Club Armchairs in the Style of André Sornay, France, 1940s, Set of 2

Design
1940s

Manufacture
1940-1949

Location
Lonigo, IT

Club armchairs in the style of André Sornay, France, wood and fabric, 1940s, set of two.

This pair of club armchairs presents the assertive geometry associated with French Art Deco seating of the 1940s, its angular back and canted arms drawn as a single continuous line that falls into a low, sled-shaped base raised on dark wood sabot feet. The frame is generously padded through the back and arms, giving each chair a compact, architectural silhouette typical of the period, while the wood base, worked with a soft curve along its lower edge, lifts the seat just above the floor and anchors the design visually.

The angular treatment of the arms and the sculptural handling of the base recall the furniture produced by André Sornay in Lyon during the 1930s and 1940s, a period in which Sornay developed a distinctive vocabulary of geometric seating built on sled and skid bases close to the one seen here. Sornay's workshop favored dense woods and tightly upholstered volumes that emphasized structure over ornament, an approach echoed in the taut construction and the deliberate weight given to the base of these armchairs. The proportions, the profile of the arms, and the construction of the base situate the pair firmly within this current of French design, close to the language Sornay applied across his club chairs and lounge seating of the era.

The set can be split. The club armchairs can be sold singularly.