Jean-Michel Frank was one of the most famed designers of the 20th century, but his impressive career had surprising beginnings. Frank, unlike many of his contemporaries who attended schools of design or architecture, was entirely self-taught. In the new book Jean-Michel Frank (Assouline, $250), author Laure Verchère traces the designer’s path from law student to sought-after decorator and creator of now-iconic furnishings. Frank’s deep knowledge of design history inspired his own modern and simplified creations, which were beloved by sophisticates in France and around the world. (Designers Elsie de Wolfe, Frances Elkins, and Syrie Maugham were among his fans.) Frank favored simple yet luxe materials such as ivory, shagreen, and parchment, and utilized techniques including straw marquetry and wood veneer. The designer was also known for his collaborations with talents such as Christian Bérard, Alberto Giacometti, and Salvador Dalí, merging his streamlined style with their bold ideas. Read on for a peek inside the Art Deco master’s legendary designs, from refined interiors to furnishings that have stood the test of time.

Frank designed the penthouse of San Francisco millionaire Templeton Crocker. The living room is lined in squares of parchment, one of the designer’s signature materials. A folding screen conceals a piano, which is topped with a quartz-block lamp.

This console table, constructed of wrought iron with a woven rattan top, showcases Frank’s penchant for refined materials and streamlined forms.

Frank’s clients included designer Elsa Schiaparelli, heiress Nancy Cunard, perfumer Jean‐Pierre Guerlain, and art patrons Marie‐Laure and Charles de Noailles.

This low table, designed by Frank in 1928, is covered in mica. The piece was produced by Chanaux.

Frank designed the iconic Parsons table while working with students at the Paris branch of the Parsons School of Art and Design.

This frame of mica and blackened wood that Frank designed surrounds a print of a drawing by Alberto Giacometti. Frank and Giacometti were introduced by photographer Man Ray and had a ten-year collaboration.

Frank elevated simple forms with luxe materials including bronze, gold leaf, and silk. This shagreen-covered armoire was designed in 1921.

In 1935, Frank opened a boutique with Adolphe Chanaux at 140 rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré. The guestbook, shown here, is bound in Hermès leather and was signed by clients, collaborators, and fans.

The book features photos of the self-taught designer’s interior projects, noting that almost none of them still exist today.