Jean Royère

The present bookcase was part of an interior design project of leading French designer Jean Royère, dating from the early stages of his prolific career which spanned over four decades. Being drawn to design later in life, Royère gained fabrication and material intelligence while working in cabinet-making workshops in Paris beginning in 1931. Throughout the 1930’s, Royère gained independent work for a clientele of the upper-middle class. These clients were living in modestly sized apartments, often without house staff. Royère was thus employed to focus on spatial planning where he favored simple, cohesive interiors with furniture pieces designed around specific functions. Influenced by other contemporary modernists such as Robert Mallet-Stevens and Djo-Bourgeois, Royère utilized metal and incorporated large plinths or planes of solid materials which, in addition to being visually pleasing, were easier to clean and maintain. He incorporated dramatic lighting and playful materials, often sourcing bright, geometric fabrics from Élise Djo-Bourgeois.

The era of functionalism for Royère served more as a pretext to his later, more ornamental and decorative period than it was a lifelong ethical dedication as it was for many other modernists of the period. The rejection of ornamentation led Royère to study form and function and to learn about both traditional and innovative materials. The first glimpse into what would become his celebrated style of refined fantasy was a sideboard he presented in 1937 at the Paris International exhibition. It was decorated with shells and painted with fish in cellulose lacquer. He presented other furniture that broke with pure functionalism - utilizing bright colors, bold tones and creative materials such as fur and rattan. Royère’s understanding of material and form came to an apex with icon designs such as the “Ours Polaire” sofas and chairs (circa 1950) and the “Ondulation” series of furniture and lights (1950s).

In 1936 Royère designed a study in an apartment on the exclusive quai de Bourbon in Paris - a quintessential project from the first few years of his career. Royère designed the small room with a shelving unit on either side, a chair and freestanding desk in the center and curtains made from striped fabric by Elise Djo-Bourgeois. In a truly modern design language, the furnishings were angular and modular. The desk was made from intersecting planes with the top cantilevering to one side. The chair utilized bent metal tubing, a new and innovative material at this time. The present bookshelf was one of the custom made, built-in units from this apartment. It has countertops and shelves made from thick, horizontal slabs of oak and rectangular pieces of glass placed vertically to act as structural elements. The lower section comprises cabinets that have sliding doors inset with simple, round metal handles. The present bookshelf exhibits the modernist qualities indicative of the early career of Jean Royère and is a precursor to the designer’s highly sought after designs of the postwar period.