Marcel Coard (1889 – 1974)
Born in 1889, Marcel Coard was a French Art Deco furniture designer and interior decorator. He studied arts and architecture at the Ecole du Louvre and at the Ecole des Beaux Arts de Paris and settled as decorator right after World War I. He initially furnished most of his interiors with 18th century antiques assuming that Parisian taste favored the past.
Inspired by African Arts, Oceanian Arts and Cubism, Coard eventually moved to his own unique modern designs. His furniture was precious, innovative, expensive and unique. It was made with rare materials such as Macassar ebony, mother-of-pearl, shagreen, parchment, snakeskin or tinted mirror. Coard’s designs were not only visually striking but also reflected a deep understanding of the principles of comfort and functionality. He returned to a more classical vocabulary during the 1940s, during which he received an order from the French Mobilier National. At the end of his career, he also collaborated with the interior decoration office Maison Jansen.
Coard is most famous for the furniture he designed for the great couturier Jacques Doucet. Widely published, Doucet’ s interior has further come to define modern collecting practices. It was in particular a formative inspiration for Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé.
Image Wikipédia.
