JEAN ROYÈRE

Oct 11

JEAN ROYÈRE

From his wide variety of furniture lines to the palaces he designed for kings (really, kings), this designer’s portfolio is as impressive as his contribution to the Modernist movement.

Jean Royère (1902-1981)
France
Interior Designer

(source)

Jean Royère’s professional career did not start in design. He was in the import-export trade industry when he felt called to learn cabinetmaking. The rest is history.

In 1934, he designed the Brasserie Carlton on the Champs-Elysées and it ignited his career. Soon he was designing furniture and luxury interiors across Europe, Latin America, and the Near East.

It’s difficult to identify one style that is characteristic to Royère; instead, his diverse designs reveal an appreciation for creative freedom and ingenuity. His most famous pieces are his Polar Bear and Egg chairs, which embrace luxurious materials, organic forms, and modern simplicity.

Royère's "Polar Bear" sofa and chairs with curved silhouettes in an off-shite upholstered fabric (reminiscent of polar bear fur) the furniture has wide cylinder wooden peg legs. — *Polar Bear Sofa and Chairs, 1949 (source*)

Royère's "Egg Chair" upholstered in a velvet white fabric with a silhouette reminiscent of an egg. — *Egg Chair, 1950s (source*)

By contrast, his Eiffel Tower series consists of far fewer organic curves — yet luxe material and crisp edges are just as modern and beautiful.

Royère's "Eiffel tower Coffee Table" in brass — *Eiffel Tower Coffee Table, 1950 (source*)

Royère's "Effel Tower table with a wire frame and wooden table top. — *Eiffel Tower Table, 1963 (source*)

Above all, Royère placed emphasis on the presence of his designs, not ornate decoration. Shape and volume, color and material, these were the details that gave his designs life in their spaces.

In 1980, Royère left France and lived out the rest of his days in the United States.