Alluring Art Deco Interiors
Art Deco is a visual arts, architecture and design movement that appeared in France before the First World War. It inspired the design of buildings, jewellery, fashion, furniture, and everyday objects from 1910-1950.
Art Deco embraced new technology and materials and the requirements of mass production methods. Luxury, glamour, exuberance, and faith in social and technological progress were characterised by the movement’s use of rich colours, bold geometric shapes, and lavish ornamentation. It is no wonder that in 2022 homes are still taking inspiration from Art Deco. If it’s an artistic movement that appeals to you and your family’s taste, then there are easy ways to incorporate it into your home. This time we’re showing you how to add a touch of The Great Gatsby to your interiors.
Motifs
Art Deco motifs favour symmetry rather asymmetry and rectilinear rather than curvilinear forms, displaying a sharp contrast when viewed side by side with the style’s predecessor Art Nouveau. Spheres, polygons, rectangles, trapezoids, zigzags, chevrons, and sunburst motifs arranged in symmetrical patterns. New materials like aluminium, chrome-plated steel, Bakelite and plastics were often used in Art Deco styling in order to display modern technology and materials to their best advantage.
Colours
Colours were often vivid and high contrast, such as black, white and gold. Art Deco style relies heavily on metallics like gold and steel in architecture, furniture, and accessories nodding towards the wealth that these new industries were creating. Colours were often paired with high-shine silver, chrome, or black accents.
Favourite colours were:
Bright and deep yellows, Mustards and ochres
Reds
Greens
Blues
Pinks
Softer colours like creams and beiges were often used in living rooms, dining rooms and bedrooms with neutral colours like creams and beiges mixing well with polished wood and lacquered furniture, which were prominent in the period.
Furniture
Large pieces like sideboards, armoires and armchairs are typical of the period. They do not feature any elaborate detailing. Fabrics like shark skin and zebra skin, art deco-inspired upholstery fabrics like velvet and leathers and solid colours or textiles featuring a geometric print or with contrasting blocks of colour. Herringbone or parquet flooring (whether original or reproduction) instantly adds an element of art deco to your home. Black-and-white chequered flooring or rugs with loud geometric patterns will also instantaneously inject the glamour of Art Deco style to your home.
Lighting
Art Deco emphasized modernity and machines, and at the same time, it was considered elegant and functional. This is the ideal fusion of styles to look to when choosing a new lighting arrangement for your home. As with Art Deco style generally, lighting fixtures of the era are known for their geometric and symmetrical patterns.
Look for:
- Lighting shades with clean aerodynamic modern lines and silhouettes with minimal detailing.
- Shades made from etched glass or chrome with stepped or elongated shapes depicting skyscrapers.
- Shade with fanned-out shapes obscuring the bulbs.
- Shades made from Opal glass.
Opal glass is also referred to as milk glass for its translucent white finish. Our Art Deco-inspired luminaire (finished in nickel) is composed of clear glass rods creating instant glamour. It’s available in various finishes and sizes.