Maxime Old, the world-famous French interior architect and furniture designer, known as one of the forerunners of the transition from the style of the 1930s to modern design. Refined outlines, the highest-quality of cabinetmaking, and awe-inspiring models define his furniture pieces, such as this table.

His thoughtful aesthetic freely associates the values of the rational of Bauhaus with his teacher, Ruhlmann's demand for perfection. Old developed an elegant, modern style that fit with the demanding requests of his clientele: Industries, politicians, lawyers, doctor and so on. Some call his furniture ‘art’, and not without reason. As seen in this early model, the ornamentation is in the form of creative details, mainly on the tabletop. The top’s ends are sculpted to curve down gently, highlighting and supporting the upper layer with a glass top. Under the glass are two large, wooden crosses that make this table immediately recognizable. Thanks to the natural material’s beauty and the masterfully though out and crafted design, this model possesses inherent elegance. The sculpted legs are attached to the top’s lower layer to create a seamless and unique look. While certain forms of the Art Deco period are certainly present, Old’s aesthetic as a whole is sleeker, more simple, and sculptural – in effect, more modern.

Maxime Old not only designed, but also produced his own furniture pieces, paying great attention to the smallest detail. As a son of a family of ébénistes, or master cabinetmakers, he sharpened his eyes with his cabinetmaker father in Paris’s Faubourg Saint-Antoine. A refined cabinetmaker, Old aimed to capture the present rather than copying or endlessly interpreting the past.

SOLD

Condition:

In good vintage condition. Wear consistent with age and use. Small scratches and marks on the wood.

Dimensions:

39.37 in W x 19.29 in D x 21.85 in H

100 cm W x 49 cm D x 55.5 cm H

About the designer:

Maxime Old was born in 1910 to a family of ébénistes, or master cabinetmakers, in Maisons Alfort, a suburb of Paris in the Valde Marne. His father and grandfather had held shops for decades in the faubourg St. Antoine, an area renowned for their trade.

With the hope of propelling the family into modernity, he set off for the famous school, the École Boulle. Old excelled in his classes, learning everything about furniture design and production. His early designs caught the eye of André Fréchet, the director at the École who used his own great popularity to promote the young designer’s work. After graduating, Old joined the studio of Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, where he worked for several years. Ruhlmann’s aesthetic, and that of the Art Deco period in general, can still be seen in his work. But Old’s work has a character of its very own. While reminiscent in certain ways to the work of designers who preceded him, Old’s work is more interesting for its innovations, and his efforts are perhaps responsible for the shift in preferences toward cleaner designs.

In addition to opening his own space, Hoche Gallery in Paris to present his works and to launch young talents, including ceramists who would later find fame of their own, the Mobilier National commissioned him to design pieces for the Hôtel de Ville in Paris, and the Ministry of France for their offices in The Hague and Helsinki. In addition to many private and government commissions, he worked on the interiors of several ocean liners, including the Atlantic and the Île de France. He also designed facilities and private homes all over the world. Exhibiting at the various Salons into the 1960s, Old also served as Vice President of the Society of Artist Decorators, a professor of Design at the Art and Technique Center of the Central Union of Decorative Arts, Professor of Design at the École National Supérieure for Technical Education, Lecturer at the esteemed École des Arts Décoratifs. One of his final contributions was leading the interior design studio at the École. Maxime Old worked steadily until his death in 1991. ~H.