The house of Leleu

Architects and decorators, furniture and textile creators, Leleu family’s name is synonymous with luxury, high quality French creation, noble materials. Modestly beginning in 1882, the family saga becomes famous and establishes the company in a prestigious hotel, 65 Franklin Roosevelt Street in Paris. Leleu was a star firm in the French decoration environment under the guidance of Jules Leleu from the 20s to 1948, then supervised by André Leleu, assisted by his children and all his family, from 1948 to the 70s. The Leleu style is born with the Art-Déco and evolves during the years until 1973. Jules Leleu, such as his sons André and Jean and his daughter Paule, was first a creator. Countless pieces of furniture and decor elements are born from his skilled and inventive drawings. These talented creators also were technicians who knoew perfectly woods and used precious materials very well: ivory, mother-of-pearl, scale, shagreen, lacquer or marble. Jules Leleu was a painter and sculptor as well and his son André a sculptor. The company deployed its activity in every field: interior design, furniture, woodwork, fabrics, carpets, lights, in collaboration with many artists: da Silva Bruhns’ carpets, Gernez’s and Kaskoff’s tapestry sketches, Hilaire’s, Lurçat’s and Picart-le-Doux’s mural tapestries, Brayer’s, Chapelain-Midy’s, Despierres’, Souverbie’s, Terechkovitch’s and Vertès’ paintings on furniture, Bobot’s, Dunand’s and Hamanaka’s lacquers, Brandt’s and Subes’ decorative ironwork, Dejean’s and Revol’s sculptures. The General Transatlantic Company, the Shipping Delivery Service and the United Loaders Company ask Leleu to decorate many liners: Marseillaise, Île-de-France, Antilles, Cambodge, Liberté, Félix Roussel, Maréchal Joffre and France. Leleu arranges a lot of French and foreign embassies, Elysée’s dining room, President of the Republic’s train, heads of state’s residences such as the President Habib Bourguiba’s in Tunisia and the President Felix Houphouët-Boigny’s in Yamoussoukro.

Edition of this book available in french