Étienne-Henri Martin
1905 – 1997
Étienne-Henri Martin was a prominent French cabinetmaker, decorator, and designer, and an influential figure in interwar decorative arts and post-war industrial design. Trained in metalworking at the École Boulle, he collaborated with master metalsmith Edgar Brandt before becoming a key designer for Atelier Primavera (the art studio of the “Grands Magasins du Printemps”). His career, spanning the transition from Art Deco luxury to post-war functional modernism, embodies the democratization of quality furniture and the rise of mass-produced design in France.
Biography
Trained at the prestigious École Boulle with a specialization in metalwork, he collaborated from 1923 to 1928 with famed ironworker Edgar Brandt, mastering structural metal craftsmanship and high-end finishes.
He subsequently joined Atelier Primavera at the “Grands Magasins du Printemps”, designing Art Deco furniture, lighting fixtures, and decorative items. He later directed the interior design department at the “Grands Magasins du Louvre” and worked closely with decorator René Prou.
During the 1950s and 1960s, he fully embraced industrial design and post-war reconstruction needs. He conceived modular storage, sleek lounge chairs, and seating series (such as his iconic “Série 1500” for TFM).
A respected figure within professional institutions and a long-time professor at the École Camondo, he mentored generations of interior architects and decorators throughout the second half of the 20th century.
"Étienne-Henri Martin successfully linked the technical rigor of the École Boulle with the flexibility of mass-produced design, guiding the evolution of French living spaces from Art Deco elegance to the functional modernism of the post-war era.”
