art nouveau Archives • Ébénisterie Mathieu Vath

Majorelle's Love Letter

April 3, 2026April 3, 2026 Mathieu VathArt Nouveau, love note, Veneering - Marquetry, furniture restoration

Congratulations to Léo, an intern in our workshop, who completed his first restoration on a lady's writing desk, also known as a "billet doux" (love letter), adorned with the stamps of Louis Majorelle. The "billet doux" originated in France at the end of the 18th century, developing particularly during the reign of Louis XVI and the Restoration period (late 18th – early 19th century). It is an intimate and refined piece of furniture, designed specifically for correspondence, often intended for boudoirs or bedrooms. Louis […]

Nesting tables by Emilie Gallé

June 19, 2025September 12, 2025 Mathieu VathArt Nouveau, Veneering - Marquetry, furniture restoration, 19th century, 20th century

Restoration of a set of four Art Nouveau nesting tables, crafted and stamped with marquetry on each tabletop by the Gallé workshops. The beechwood bases are adorned with a naturalistic decoration of tree branches, and feature marquetry of daffodils, seascapes, and lapping catkins. The woods used for this marquetry are ash, walnut, sycamore maple, rosewood, mahogany, walnut burl, and elm. Émile Gallé (1846-1904) Émile Gallé is an emblematic figure of Art Nouveau, renowned for his contributions […]

Art Nouveau desk with Primroses by Louis Majorelle

October 4, 2024October 4, 2024 Mathieu VathArt Nouveau, Desk, Veneering - Marquetry, Veneering - Marquetry, furniture restoration

Restoration of an Art Nouveau desk stamped by Louis Majorelle in Nancy around 1905. It is made of solid walnut and veneered with primrose flower marquetry. The work consisted of replacing missing veneer, cleaning, and restoring the waxed finish. Louis Majorelle was born in September 1859 in Toul and died in January 1926 in Nancy at the age of 66. Son of the renowned furniture designer Auguste Majorelle, he demonstrated a particular interest in craftsmanship and drawing from a very young age. […]

Majorelle table and rosewood

December 19, 2020March 25, 2024 Mathieu VathArt Deco, Art Nouveau, conservation, Majorelle, Rio Rosewood, Veneering - Marquetry, furniture restoration

This is the second time I've had the opportunity to work on this type of table, made by Louis Majorelle's workshop in the 1920s and 30s. You can find all the information about this type of table at the following link: https://ebenisterie-mathieuvath.fr/2019/08/29/table-majorelle/ As for the restoration, it's more of a preventative measure. Indeed, there's no major damage; a few veneer grafts and re-gluing a large portion of the edge veneer were enough to restore this lovely Rio rosewood-veneered table. An opportunity for me […]

Majorelle Table

August 29, 2019May 31, 2021 Mathieu VathArt Deco, Art Nouveau, stamp, graft, Majorelle, Veneering - Marquetry, restoration, furniture restoration

Here is a table in pure Art Deco style. It is veneered with Macassar ebony and the legs are mahogany. This table was probably created around the 1920s. Indeed, Louis Majorelle is best known as one of the great cabinetmakers of the Art Nouveau style, but it is too often forgotten that he was one of the forerunners of the Art Deco style, this table being a perfect example. In terms of restoration, as always, the veneer requires the most work; there […]