If your only association with Art Deco is sun-shaped mirrors, then it’s time to learn a little more about this style. The style got its name from the abbreviation of the French “art décorative”, that is, “decorative art”. Art Deco is one of the most expensive and rich interior styles. It is impossible to imagine it without aristocratic finishes and sophisticated furniture with a touch of classics, luxurious chandeliers and carpets, an abundance of metal, antiques, paintings and other art objects.
You can see this style being used in the real world, when looking at the Portuguese design agency DEMARCA. Hence there are so many expensive and shiny materials: gloss, polish, varnish and metals. Art Deco is decorative in its essence, it loves really expensive materials – silver and gold, precious and semi-precious stones, animal furs, ivory, crocodile skin, precious woods. The style is designed to impress guests. It is with Art Deco that the luxury of cruise ships, hotels, salons, clubs and other buildings is associated, where the interior should eloquently tell about the wealth and high status of the owner of such a luxurious room and the beautiful life of millionaires.
For example, the interior of the famous cruise ship Titanic and the luxurious Ritz hotel in London are made in the Art Deco style.
Eclectic style
Some say that Art Deco is a mixture of neoclassicism and modern with notes of futurism and cubism, others see features of the Empire and Art Nouveau in it. Be that as it may, everyone is unanimous in the opinion that Art Deco is extremely eclectic and draws inspiration from various sources. It managed to embrace the immensity, absorbing the luxury of the past and at the same time striving for comfort and progress.
Here are classic natural materials – wood, metal, stone, bamboo, coconut, leather, ivory, etc. – they are friends with modern artificial ones – chrome, aluminum, plastic. One thing is invariable: quality material that looks rich.
Clear geometry and dynamic shapes
The eclecticism of Art Deco can be easily traced in forms and lines. Geometrically sharp edges are balanced by the furniture of streamlined silhouettes, simple geometric patterns are replaced by images of birds, dragons, insects, plants, etc. Art Deco is easily recognizable by its broken lines and energetic zigzags (laying parquet and ceramic herringbone tiles). The style-forming component is the trapezoid shape: windows and mirrors, backs of chairs and upholstered furniture, door handles and fittings, etc. In pursuit of expressiveness, Art Deco puts a lot of energy into shapes and lines. It can be, for example, wallpaper with a contrasting ethnic pattern and decorative elements, imitation of a zebra skin in a soft corner or striped curtains on the floor.
Surfaces are often framed or contoured with a contrasting color. The sharpening of the contour makes the interior even more geometric. Thus, the form itself becomes a decorative element. An icon of the Art Deco style is a mirror-sun in a frame of rays. The sun can also be tiled on the floor or actually buy a gold or silver mirror in the shape of the sun.
Black and white monochrome combined with color
The style-defining feature of the Art Deco style is a classic mix of black and white. The classic example of flooring comes to mind: a marble checkerboard. A feature of the Art Deco style is the use of three or more colors, one of which is an element of luxury, and the other two serve as a background. Favorite Art Deco palette – brown, cream, gray, silver, gold and other shades of metal, wood and leather. Bright, saturated colors appear only in fragments. The subdued introduction of other colors is allowed, primarily green, blue, red or burgundy.
Intentional decorativeness and exclusiveness in the interior
Art Deco emerged after the First World War as a manifesto against the asceticism and gloom of wartime and at the same time as a response to the global economic crisis that erupted after the war. It was considered fashionable and prestigious at that time to have something very expensive at home, unique, custom-made, or exotic: a painting by a famous artist, a palm tree in a tub, travel souvenirs, smoking accessories, antique boxes, etc. Inside the deliberately decorative Art Deco style, decor becomes an independent part of the interior, everything gets its own face, personalizes.
Art Deco interiors are reminiscent of a collector’s dwelling, where it is easier to see a selection of rare stylish gizmos than a composition. There may even be a feeling of “overpopulation” of objects in a confined space. The new style immediately became popular among celebrities, people of art, financiers and politicians just because status things made of crocodile skin, ivory and other rarities fit well into it. If all these rules are followed: the interior looks impressively rich and costs as much as it looks, if it is deliberately decorative, it has mirrors with a frame in the shape of the sun, key zags, etc., in general, all this is taken into account, it is Art Deco. And it is easy to recognize it.
What not to use for Art Deco interior design
Interior design in the Art Deco style is relevant for people who are not constrained in funds. It is unacceptable to use cheap low-quality materials and imitation of expensive solutions, furniture from an inexpensive store, vague accessories. If you are planning to use this style, then HDS will help you implement it at home with furniture of only the highest quality. Any product bought in an economy class store will immediately knock out of the overall ensemble, greatly spoil the impression. It is not recommended to obstruct light sources with objects of the environment: the lighting should be bright, even without shadows. A primitive approach to space organization will produce a depressing effect: an Art Deco renovation requires careful attention to every detail. Try to forget about banal prints, plastic pots, rustic cotton textiles, as well as floral rugs and curtains – all the elements that will look cheap in this design direction.
What else is out of place in Art Deco:
– minimalist and ascetic approach to design;
– smooth textures, lines;
– monotony of the interior;
– photos in gaudy frames, plaster figurines.
You can have it all
Art Deco is deservedly considered a unique design movement, whose stylistic idea is formed by a combination of luxurious sophistication with a touch of antiquity and innovation. An Art Deco apartment always looks chic, exclusive and, at the same time, modern. The main methods of the direction are the use of contrasting and asymmetric forms, clear geometry and ornamentalism. The house is decorated with natural and expensive materials. The design in the Art Deco style turns out to be practical and aristocratic at the same time. Every detail should be of high quality, exquisite.
Art Deco interior design style and all you should know about it
