When I walked into the Cygal Art Deco showroom at the PDC, it quite literally took my breath away. This showroom is the epitome of what Artful Living is about, because it takes something from our past, and makes it relevant to the world today in a very grand way.
Art Deco began in 1925 at the Paris International Exposition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts, with the words Art Deco being derived from Arts Decoratifs. The stunning furniture above is handmade in Germany, and follows the same principals that guided the original movement from nearly 100 years ago. Deco represented luxury, glamour, exuberance, and faith in social and technological progress. Cygal’s materials continue the tradition with exotic wood veneers like European Walnut, American Black Walnut, Ziricote, African Mahogany Crotch, Santos Rosewood, Burl Walnut, and Macassar Ebony to name a few. Their upholstery materials include velvets, mohair, shagreen and even crocodile leather. Top it off with exquisite high gloss finishes and traditional deco shapes, and you end up with furniture that is worthy of a gold metal. Yes, you pay a high price for pieces like this, but if you take the long view and purchase one really good piece every year or two, you’ll build a collection over time that will last a lifetime.
I spent nearly an hour in their showroom, and couldn’t get enough. Every time I turned around, looked closer, and snapped a few more photos, I saw another rich detail I’d missed earlier. To be honest, I really didn’t want to leave. I look forward to the day when we’ve sold our tv pilot Artful Living, and can return to Cygal Art Deco with a full on camera crew for an in depth conversation with Catrine Alexandra. She was so gracious with her time and helped me reaffirm my obsession with beautiful objects.