Art Deco is a design style that became popular in the 1920s and 30s that uses bold geometric shapes like fans and patterns like zigzags, with luxury materials like marble and brass, and bold color contrasts like combining black and white to create a vibrant, in-your-face but glamorous effect.
You can see Art Deco in skyscrapers like the Chrysler and the Empire State Buildings and even elevators like in the movies Maltese Falcon and the rooms in The Great Gatsby. Restaurants like Quo Vadis in London and Beefbar in Paris feature Art Deco as well as hotels like The Siam in Bangkok and The Georgian Hotel in Santa Monica.
Chances are you’ve entered into a space and been wow’d by ornate ceiling tiles, brass appliques or detailed, linear wainscoting along the walls, and intricate repeating patterns on the furniture in a hotel or restaurant. That “wow factor” combining luxury and movement is likely Art Deco, and is the exact reason commercial and residential spaces use it.
The iconic style has had numerous resurgences over the years and is still a great way to elevate interior design by adding decorative flair to a dining room or den, and introducing a touch of spa-like sophistication to a bathroom.
Hotels, speakeasies, and restaurants love it because they can transport people to a vintage but modern feeling space full of energy, without having to spend a ton of money buying and maintaining actual antiques. So how did Art Deco begin? Glad you asked.
Art Deco’s Origins
Art Deco began to appear before the First World War as Art Nouveau fell out of fashion and with the completion of buildings like the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in 1913 although it wouldn’t actually be called Art Deco until the 1960s thanks in part to a book called Art Deco of the 20s and 30s by Bevis Hillier which sought to define the style.
Art Deco takes its name from the L’exposition internationale des arts decoratifs et industiels modernes in Paris in 1925 which was followed by more buildings appearing in the style including the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company’s headquarters in San Francisco (1925) and the Palais de la Méditerranée in Nice (1929).
New stronger building materials like steel and reinforced concrete allowed skyscrapers to be built for the first time, and these new shapes needed styles that suited long buildings and were bold enough to be visible from the ground. This allowed for the Art Deco style to take the form of skyscrapers and train stations.
Skyscrapers you’ve likely seen in movies, historic films, and structures that were built during the late 1920’s and early 1930’s in the Art Deco style include the Empire State Building, the Chicago Board of Trade building, and the Chrysler building in New York. The Chrysler building's crown with the visible arches and triangular windows are one of the best examples of the style. Another example of a non-skyscraper Art Deco building is the Cincinnati Union Terminal that includes a huge glass arch at the center of its symmetrical design.
The Great Depression led to Art Deco’s evolution into Streamline Moderne, a less extravagant style with the same characteristics. One of the biggest changes in this variation of Art Deco was the replacement of expensive materials like marble with more affordable materials like chrome and glass. The patterns also changed slightly with less straight lines and instead a focus on curving, aerodynamic forms which easily transferred to the trains and even appliances of the time like the classic version of a Jukebox.
The second World War ended Art Deco as a dominant architectural style, but thanks to Hillier’s book, it received a revival in the 1960s and has come back in style multiple times since. This is especially true for pop culture where Art Deco is the aesthetic including The Great Gatsby, Metropolis, Midnight in Paris, and even two Batmans with the animated Batman series and the 1989 movie featuring Michael Keaton.
What is Art Deco
Art Deco is a design aesthetic that influenced by cubism (Hillier actually considered Art Deco to be “domesticated cubism”) while borrowing from ancient civilizations in Asia, Mesoamerica and Africa. This includes Ancient Egypt where the style incorporates forms like papyrus flowers and scarab beetles to offset the bold structural shapes. The Art Deco Society of New York has some fantastic examples of ancient texts and art that are used across modern Art Deco decor and structures here.
To be considered Art Deco, the decor or look has to have:
- Bold geometric shapes
- Symmetry for the decorative and repeating patterns
- Luxury materials including marble, mahogany, and steel
- Bold and contrasting color combinations
- Defined lines and shapes that pop as a design element rather than blend in
Art Deco uses geometric shapes like chevrons and sunbursts in symmetrical and repeating decorative patterns with clean lines. The style is meant to be glamorous and over-the-top, so luxury materials like marble and metals like copper can be found in ceiling tiles, on floors, and wall panels, as well as in furniture made in the style.
Because it is meant to stand out, bold color combinations using rich colors like deep greens and blues can be used with gold or bronze, and furniture, ceilings, floors, and walls use highly finished textures like polished wood and satin-finished metals or stones. Black and gold are two of the most iconic color combinations for Art Deco.
But this can get tricky because other styles like Modern also use straight and defined lines. That’s where knowing the similarities and differences helps you keep the Art Deco aesthetic in tact.
What is similar, but isn’t Art Deco
Some architectural styles can be easily confused with Art Deco, specifically modern art museums like the Guggenheim Museum in New York or the HUD Building in DC. The structure has the bold geometric shape you might associate with Art Deco buildings, but without the decorative elements it is classed as part of the Modern or Brutalist style. The same with two popular design aesthetics.
Mid-Century Modern furniture
Mid-century modern furniture shares the clean lines of Art Deco but instead of over-the-top styling, it is generally more subtle where the pieces blend into a whole vs. everything standing out, and the shapes and patterns can be modular or asymmetrical.
Mid-century modern tends to use lighter materials more suitable for mass production like wood instead of expensive materials like marble or brass making it a more affordable aesthetic to use. The more affordable materials with mass production and luxury look are some of the reasons Mid-century Modern took off across suburbia.
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau preceded Art Deco and focused on elegant curves and long lines imitating organic shapes and using muted colors as opposed to Art Deco’s more geometric shapes, sharp angles and bold contrasts in color. While both styles focus on detail, symmetry, and luxury, Art Nouveau focuses on biophilic design pulling from nature like ivy vines and crowns where Art Deco is industrial and big non-organic colors as primary features while Art Nouveau thrives on them.
Where to use Art Deco in your home
The combination of bold modern lines and classical motifs means it can pair well with both modern and contemporary interiors. Any space where you need to match modern shapes and want touches of luxury are perfect for Art Deco. This includes residential and commercial spaces where you want to encourage people to talk, get together, have energy, or feel like they’re in the lap of luxury.
Living rooms and great rooms
Art Deco works perfectly in a living room or great room when you want to create a luxurious space perfect for entertaining, relaxing or giving a “classic cinema” vibe. Banquet halls that host weddings and holiday parties can give celebrations "picture worthy" backdrops for their events, and home theatres set the tone for immersion into the movie.
The bright repeating colors and patterns bring energy to keep the enthusiasm of the space flowing making it perfect for living rooms and basements in a home, and the large rich colored drapes can be used to tone it down when you need to relax.
Adding Art Deco wall lights or side lamps can complement a modern sectional couch which is modular and adds to the aesthetic, by providing accents to the space without a jarring disruption to the clean lines. Color palettes including dark green or navy paired with gold or bronze sets an opulent tone and will match well with Art Deco pieces that use gold or bronze as an embellishment.
Dining rooms
In a modern dining room you can work with the lines of a modern dining table set by using an Art Deco table setting complete with plates that embrace the sharp lines in the patterns and bold colors of the style. The luxury materials like gold or silver add to the vibe and help make each meal feel like a 5 star dining experience.
Silk napkins, gold rims on the plates, and gold or silver rimmed carved crystal wine and champagne glasses all further bring the style to life. The same effect could be produced with Art Deco pendant lights or chandelier over the table.
Smaller rooms
The strong geometric shapes of Art Deco are an easy way to use the lines of interior design whether that’s a horizontal line through an ornate stripe of patterns that bring eyes from left to right, or vertical artwork and panel lines to bring eyes up and down the walls.
This is one of the ways that horizontal lines help make a room feel wider or vertical lines by adding tall and thinner pieces of Art Deco style art to use vertical lines and help make a room feel taller. The goal is to keep eyes moving across the space vs. absorbing it all in as one. The lines and repeating patterns create strong visuals that expand across making this effect easier to accomplish.
Bathrooms
Art Deco is an ideal style to create a sophisticated spa setting in a bathroom by using bold colors and shapes or a black and white monochrome palette. Art Deco requires luxury materials and bold colors, and this is where marble flooring and tiles come in, even a bathtub and countertop made from them. The materials are associated with luxury thanks to 5 star hotels, and it is easy to add tiles and accent pieces that replicate and carry them throughout the space.
The right mirror is equally important for an Art Deco bathroom as it will become a natural focal point and the ideal way to incorporate a signature geometric shape like ovals, rectangles, or a rounded arch. Look for mirrors that include a frame that matches the style like a gold surround or a thick black frame to accentuate the shape.
What Art Deco Doesn’t Pair With
Not every home, room, or aesthetic will be able to handle Art Deco, including accent pieces like artwork. Rustic, Farmhouse, and even Victorian won’t blend and mesh because they need simplicity, antique, and curves while Art Deco is about the future, luxury, and sharp lines.
Rustic styles
Rustic styles like country farmhouse don’t combine well with Art Deco as the clean lines of more modern styles do not complement the curves and plush feeling of the style. The strong lines in the geometric shapes with metallics stick out compared to the leathers and natural toned woods that make Rustic and Farmhouse have their unique flare.
While Art Deco has a vintage feel, it still encompasses modern and needs to represent the future and technology. Rustic requires antiques that look and feel comforting and in the past, and that is one of the biggest differences even though they are time-period based interior design styles.
Ornamental styles
Ornamental styles that have luxury materials and big, bold pieces like Victorian generally don’t pair well with Art Deco styling as the clean shapes of Art Deco contrast too much with the flourishes and busy silhouettes of ornamental styles.
In these rooms, it is better to use furniture and decor including Rococo or Baroque to match the intricate styling so you can have the luxury of Art Deco, but with lines, curves, sizes, and materials that match the Victorian era. These periods and looks keep the feel balanced while maintaining a luxury feel.
Art Deco remains popular thanks to its combination of modern clean lines and decorative elements. It continues to have revivals because of its ability to create a luxurious space, giving designers the chance to introduce a touch of glamour to modern settings. While true Art Deco is expensive, you can substitute the more high-cost materials with modern ones thanks to modern manufacturing capabilities, and reduce the cost of styling your spaces so you can enjoy the look.
