Maurice Laffaille Pair of 1930s Lounge Chairs in Mahogany

Pair of lounge chairs, mahogany, fabric, France, ca. 1931

Designed circa 1931, this pair of armchairs by French designer Maurice Laffaille is a compelling expression of Art Deco modernism. Particularly distinctive is the exposed wooden framework, which traces the upper edges of the armrests in a gentle, continuous curve before terminating in substantial, rectilinear front supports.

The chairs closely reflect Laffailles's design philosophy, which emphasized simplicity, harmonious proportions, and the expressive potential of pure lines. In a 1935 interview published in Art et Décoration, he discussed the particular difficulty of combining straight and curved lines within a single composition, insisting that every element should contribute to the overall equilibrium of a piece. For Laffaille, the beauty of furniture was to emerge from its inherent proportions, the judicious use of materials, and the precise relationship between form and function, rather than applied ornamentation.

Maurice Laffaille (1902–1989) was a French furniture designer and ensemblier-décorateur whose work occupied an important position within the Parisian decorative arts of the interwar period. Born in Paris, he briefly attended the École des Arts Décoratifs before training under master glassmaker Henri Carot and subsequently working as a furniture draughtsman for various workshops in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine. In 1926, he established his own business, L'Intérieur Moderne, at 49 rue de Charonne, where he developed furniture and interior schemes executed by selected craftsmen. Throughout the late 1920s and early 1930s, he regularly presented his work at the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs and the Salon d'Automne, earning recognition for the clarity of his designs, the quality of their execution, and their carefully considered proportions.