on the morning of 20 November 1916. The conflagration, no doubt spurred on by the fresh supply of lumber, unfinished furniture, and sawdust, burned virtually all the firm's sketches, awards, molds, equipment, and archives that documented the fifty-year history of the enterprise. As if to add insult to injury, a year later, in 1917 German aircraft bombing of Nancy destroyed the Majorelle shop on the rue Saint-Georges. The Majorelle family reported that their shop in Lille had been looted by advancing German troops. Majorelle relocated to Paris for the remainder of the war, where he worked in the workshops of fellow furniture designers. After the war, he reopened the factory and his shop, and continued to collaborate with the Daum glassworks and produce furniture, though these late designs show the stiffened geometry of Art Deco. Majorelle died in Nancy in 1926 in his beautiful property on rue du Vieil-Aître, leaving to his brothers Jules and Pierre, the management of the store on rue Saint-Georges in Nancy and the sawmill of Bouxières-aux-Dames. After his death, his family, whose fortunes had been damaged severely by the war, could no longer afford to live in the Villa Majorelle, and the house and much of the outlying property were sold off in parcels. Majorelle's factories closed in 1931. Eventually, the villa went through several architectural modifications (aside from those Majorelle himself made while he resided there), including the addition of a concrete bunker near the rear and the enclosure of the front terrasse. The large stone fence and gate that surrounded the property were eventually reduced to a small piece around the house, which itself went through various uses and owners over the next century. Today, the Villa has been acquired by the city of Nancy, which is undertaking a long-term project of renovation and restoration. Cultural references Majorelle's work, particularly the Aux Orchidées mahogany and amourette desk with gilt-bronze mounts from the Musée d'Orsay, is featured prominently in the 2008 French Film L'heure d'été, released in the US as Summer Hours in 2009. Works by Louis Majorelle See also Jacques Majorelle Hôtel Terminus References External links Louis Majorelle Musée de l'École de Nancy Musée d'Orsay Louis Majorelle biography, signatures, auction results, ... - Art Deco Ceramic Glass Light 1859 births 1926 deaths People from Toul French decorative artists French furniture designers French furniture makers Art Nouveau designers Members of the École de Nancy