Indeed, while competing with carefully curated first editions or rows of colorful spines is no small task, plenty of bookends steal the stage. Furniture makers have ensured that bookends demand as much attention as the books themselves. The primary function of bookends is to ensure that your books remain upright in your bookcase, but style and form have taken the lead over the years.
The authors of the Oxford English Dictionary report that the term “book end” didn’t appear in printed material until 1907. Serving faithfully in the background, they went unobserved for a while. And the need for these trusty home accents has stood the test of time, which means there are many different kinds to suit any design taste or furniture style.īookends weren’t created until the 1870s. Finding the Right Bookends for YouĪ good pair of antique, new or vintage bookends will look wonderful in your reading nook. On 1stDibs, browse Art Deco furnishings by designer, including works by Paul Follot and René Lalique, or by category, from angular chairs and sculptural burl wood tables to lighting and decorative objects. Today, the style is still favored by designers looking to infuse interiors with an air of luxury and sophistication.įrom mother-of-pearl inlaid vitrines to chrome aviator chairs, bold and inventive works in the Art Deco style include chaise longues (also known as chaise lounges) and curved armchairs. This is particularly true of American Art Deco, which is also called “ Streamline Moderne” or “Machine Age” design.Īrt Deco textile designers employed dazzling floral motifs and vivid colors, and while Art Deco furniture makers respected the dark woods and modern metals with which they worked, they frequently incorporated decorative embellishments such as exotic animal hides as well as veneers in their seating, case pieces and bedroom furniture. “Art Deco” is often used broadly, to describe the work of creators in associated or ancillary styles. The term Art Deco derives from the name of a large decorative arts exhibition held in Paris in 1925.
More than its emphasis on natural wood grains and focus on traditional craftsmanship, Art Deco furniture - which typically refers to pieces produced during the 1920s and 1930s - is an ode to the glamour of the “ Roaring Twenties.” Widely known designers associated with the Art Deco style include Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, Eileen Gray, Maurice Dufrêne and Jules Leleu. It also drew on the modern architecture and design of the Bauhaus, and of architects such as Le Corbusier and Mies van de Rohe.Ĭondition Excellent original condition.Art Deco furniture is characterized by its celebration of modern life. However, imagery based on plant forms, and sinuous curves remained in some art deco design, for example that of Clarice Cliff.Īrt deco also varied in its influences, taking inspiration from ancient Egyptian art, Aztec and other ancient Central American art. Its chief difference from art nouveau is the influence of cubism which gives art deco design generally a more fragmented, geometric character. Seen in furniture, pottery, textiles, jewellery, and glass it was also a notable style of cinema and hotel architecture. It was the successor to and a reaction against art nouveau. A charming pair of 1920’s French Bookends that would add art deco style to any homeĪrt Deco was named after the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts held in Paris in 1925.
A pair of Art Deco white metal figural Bears with original patination sitting on marble bookends.