison Leleu
Located in Paris, FR
Rug signed by the Jules Leleu company – Art Deco, circa 1950 – Diameter 2.45m – No. 1625 Artist: Maison Jules Leleu Period: 20th century Style: Art Deco Condition: Excellent Materia...
Wool
Circular Savonnerie Carpet
By Paule Leleu
Located in New York, NY
Circular Savonnerie by Paule Leleu. France, circa 1930.
Wool
Ruhlmann Circular Knotted Wool Carpet
By Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann
Located in Berlin, DE
Circular knotted wool carpet decorated with stylized flowers. Ref. 3003. Provenance: C. John, The Finest Rugs, Carpets and Tapestry, London, August 2021 Crosta Smith Gallery, London...
Wool
Doris Leslie Blau Rare 1930s French Aubusson Round Rug Attributed to André Arbus
By André Arbus
Located in New York, NY
Rare 1930s French Aubusson Round Rug Attributed to André Arbus Size: 8'9" × 8'9" (266 × 266 cm) Color: Beige, Lavender, Yellow This exceptional round Aubusson rug...
Cotton
Via Como, 'Scagliola' Round Rug
Located in Long Island, NY
Via Como - 'Scagliola' Round Rug - Size 8' x 8' Material: 80% Wool - 20% Silk Introducing Via Como, the pinnacle of ultra high-end hand-knotted rugs. Renowned for their unrivaled...
Wool
Mid-20th Century Chinese Art Deco Round Oval Accent Rug
Located in New York, NY
This mid-20th century Chinese Art Deco rug, measuring 5' 0" x 7' 11", showcases an elegant oval composition with a rich lavender field that exudes warmth and sophistication. The bord...
Wool
Doris Leslie Blau Unique Circular French Art Deco Rug by Paul Follot
By Paul Follot
Located in New York, NY
Unique Circular French Art Deco Rug by Paul Follot – A Celestial Masterpiece of Decorative Arts Size: 12'7" × 12'7" (383 × 383 cm) Crafted in 1925 by the renowned French designer Pau...
Wool
Antique Art Deco/Peking Chinese Circular Rug, 7'8"
Located in Evanston, IL
Antique Handmade Art Deco/Peking Chinese Circular Rug, 7'8" , c-1900, woven pile rug with fine natural dyed wool, in light blue background color and traditionally floral design, this rug is in good condition, reduced in size. This wonderful Art Deco Peking circular carpet...
Wool
