Majorelle's Love Letter

Ebénisterie Mathieu Vath

Congratulations to Leo, our workshop intern! He has completed his first restoration project here. It's a lady's writing desk, also known as a "billet doux" (love letter), stamped by Louis Majorelle. The "billet doux" appeared in France at the end of the 18th century. It became particularly popular under Louis XVI, and then during the Restoration. It's an intimate and refined piece of furniture, designed for correspondence. It was therefore often placed in a boudoir or bedroom. Later, at the beginning of the 20th century, Louis Majorelle helped to revive its popularity. […]

Art Nouveau desk with Primroses by Louis Majorelle

Ebénisterie Mathieu Vath

Restoration of an Art Nouveau desk stamped by Louis Majorelle, made in Nancy around 1905. Crafted from solid walnut, it is decorated with primrose marquetry. The work involved replacing some missing veneer, cleaning the piece, and restoring its 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 maker Auguste Majorelle, he developed an early interest in craftsmanship and drawing. He then entered the École des Beaux-Arts in Nancy, […]

Majorelle table and rosewood

Ebénisterie Mathieu Vath

This is the second time I've worked on this type of table, which came from Louis Majorelle's workshop in the 1920s or 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/ It's primarily a preventative restoration. In fact, there wasn't any major damage. So, a few grafts and re-gluing a large part of the edge veneer were enough to restore this lovely Rio rosewood table. This is therefore an opportunity to tell you about this wood, which is so […]