French decorator and designer Jean Royère has established himself as one of the most original figures in 20th-century furniture and interior design. Born into a bourgeois family, he abandoned a career in import-export to devote himself to interior design at the age of 29.

His beginnings in a furniture factory in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine enabled him to acquire rigorous craftsmanship. In 1931, he signed his first commission, a piece of garden furniture with innovative lines. His chromed metal decor for the Le Carlton brasserie in Paris catapulted him into the limelight. Spotted by manufacturer Pierre Gouffé, he developed furniture with bold shapes and innovative materials.

After the Second World War, Jean Royère asserted himself with a playful, poetic style, where organic shapes and bright colors mingle with motifs inspired by nature. He designed iconic pieces such as the Boule armchair, the Trèfle chair and the Liane floor lamp. His success spread beyond national borders: he opened galleries in the Middle East and South America, and collaborated with prestigious clients including King Hussein of Jordan and the Shah of Iran.

In 1972, after a prolific career marked by unprecedented creative freedom, he retired and divided his time between France and the United States. Today, his creations, at the crossroads of functionalism and ornament, remain sought-after by collectors the world over.