André Sornay
French, 1902 - 2000
ANDRE SORNAY (1902-2000)
French designer, decorator and furniture maker, Andre Sornay, was born and raised in Lyons, France. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts there and conducted his career there as well – to the extent that the French Art Deco movement in his hometown was known as “Le Style Sornay”.
Sornay was born into a furniture-making family and when his father died in 1919, he was appointed head of the family’s furniture business. From 1920 he abandoned the historicist and ancient styles they produced in favor of his own simple, innovative and purist lines. Sornay was good friends with other avant-garde designers including Fancis Jourdain and Pierre Chareau and was inspired by their work. In 1923 he showed an ensemble in white sycamore at the 1923 Salon d’Automne.
In the late 1920s, Sornay devised the technique for which he became most recognized, cloutage, a method of studding the perimeter of veneered furniture panels with long lines of tiny brass nails. The technique, which he patented in 1933, added a minimalist decorative detail that became Sornay's signature. He began using cloutage on everything from cabinets to multitiered tables; the distinctive armchairs he made during this period marry angular bases, including arms that terminate in cantilevers, with simple rectangular backrests where a delicate border of nails frames the heavily grained wood.
Sornay continued to experiment with new manufacturing techniques in the following decades. In the 1940s he developed a system of using long metal or wood bolts to hold furniture panels together, allowing for quick assembly and disassembly. In time, Sornay ceded control of the company to his children, though he still acted as an adviser and draftsman. Production ceased in 1999; Sornay died a year later.
French designer, decorator and furniture maker, Andre Sornay, was born and raised in Lyons, France. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts there and conducted his career there as well – to the extent that the French Art Deco movement in his hometown was known as “Le Style Sornay”.
Sornay was born into a furniture-making family and when his father died in 1919, he was appointed head of the family’s furniture business. From 1920 he abandoned the historicist and ancient styles they produced in favor of his own simple, innovative and purist lines. Sornay was good friends with other avant-garde designers including Fancis Jourdain and Pierre Chareau and was inspired by their work. In 1923 he showed an ensemble in white sycamore at the 1923 Salon d’Automne.
In the late 1920s, Sornay devised the technique for which he became most recognized, cloutage, a method of studding the perimeter of veneered furniture panels with long lines of tiny brass nails. The technique, which he patented in 1933, added a minimalist decorative detail that became Sornay's signature. He began using cloutage on everything from cabinets to multitiered tables; the distinctive armchairs he made during this period marry angular bases, including arms that terminate in cantilevers, with simple rectangular backrests where a delicate border of nails frames the heavily grained wood.
Sornay continued to experiment with new manufacturing techniques in the following decades. In the 1940s he developed a system of using long metal or wood bolts to hold furniture panels together, allowing for quick assembly and disassembly. In time, Sornay ceded control of the company to his children, though he still acted as an adviser and draftsman. Production ceased in 1999; Sornay died a year later.
André Sornay
FINE AND RARE PAIR OF SIGNED ANDRE SORNAY ART DECO MODERNIST CABINETS
H 35 in W 18 in D 18 in
$ 58,000
André Sornay
Pair of André Sornay Armchairs in Sapele Mahogany and Bouclé, France, 1950s
H 37.01 in W 30.71 in D 35.43 in
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André Sornay
Andre Sornay Comfortable Pair of Lounge Chair Newly Restored in Neutral Cloth
H 35.43 in W 31.5 in D 37.4 in
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André Sornay
Andre Sornay pair of rare modernist stools
H 19.29 in W 19.29 in D 16.14 in
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André Sornay
Stunning Chest of Drawers by André Sornay, Art Déco, France, circa 1932
H 35.04 in W 66.54 in D 20.47 in
$ 37,159
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André Sornay
Modernist Sideboard In Studded Rosewood By Andre Sornay, France 1940s
H 41.73 in W 90.55 in D 19.69 in
$ 26,250
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André Sornay
André Sornay Sapelli Mahogany Bookcase Art Deco, circa 1935
25% Off
Sale Price: $ 5,325
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André Sornay
André Sornay Armchair, circa 1920
H 33.46 in W 25.59 in D 29.53 in
$ 9,470
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André Sornay
Art Deco secretaire by Andre Sornay circa 1930
25% Off
Sale Price: $ 15,975
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André Sornay
ART DECO CABINET by ANDRE SORNAY (1902-2000)
H 63 in W 55 in D 17 in
$ 15,000
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André Sornay
1930s Modernist Wardrobe by André Sornay, Stamped and Documented
H 186 in W 148 in D 46 in
$ 27,500
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André Sornay
Andre Sornay Comfortable Pair of Lounge Chair Newly Restored in Neutral Cloth
H 35.43 in W 31.5 in D 37.4 in
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Sold
Sale
André Sornay
Fabulous Andre Sornay Art Deco Canape, circa 1930
25% Off
Sale Price: $ 13,350
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André Sornay
Andre? Sornay Dressing Table with Large Mirror, circa 1930
25% Off
Sale Price: $ 7,995
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André Sornay
Andre Sornay pair of modernist arm chairs
H 37.4 in W 20.08 in D 20.47 in
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Sold
André Sornay
Andre Sornay, Dressing Mirror and Vanity Unit, circa 1920s
H 69.69 in W 27.56 in D 12.6 in
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