Working mostly around the turn of the century and the 1920’s and 1930’s, Mallet-Stevens’ body of furniture design is quite varied in design and style, and very unique in its approach. It’s as if Mallet-Stevens worked a tad off the grid; his designs are recognizable as being from that time period, but they are also different enough that doubt of their origin creeps into one’s mind. Though it definitely hints at early modernism, with some sleek lines and primarily colors, there are many elements to his designs that reference previous historical designs, as well.
The variety of materials that he dabbled in no doubt adds to the mysterious collection of his furniture designs. We spot wood, painted wood, lacquered wood, metal, chrome, marble, Rexine (artificial leather), upholstery and more. This makes his particular style hard to peg down, but also showed how experimental and talented of a designer he was.
Born in Paris in 1886, Mallet-Stevens was a French architect and designer. Although Le Corbusier is usually the most recognizable French architect, Mallet-Stevens had a huge impact on French design and architecture during that time period. Coming from a family of art collectors, Mallet-Stevens just had such an amazing understanding of all the creative fields, able to move from profession to profession seamlessly, making huge strides in many areas.
As an architect he designed shops, factories, fire stations, apartment buildings, residences. As an interior designer, he created beautiful interiors for commercial and residential spaces. He even dabbled in the film industry, creating and designing sets for movies during the silent film period. He is also known to have assembled quite the talented crew of designers and craftsman to help him with his many projects and commissions.
And, in perhaps the most evidence that Mallet-Stevens was a rather unusual man, it’s rumored that Mallet-Stevens ordered his archive of work to be destroyed after his death. According to Wikipedia, this destruction led to him not being remembered as much as other designers of that time period or as much as he should be. Luckily, the great bastion of modern art, the Centre Pompidou, held an exhibit of his work in 2005, and his work has slowly been gaining in popularity since then!Can’t get enough of Swank Lighting’s great gorgeous Murano glass lamps or fun design posts? Check out our revamped Facebook page for more information about us and follow us on twitter (@swanklighting) to always be up-to-date on Swank Lighting happenings.
