Desny (1927 – 1933) French Design Firm

Desny was active 1927—33 at 122 avenue des Champs-Elysées, Paris.

Background of Desny

The company was run by designers Desnet and René Mauny (or Nauny) and a business partner named Tricot. Louis Poulain was one of the people who worked there. The company was known for its modern lighting fixtures made of glass and chrome-plated metal. It also made silverware, bath accessories, carpets, murals, and silverware. Cubism influenced it, which gave its work strict geometric shapes and flat surfaces. Rugs had abstract geometric patterns on them. Even though its work was very modern, it often used expensive wood and other materials from far away. Its furniture sometimes had parts made of aluminium.

Commissions

In 1931, it was hired to design the inside of the apartments of Georges-Henri Riviere, Pierre David-Weill, and Mlle. Thurnauer’s very sophisticated and elegant quarters. The bulbs in the sconces, chandeliers, and floor lamps that were plated with chromium were hidden for ambient lighting. For task lighting, the company offered “genre spotlights.” It also made a variety of illuminated bibelots out of clear glass and metal, and it commissioned designers like André Masson, Alberto and Diego Giacometti, Jean-Michel Frank, Djo-Bourgeois, and Robert Mallet-Stevens, with whom Desny worked on several decorating projects. The business shut down when Desnet died in 1933. Later, Nauny opened a small chain of stores called Hippocampe, Paris and Lyons, where he sold costume jewellery and made some of it himself.

Sources

Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The design encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing. https://amzn.to/3ElmSlL

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