In its sinuous lines and flamboyant curves inspired by the natural world, antique Art Nouveau furniture reflects a desire for freedom from the stuffy social and artistic strictures of the Victorian era. The Art Nouveau movement developed in the decorative arts in France and Britain in the early 1880s and quickly became a dominant aesthetic style in Western Europe and the United States.
ORIGINS OF ART NOUVEAU FURNITURE DESIGN
CHARACTERISTICS OF ART NOUVEAU FURNITURE DESIGN
ART NOUVEAU FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW
ANTIQUE ART NOUVEAU FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS
Art Nouveau — which spanned furniture, architecture, jewelry and graphic design — can be easily identified by its lush, flowing forms suggested by flowers and plants, as well as the lissome tendrils of sea life. Although Art Deco and Art Nouveau were both in the forefront of turn-of-the-20th-century design, they are very different styles — Art Deco is marked by bold, geometric shapes while Art Nouveau incorporates dreamlike, floral motifs. The latter’s signature motif is the "whiplash" curve — a deep, narrow, dynamic parabola that appears as an element in everything from chair arms to cabinetry and mirror frames.
The visual vocabulary of Art Nouveau was particularly influenced by the soft colors and abstract images of nature seen in Japanese art prints, which arrived in large numbers in the West after open trade was forced upon Japan in the 1860s. Impressionist artists were moved by the artistic tradition of Japanese woodblock printmaking, and Japonisme — a term used to describe the appetite for Japanese art and culture in Europe at the time — greatly informed Art Nouveau.
The Art Nouveau style quickly reached a wide audience in Europe via advertising posters, book covers, illustrations and other work by such artists as Aubrey Beardsley, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Alphonse Mucha. While all Art Nouveau designs share common formal elements, different countries and regions produced their own variants.
In Scotland, the architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh developed a singular, restrained look based on scale rather than ornament; a style best known from his narrow chairs with exceedingly tall backs, designed for Glasgow tea rooms. Meanwhile in France, Hector Guimard — whose iconic 1896 entry arches for the Paris Metro are still in use — and Louis Majorelle produced chairs, desks, bed frames and cabinets with sweeping lines and rich veneers.
The Art Nouveau movement was known as Jugendstil ("Youth Style") in Germany, and in Austria the designers of the Vienna Secession group — notably Koloman Moser, Josef Hoffmann and Joseph Maria Olbrich — produced a relatively austere iteration of the Art Nouveau style, which mixed curving and geometric elements.
Art Nouveau revitalized all of the applied arts. Ceramists such as Ernest Chaplet and Edmond Lachenal created new forms covered in novel and rediscovered glazes that produced thick, foam-like finishes. Bold vases, bowls and lighting designs in acid-etched and marquetry cameo glass by Émile Gallé and the Daum Freres appeared in France, while in New York the glass workshop-cum-laboratory of Louis Comfort Tiffany — the core of what eventually became a multimedia decorative-arts manufactory called Tiffany Studios — brought out buoyant pieces in opalescent favrile glass.
Jewelry design was revolutionized, as settings, for the first time, were emphasized as much as, or more than, gemstones. A favorite Art Nouveau jewelry motif was insects (think of Tiffany, in his famed Dragonflies glass lampshade).
Like a mayfly, Art Nouveau was short-lived. The sensuous, languorous style fell out of favor early in the 20th century, deemed perhaps too light and insubstantial for European tastes in the aftermath of World War I. But as the designs on 1stDibs demonstrate, Art Nouveau retains its power to fascinate and seduce.
There are ways to tastefully integrate a touch of Art Nouveau into even the most modern interior — browse an extraordinary collection of original antique Art Nouveau furniture on 1stDibs, which includes decorative objects, seating, tables, garden elements and more.
$3,438 / item
Dinner Table Bara in Lacquered Metal 150cm Ø
Located in Lisbon, PT
Bara is a sophisticated and unique dinner table that perfectly couples a complex tubular lacquered metal base with a simple but beautiful Estremoz marble top, inspired by the lines o...
Marble, Metal
$5,706 / item
Brass and Marble Dinner Table Bara 120cm Ø
Located in Lisbon, PT
Bara is a sophisticated and unique dinner table that perfectly couples a complex tubular brass base with a simple but beautiful Estremoz marble top, inspired by the lines of Art Nouv...
Marble, Brass
Circular marble coffee table with iron and bronze base 20th century Italian
By Mice di rugiano domenico e c. s.n.c.
Located in Cantù, IT
Circular marble coffee table with iron and bronze base 20th century Italian
Marble, Bronze, Iron
Jugendstil coffee table with hammered decor
Located in Hronská Breznica, Banskobystrický kraj
Jugendstil coffee table with brass edging with hammered decor. Professionally stained and repolished.
Brass
$3,140 / item
Dinner Table Bara in Lacquered Metal 150cm Ø VAT
Located in Lisbon, PT
Bara dinner table: 150cm Diameter Top in Estremoz White Marble Gold Lacquered Metal Base Made to Order For sales with delivery address within European territories, VAT will be ...
Marble, Metal
Sculptural Iron and Carrara Marble White Coffee Table
Located in New York, NY
Sculptural Iron and Carrara Marble White Coffee Table.
Carrara Marble, Iron
$616Sale Price|56% Off
Serving table / side table / gueridon in oak, Art Nouveau, France, Circa 1910
Located in VÉZELAY, FR
Beautiful oak serving table / side table / gueridon. Art Nouveau. France, Circa 1910-1920 In good condition. Dimensions: height 78 cm (20 cm lower shelf) width 54 cm depth 67 cm
Wood, Oak
Black jugenstil coffee table
Located in Hronská Breznica, Banskobystrický kraj
Black jugenstil coffee table with hammered brass leg edging. Professionally stained and repolished.
Brass
$4,079 / item
Dinner Table Bara in Lacquered Metal 120Ø with VAT
Located in Lisbon, PT
Bara Dinner Table: 120cm Diameter Top in Estremoz White Marble Gold Lacquered Metal Base Made to Order For sales with delivery address within European territories, VAT will be charg...
Marble, Metal
$3,053
Jugendstil coffee table
Located in Hronská Breznica, Banskobystrický kraj
Jugendstil coffee table professionally stained and repolished.
Beech
Thonet Vienna Art Nouveau Set Of Four Nesting Side Tables Mahogany Stained, 1900
By Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH
Located in Vienna, AT
An elegant Art Nouveau side table set comprising four individual tables of varying sizes that can be nested inside one another. High-quality, handcrafted furniture featuring decorati...
Beech
Léon Jallot '1874-1967' Art Nouveau Oak Table, circa 1910
By Léon Jallot
Located in Mouscron, WHT
Léon Jallot '1874-1967' set of 6 chairs in oak, circa 1910 Patina of the tray to be redone.
Oak
Art Nouveau Tea Table by Jacob & Josef Kohn, Stained Beech, Aluminium - Austria
Located in Girona, Girona
Tea table or game table, stained beech, French polish, polished aluminium feet, greige cotton fabric underneath a thick glass on top. Manufacturer: Jacob and Josef Kohn (label). Au...
Aluminum
Console in Wood, French 1900, Style: Art Nouveau
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Logistics and International Shipping We provide a comprehensive export service so that your only concern is enjoying your acquisition. • Door-to-Door Service: Pieces located in our A...
Marble, Iron
$2,630Sale Price|20% Off
Serving table / nesting tables convertible into 2 side tables, Art Nouveau, 1910
Located in VÉZELAY, FR
Superb and original Pedestal table / gueridon / serving table / tea table / transformable / nesting tables convertible into 2 side tables. Beveled glass tray for serving. Attribute...
Wood, Walnut
Large oriental style folding pedestal table in wood inlaid with bone circa 1900
Located in Mouscron, WHT
Large oriental style folding pedestal table in wood with precious wood inlays circa 1900
Brass
Desk in Wood, 1940, Made in Italy
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Logistics and International Shipping We provide a comprehensive export service so that your only concern is enjoying your acquisition. • Door-to-Door Service: Pieces located in our A...
Bronze
Console, France, 1940, iron and marble
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Logistics and International Shipping We provide a comprehensive export service so that your only concern is enjoying your acquisition. • Door-to-Door Service: Pieces located in our A...
Marble, Iron
ART NOUVEAU CHINESE EXPORT NESTiNG TABLES PIERCED FRETWORK BONE & ABALONE C 1900
Located in Pulborough, GB
Antiques of London A superb quartetto set of four Chinese export nesting tables from the Art Nouveau period, circa 1900. Each table is finely crafted with elegantly pierced fretw...
Hardwood
Antique Weiman Heirloom French Louis Brass Mounted Tray Top Single Drawer Table
By Weiman
Located in Chicago, IL
Antique Weiman Heirloom French Louis Style Brass Mounted Tray Top Single Drawer Dessert Table This Antique Weiman Heirloom French Louis style brass mounted tray-top single drawer dessert table is a perfect addition to any dining or bar area. It can double as a bar table or be used as two tier storage...
Brass
Chester of drawers Secession
Located in Kraków, Małopolska
ART NOUVEAU chest of drawers after renovation
Birch
Console and Mirror, 1900, Jugendstil, Art Nouveau, Liberty
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Logistics and International Shipping We provide a comprehensive export service so that your only concern is enjoying your acquisition. • Door-to-Door Service: Pieces located in our A...
Marble, Iron, Gold Leaf
Jugendstil Oak Brass Coffee Table Side Table Style Adolf Loos, Austria c 1900
By Adolf Loos
Located in Vienna, AT
Jugendstil vintage coffee table or side table style Adolf Loos from solid oak, brass and copper in wonderful warm golden and copper color tones in a beautiful shape, Austria circa 19...
Brass, Copper
Art Nouveau Table in the Style of Adolf Loos, Wood and Brass, circa 1910
Located in Brussels, BE
Art Nouveau table in the style of Adolf Loos, wood and brass, circa 1910.
Brass
Feathers Art Nouveau Side Table in Agra Grey Stone Designed by Stephanie Odegard
By Stephanie Odegard Collection
Located in New York, NY
Introducing the Feathers Art Nouveau Side Tables in Agra Grey Stone - a mesmerizing set of art nouveau side tables handcrafted in India. Designed by Stephanie Odegard, these art nouv...
Marble
1900s Art Nouveau Dessert Table, Mahogany, Removable Tray - France
Located in Girona, Girona
Outstanding Art Nouveau dessert table, solid mahogany and mahogany veneer, French polish, removable tray with silver plated copper handles. France, circa 1900.
Copper
Mahogany and Bronze Gueridon Made by François Linke
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Mahogany Gueridon with a European marble top and gilt bronze inlays on a lozenge parquet frieze centered by a flanked gilt bronze mask and flowers emitting a cornucopia. The table is...
Bronze
$30,400Sale Price|20% Off
Louis XVI Style Oval Side Table by François Linke, Circa 1890
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Oval French side table, Louis XVI style, made of mahogany wood and gilt bronze (Ormolu), mounted on guéridon and marble top. In its design, we can distinguish that it has bronze garlands...
Bronze
Pair of cast iron pedestals, art nouveau period. France, early 20th century.
Located in Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires
Pair of cast iron pedestals, Art Nouveau period. France, early 20th century.
Iron
French Wrought Iron Garden Table with Steampunk Painting
Located in Atlanta, GA
Late 19th Century French wrought iron garden table painted in white with a charming Victorian era steampunk illustration of a whale sh...
Wrought Iron