PAUL DUPRÉ-LAFON (1900-1971)
- Jul 21, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 23, 2025
Paul Dupré-Lafon trained as an architect and designed interiors for a wealthy clientèle including the bankers Dreyfus and Rothschild.
Described as the 'décorateur des millionaires', he was a talented man who preferred to not show his designs in exhibitions.
The large part of his appeal was that he was a discreet and restrained individual but his work was refined and sophisticated and far from being flamboyant or verbose.
Born in Marseille in 1900 to a family of traders, he went to to the École des Beaux-Arts as a painter in 1923 and by 1928, he had established himself as a successful interior decorator.
In 1929, Dupré-Lafon completed a private four-storey mansion on Paris' Rue Rambrandt and from then on, he acquired a roster of fashionable clients. His aesthetic was described as 'satisfying both the spirit and sense of comfort while maintaining perfect elegance' by critic Bernard Champigneulle.
His style was linear, rational and geometric with a touch Cubist while being free of ornamentation.
His furniture was functional and practical but communicating a sense of power and grandeur through sumptuous materials and were accented by subtle accents of brass and wood that spoke perfectly to his cultivated clientèle.
Dupré-Lafon is known for showing bolts and screws visible in his designs which was also part of the appeal. He would use rich and expensive materials such as a beautiful piece of leather next to a patinated piece of bronze. Nonetheless, his execution was always in the most understated of ways.
His pieces have always been hard to come by because they were passed down through generations and often site-specific and came to light in the early 2000's and up until now, very little was known about the designer.
His high-profile undeniably help me boost his reputation. Andy Warhol, Elton John and Marc Jacobs were known to collect Dupré-Lafon. And to further his standing, from 1929, he collaborated with the Hermès, producing desks accessories, lamps, clocks utilising the company's expertise in leather-working throughout the 1950's.
The exceptional creations of the artist will continue to be important works in the history of French Art Deco, thanks also to his active writing about design and his interiors published in notable publications such as Le décor d'aujourd'hui and Art et Décoration.
