Napoleon III Stools
Under Napoleon III’s rule, Paris underwent a great rebuilding overseen by Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann, which created grand avenues and lavish landmarks like the Paris Opera. Antique Napoleon III–style furniture was flamboyant and eclectic. It was also known as Second Empire style since it followed and referenced the Empire style of his uncle Napoleon I.
Developing from 1852–70, Napoleon III furniture was plush and ornate, matching the fashion for masked balls and socializing in salons. It borrowed freely from earlier French styles including Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI as well as aesthetics from around the world, from antiquity to Asian art. As writer Gustave Claudin remarked in 1867, the country’s architects worked in “a style which one would be tempted to call neo-Greco-Gothico-Pompadour-Pompeian.”
Napoleon III chairs were completely covered with velvet and lined with tassels; pouf footstools invited people to put up their feet. Sofas were upholstered with tapestries, and beds were adorned with gilt bronze and theatrical canopies. The addition of conservatories to homes led to new indoor-outdoor furniture, while the spirit of hygiene promoted by Baron Haussmann inspired bright, floral motifs.
Although the most ostentatious designs were for the elite, as seen in the Napoleon III apartments preserved in the Louvre, where red velvet, gilding and chandeliers create a cacophony of luxury, these trends influenced homes across classes as manufacturing made design increasingly accessible. Papier-mâché furniture allowed for elaborate shapes that would have been difficult to carve in wood. The malleable material was painted with chinoiserie patterns and decorative designs. It was mass-produced by factories such as Jennens and Bettridge with varnishing and mother-of-pearl inlays creating an effect reminiscent of Asian lacquer. (Surfaces that had been “japanned” — a specialty of Jennens and Bettridge — were intended to resemble lacquer work that was created in East Asia.)
Find a collection of antique Napoleon III decorative objects, tables, seating and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Late 20th Century Napoleon III Stools
Brass
Late 20th Century Napoleon III Stools
Brass
Late 20th Century Napoleon III Stools
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Cotton, Velvet
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Linen, Oak
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Linen, Wood
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Linen, Oak
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Linen, Oak
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Upholstery, Wood
Early 1900s French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Oak
Early 1900s French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Oak
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Oak
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Linen, Walnut
1890s French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Wood, Trimming
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Linen, Wood
1880s French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Upholstery, Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Napoleon III Stools
Damask
20th Century Napoleon III Stools
Upholstery, Wood
1860s French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Other
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Upholstery, Walnut
1950s Vintage Napoleon III Stools
Linen, Walnut
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Napoleon III Stools
Cane, Beech
1950s French Vintage Napoleon III Stools
Brass
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Giltwood, Upholstery
Early 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Silk, Velvet, Bamboo
1970s Vintage Napoleon III Stools
1930s French Vintage Napoleon III Stools
Fabric, Walnut
1880s French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Beech
Mid-20th Century Polish Napoleon III Stools
Velvet, Wood
Mid-20th Century Polish Napoleon III Stools
Velvet, Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Walnut, Upholstery
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Fabric, Walnut
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Burlap, Wood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Napoleon III Stools
Steel
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Pine
Early 19th Century Irish Antique Napoleon III Stools
Leather, Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Upholstery, Wood
Early 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Silk, Velvet, Bamboo
Late 19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Wool, Upholstery, Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Linen, Oak
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Oak, Linen
1880s French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Metal
1990s North American Napoleon III Stools
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Oak
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Linen, Oak
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Linen, Oak
Late 19th Century European Antique Napoleon III Stools
Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Oak
1830s French Antique Napoleon III Stools
Leather, Walnut