Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann

Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann's furniture and interior designs were sleek, sexy and incredibly luxurious, and they define him as the designer most representative of the Art Deco style.

Art Deco Ruhlmann Cabinet

Ruhlmann was born on August 28, 1879 in Paris and initially showed no interest in the family building and decorating business - he was more interested in painting at the time. However, when his father died in 1907 and Jacques-Emile inherited the family firm, he took over with much enthusiasm and passion. He added a huge furniture workshop and began designing incredibly glamorous furniture pieces and interiors.

Ruhlmann 'Sun' Bed

He is most famous for his hand-made cabinets made of exotic and expensive materials like Macassar ebony, Amboina wood, ivory and mahogany. Besides cabinets, he also designed "dining tables, chairs, beds, desks, secretaries, mirrors and upholstered armchairs." (Avery, 2004)

His pieces were the creme-de-la-creme of lavish design. His famous 'Sun' bed exhibits the essence of Art Deco style - elegance, sophistication and modernism. But besides furniture, "he also designed silks, carpets, textiles and lighting" (Avery, 2004) and painted elaborate interiors which he used to showcase his exquisite desings to his upper-class clients.

His L'Hotel d'un Collectionneur was the most talked about exhibit at the 1925 Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes and earned him the reputation of the world's premier Art Deco furniture designer.