Art Deco Buffet with Geometric Marquetry and Marble

A truly spectacular Art Deco French Buffet with so many special details! Let’s begin with the wood and the complex use of veneers and grains to create a dynamic pattern. Be sure to look at the enlarged views so you can see just how creative the ebeniste must have been to fashion this interplay of wood cuts. And then there is the inlay marquetry with both a jazzy multicolored design and an abstract floral vignette in the center and the corners.

That may be enough for some cabinetmakers, but whomever did this one certainly did not stop there! After adding mother of pearl borders to make a “cloisonne”  effect around these decorative accents it was taken to another level of detail: some of the best and most interesting marble we have ever seen and lovely keys and brass pulls for the  cabinets and drawers. Then to top it off : a nice beveled mirror .

It is this type of craftsmanship that really distinguishes the French furnishings of the Art Deco period and after years of being exposed to this beautiful work, its hard  for us to get excited about that old  bedroom set that somebody sends us in a snapshot, something from their great aunt, pieces made during the Depression in the United States in the same era.

 ”It’s Art Deco !”    they will explain …

Ah,”mais oui ” but it simply does not compare to the high style of serious  ”Art Deco”  furniture made in France.