Directoire Dining Room Tables
Formed in the wake of the Jacobin Reign of Terror’s bloody guillotine, the Directoire was established to lead France into order through the leadership of a five-member council of directors. It was brief, lasting only from 1795 to 1799, ending with Napoléon Bonaparte’s coup d’état, and was economically tumultuous. Yet it was an essential bridge between the era of Louis XVI and the elaborate Empire style that followed, with Directoire furniture and decorative arts shaped by a royal passion for classical design and an enthusiasm for postrevolutionary France.
Much of the country’s furniture production had halted during the French Revolution when the furniture guilds system was abolished, but during the Directoire period, the cabinetmakers restarted their businesses, such as François-Honoré-Georges and Jacob-Desmalter who established a new workshop called Jacob-Frères. Pieces made in walnut, elm, mahogany and other inexpensive materials incorporated influences ranging from Egypt to Pompeii, with popular forms including the curule armchair based on an ancient Roman design. The aesthetics of the transitional style were more austere than during the monarchy, with court cabinetmaker Jean-Baptiste Sené, for instance, reimagining his workshop’s neoclassical-style furniture with ungilded surfaces and a reduction of ornamentation.
Symbols referencing the revolutionary tenets of liberty, equality and fraternity were frequently carved into Directoire furnishings, such as the Phrygian cap, clasped hands and the fasces, which is an image of a bound bundle of sticks adopted from the Roman Republic, where it was seen as an emblem of strength through unity.
Elements of the French Directoire style continued through Empire style. Designers Charles Percier and Pierre-François-Léonard Fontaine are credited today as major proponents of both movements. The classically inspired furniture design is represented in pieces such as the boat-shaped daybed and the klismos chair, which endured in French interiors as well as in styles abroad, including American Directoire.
Find a collection of antique Directoire chairs, tables, daybeds, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
20th Century Directoire Dining Room Tables
Wood
Early 20th Century French Directoire Dining Room Tables
Brass
2010s French Directoire Dining Room Tables
Wood, Cherry, Oak
18th Century and Earlier French Antique Directoire Dining Room Tables
Mahogany
Early 20th Century French Directoire Dining Room Tables
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Dining Room Tables
Walnut
1980s French Vintage Directoire Dining Room Tables
Brass, Bronze
1870s French Antique Directoire Dining Room Tables
Bronze
1940s French Vintage Directoire Dining Room Tables
Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Dining Room Tables
Mahogany
19th Century Italian Antique Directoire Dining Room Tables
Wood, Paint
2010s French Directoire Dining Room Tables
Wood, Cherry, Oak
1950s Vintage Directoire Dining Room Tables
Marble, Brass
1950s Vintage Directoire Dining Room Tables
Brass, Iron
Early 20th Century French Directoire Dining Room Tables
Brass
19th Century French Antique Directoire Dining Room Tables
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Directoire Dining Room Tables
Fruitwood
1980s French Vintage Directoire Dining Room Tables
Brass
1650s Swiss Antique Directoire Dining Room Tables
Wood
Late 18th Century French Antique Directoire Dining Room Tables
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary French Directoire Dining Room Tables
Oak
Late 18th Century English Antique Directoire Dining Room Tables
Mahogany
1970s French Vintage Directoire Dining Room Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century Directoire Dining Room Tables
Mahogany
20th Century American Directoire Dining Room Tables
Brass
18th Century American Antique Directoire Dining Room Tables
Maple, Mahogany
20th Century French Directoire Dining Room Tables
Gold Leaf
20th Century Argentine Directoire Dining Room Tables
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Directoire Dining Room Tables
Bronze
Late 18th Century English Antique Directoire Dining Room Tables
Mahogany
Early 20th Century French Directoire Dining Room Tables
Wood
1960s North American Vintage Directoire Dining Room Tables
Walnut
Early 1900s European Antique Directoire Dining Room Tables
Fruitwood
1970s French Vintage Directoire Dining Room Tables
Brass, Bronze
1790s French Antique Directoire Dining Room Tables
Brass
Early 2000s French Directoire Dining Room Tables
Brass, Bronze
1960s Vintage Directoire Dining Room Tables
Walnut
1940s French Vintage Directoire Dining Room Tables
Bronze
1950s French Vintage Directoire Dining Room Tables
Bronze
1980s French Vintage Directoire Dining Room Tables
Brass
Late 19th Century European Antique Directoire Dining Room Tables
Brass
Mid-19th Century French Antique Directoire Dining Room Tables
Mahogany
1830s French Antique Directoire Dining Room Tables
Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Directoire Dining Room Tables
Walnut