This special cabinet was created during the end of one of history’s most fascinating design periods: Art Deco. The style is elegant and refined, yet delightfully simple at its core. Predating the strict functionality of mid-century modernism, this cabinet model is preoccupied with aesthetics, showcasing versatile decorative elements that define the look.

A few decades following romanticism and its sheer focus on the beauties of life, Art Deco was a natural offspring, and aesthetics became the core interest for many artists, architects, and designers across Europe. The movement developed into a prominent style across the world, but it was greatly favoured in Western Europe and the United States. This cabinet is a textbook example of many of the defining characteristics of the style including a surface polished to a high sheen which gives it its brilliance, lavish inlays, symmetry, and the use of high-quality woods and gilded elements. From the 1920s, high-end European Art Deco furniture was made from the most fabulous woods such as burl walnut, which is the wood used for the veneer on this cabinet as well. Burl wood is generally more expensive than other types of wood because of its beauty and scarcity. Since burl wood only grows when trees form exterior burls, they are harder to find when compared to other types of wood. The material and the design brilliantly complement each other: the round outline of the body and its large surfaces show off the pattern and colour variation of the wood. The main decorative elements are the gilded handle on top with three black wooden spheres on each end, and the large circular middle inlay painted black with a golden circle in the middle. The centre features two small knobs and a key, with the latter suggesting that this model was used as a liquor cabinet. The inside further supports this, with a movable shelf for bottles with different heights.

The gorgeous body is supported by black painted short feet that pull together the colour scheme and ground the design both figuratively and literally. Production numbers of Art Deco pieces were typically kept to small quantities and often produced by small manufacturers which is likely the case with this unique cabinet as well.

SOLD

Condition:

In good vintage condition. Wear consistent with age and use. The cabinet is slightly slanted, the left side is higher than the right therefore the door is a bit misaligned.

Dimensions:

38.97 in W x 19.29 in D x 43.3 in H

99 cm W x 49 cm D x 110 cm H