Although he is best-known for his furniture designs and complete interiors, Dufrêne designed fabric, carpets, wallpapers, silverware, glassware, and ceramics, as well as objects in wood and leather. Trained at the École des Arts Decoratifs, in 1904 he became a founding member of the Salon des Artistes Decorateurs, through which he exhibited for 30 years. His early work can be described as art nouveau but, by 1919, he had evolved a pure deco style. In 1921, Dufrêne was put in charge of the newly-created La Maîtrise design workshop at the Galeries Lafayette, a stylish Parisian department store. At the 1925 Paris Exposition, Dufrêne’s design was everywhere: in addition to designing the La Maîtrise pavilion, he also designed the salons and boutiques that were part of the Paris Art Deco Exposition scene.
