French Style and Decoration: A Sourcebook of Original Designs Book

An invaluable resource on French furniture, interiors, and household objects, drawn from antique pattern books, swatch books, and manufacturers' and retailers' catalogues.

For centuries, French furniture, textiles, ceramics, and glassware set the highest standards of fine design in the decorative arts. Sèvres porcelain, Gobelins tapestries, and Baccarat crystal are synonymous with a taste for the good things in life, as are traditional printed cottons from Provence, silks from Lyons, glass by Gallé and Daum, and furniture and interiors by Guimard and Ruhlmann.

This profusely illustrated reference offers a panoply of original sketches, engravings, and printed patterns, representing French interior design and decoration from the Baroque, Rococo, Louis XVI, and Empire periods through the nineteenth century to Art Deco and Modernism in the twentieth century. The wealth of artistry and technical ingenuity illustrated here dates back to 1685, when André-Charles Boulle's furniture designs for the palace of Versailles were published as engravings. Later, the great international exhibitions held in Paris not only defined the styles of Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and International Modernism but also showcased the work of such giants of the decorative arts as Ruhlmann, Majorelle, and Lalique.

This unrivaled resource, now republished in a compact format, will provide a wealth of ideas and inspiration for designers, restorers, and interior decorators. 600+ designs and patterns in color and black-and-white. Originally published as The French Archive of Design and Decoration in hardcover.