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How Lalique made glass glamorous

It’s a hundred years since the art deco revolution, spearheaded by the influential French design house Lalique. Louisa McKenzie charts the brand’s enduring influence

Night view of René Lalique's fountain at the 1925 Paris Exposition.
The fountain designed by René Lalique at the International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts in Paris, 1925
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The Chrysler Building, soaring above Manhattan, with its spire containing a symphony of arches. Fritz Lang’s 1927 film Metropolis, with its futuristic cityscape peopled by streamlined facades and elegant geometric patterns. The candy-coloured and white expanse of the Miami Beach architectural district. Tamara de Lempicka’s sensual painted heroines. These are all examples of the art deco movement that is celebrating its centenary in 2025.

Bright colourful hotels along Ocean Drive in Art Deco District, Miami Beach, Florida, USA
Ocean Drive in the Art Deco District of Miami Beach
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Views From the Empire State Building in New York City
The Chrysler Building seen from the Empire State Building
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Although the style took its name — and birthday — from the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris, where it was first showcased, it actually emerged about six years earlier. Characterised by bold geometric patterns, luxurious materials and a streamlined aesthetic, art deco reflected the age’s fascination with progress, technology, and elegance, reaching its height in the 1920s and 1930s. The new movement was inspired by a range of influences, including cubism, Bauhaus and ancient Egypt, which were translated to be used in architecture, interior design, fashion, cars, and even typography — such as the aptly named Futura font, created by Paul Renner in 1927 and still to be found on Microsoft Word and other word-processing software today.

Sotheby's Exhibition of New York Auction Highlights
Tamara de Lempicka’s Femme à la Robe Jaune, 1929
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HANDOUT - An by the Lalique Museum shows a collection of perfumery bottles inside the new Lalique Museum in Wingen-sur-Moder (Northe Alsace), France. More than 600 jewelry and glass objects of the French designer Rene Lalique
A collection of perfumery bottles produced by Lalique
ALAMY

Art deco was also known for incorporating luxurious materials such as chrome, marble, exotic woods and glass. One name is synonymous with art deco glassmaking — Lalique. Founded by René Lalique in 1885 on the Place Gaillon in the heart of Paris, Lalique initially created elaborate jewellery that reflected a different artistic style, the art nouveau movement, using glass and enamel for innovative motifs inspired by nature, antiquity and Japonism. The popularity of his creations allowed him to open multiple workshops and gain plaudits from customers such as the actress Sarah Bernhardt.

By the 1910s, Lalique was focussing on glassmaking, inspired by a partnership with the perfumer François Coty for whom he had made a series of perfume bottles. By 1925, however, Lalique exhibited at art deco’s namesake, the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes. Gone were the intricate jewels where layers of metal, enamel, glass and precious stones combined to create whimsical, cameo-like scenes. In their place were sleek, graphic, geometric crystal creations playing on the contrast between transparent and satin-finished glass.

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The glass doors of Prince Yasuhiko Asaka’s residence in Tokyo
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The first-class dining room of the SS Normandie ocean liner
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The Côte d’Azur Pullman Express, 1929, designed by Lalique and Suzanne Lalique-Haviland
PROPERTY OF THE MUSÉE LALIQUE

Lalique’s work was not restricted to the cosmetic. He applied his technical and aesthetic flair to a series of monumental projects: the glass doors of Prince Yasuhiko Asaka’s residence in Tokyo; the dining room of the fashion designer Jeanne Paquin; and, perhaps most memorably, the first-class dining room of the SS Normandie ocean liner. Here, in the 1930s, guests crossing the Atlantic to New York enjoyed their meals in a dining room that, at 305ft, was longer than the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles. Twelve colossal columns, like stacked glass wedding cakes, were designed by Lalique to illuminate the room, along with 38 matching panels on the walls and two large chandeliers — earning it the nickname the “Ship of Light”. During the Second World War, the liner was requisitioned by the US Navy and turned into a troop ship, although a fire during the refit led to the ship capsizing. Many items from the ship’s glory days, including some of the Lalique crystal, were salvaged and still appear at auction.

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Auto Racing: The Historic. Closeup of La
A Lalique crystal hood ornament
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France, Bas-Rhin, Wingen-sur-Moder, Lalique museum, Victory mascot, 1928
A Victory mascot, 1928
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A forerunner of the trend for customising cars, Lalique was also known for his series of radiator caps (otherwise known as car mascots) in shapes such as perching falcons, leaping greyhounds and gymnastic nymphs. He produced them for a Who’s Who of car-makers including Bentley, Bugatti, Hispano-Suiza and Rolls-Royce. Lalique recently got back into the car game via a collaboration with the coach-builder Ares Modena on the Wami Lalique Spyder that incorporates 13 bespoke Lalique crystal elements, including on hubcaps and on the back of headrests.

Today the brand continues to produce fine crystal, blending tradition with modernity while reflecting its artistic legacy. “Its clean lines are a source of creativity for the house which was at the forefront of the movement,” Marc Larminaux, Lalique’s creative director, says. “Today we take archival Lalique designs and reimagine them in contemporary art deco shapes and designs that combine colour, texture and new ways of working in crystal.”

Portrait Of René Lalique (1860-1945)
René Lalique (1860-1945) in 1906
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While art deco as a genre began to fade after the Second World War, giving way to mid-century modernism, it remains an enduring influence in contemporary design, as a byword for sophistication and timeless appeal.

From jewellery to interior design, here are some products to help you add a dash of deco to your life.

Lalique, Bacchantes grand vase

Designed in 1927, the Bacchantes vase is one of Lalique’s iconic art deco creations, available here in a modern reissue. Hand-carved from crystal and standing at 34.5cm tall; a swirl of nude followers of Bacchus dance around the vase’s surface, recalling an antique frieze. £11,000, harrods.com

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Kamyen, art deco 18-karat white gold, enamel and diamond ring

Featuring a central emerald-cut diamond surrounded by pavé diamonds, and geometric bands of green enamel, this ring recalls the elegant lines of art deco skyscrapers. Created by the family-run fine jewellery brand Kamyen, the ring is crafted from white gold. £4,320, net-a-porter.com

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Cartier, Panthère art deco shawl

Cartier doesn’t only make jewellery and watches. This wool and cashmere-blend shawl transposes the brand’s iconic panther into an art deco landscape with streamlined foliage and architectural forms. £740, selfridges.com

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Linley, fluted deco tub chair

Have a seat, art deco-style, with Linley’s classic tub chair design. The gently undulating back fans out from a circular seat, while the rotating wooden base allows the user to swivel. Handmade in Britain, it comes in a range of finishes, including this fiery orange velvet. £5,500, davidlinley.com

Birdie Fortescue, pair of continental art deco armchairs

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If you prefer a more minimalist look, this pair of original art deco armchairs might be for you. Made in Italy in about 1930, the pure white fabric and glossy, rich wooden arms are classics of the period £2,950, birdiefortescue.co.uk

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Ralph Lauren Home, Duke bar cart in mahogany, glass and stainless steel

Up your cocktail game with this Ralph Lauren bar cart. Deep, opulent mahogany and glossy stainless steel combine to create a luxurious but practical serving trolley, while glass shelves add to the art deco feel. POA, harrods.com

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Abask, 1930s English art deco silver and cut glass decanter

If you need something to adorn your new bar trolley, look no further than Abask, the online retailer for the chicest decorative items old and new. This decanter dates from the 1930s and has bold lines and a hallmarked silver neck. £995, abask.com

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Beaumont & Fletcher, Miami headboard

It may be called Miami, but the embroidered central panel of this headboard recalls the pinnacle of the Chrysler Building in New York. Available in a range of fabrics and colours. POA, beaumontandfletcher.com

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