Art Deco interior design style ideas

It’s 20ties again! ArtDeco, the design style that started in 1920, is having a comeback 100 years later. It is breaking its way into interior design, graphic design, and art. Are you excited? Let’s dive into how to create a modern interior in ArtDeco style!

Art Deco beginnings and history

ArtDeco was bold, luxurious, and rich. It represented the fullness of life that people were longing for after the dread of World War II. ArtDeco followed the more classic and old-fashioned art style of Art Nouveau. Compared to its predecessor, ArtDeco was incorporating lots of modern concepts – sleek lines, mechanics (robots even), geometric shapes, and less ornamentation.

ArtDeco was a visualization of the beginning of a new era – leaving the out-of-date ideas and thinking to the past, and moving forward with an open mind. ArtDeco was a popular design style all the 1920ties, in the 1930ties, and even in the 1940ties leading up to 1950ties when finally a new design style emerged – the midcentury modern.

What describes Art Deco in interior design?

ArtDeco room makes you feel like you have stepped into a splendid space. The pieces are simple in their form, but they are made of luxurious materials that make them stand out. Every interior design piece is important and feels like a queen in their category. The patterns are bold, either it is an exotic animal print, geometric shapes, or African or Asian style inspired patterns. The room feels bigger than it is thanks to the big mirrors, glass tables, symmetry in the furniture, and reflective metals.

ArtDeco design is described by:
● geometric shapes,
● symmetry,
● a lot of metal finishes, for example, gold, stainless steel, and chrome,
● elegant and simply shaped furniture,
● glass in decor elements and furniture like tables,
● velvet and leather, ● impressive, large light fixtures,
● exotic animals skins (nowadays – fake skins),
● marble.

Creating a room in Art Deco style – where to start?

First, you need to decide whether you are designing your whole room in ArtDeco style or just adding some elements and mixing styles. If you are going for just a few elements, then choose decor pieces – wallpaper, artwork, light fixtures, or maybe a small furniture piece like a table. If you are going full out on decorating your room in ArtDeco style then consider investing in ArtDeco style furniture alongside smaller decor.

Animal Prints and Cultural motifs

The 1930ties were popular with having travel destinations to unseen parts of the world. People were traveling to Egypt to see pyramids and taking part in Safaris in Africa.

All this travel inspired exotic animal skin usage in interior design (for example, zebras, sharks, etc). It was not only actual skins but also the patterns and prints of different animals for sofas, armchairs, wallpaper, and artwork.

And not only that. People were intrigued by the new cultures they had seen. Elements like Egyptian hieroglyphs and pyramid shapes, as well as Asian motifs, started to flood the Art Deco interiors.

To implement this travel-initiated ArtDeco trend, choose animal prints in the decor, for example, as floor coverings (don’t have to be real skins!) or decorative elements. To add Asian and Egyptian elements choose wallpaper with these motifs and acquire common objects with ornaments in this style.

Sunburst in Art Deco

Sunburst is a stylized shape of the sun. In ArtDeco style sunburst symbolizes the rise of a new age – full of prosperity, possibilities, and a bright future. Sunburst is seen everywhere – in wall decors, flooring, light fixtures, decor elements, and art. It is also very common to have a mirror in a frame that resembles a sun.

Geometric Shapes in Art Deco

Geometric shapes became a staple of Art Deco because they added a futuristic look to any design. Geometric shapes symbolize the high hopes for the future and the technological achievement of that time. Machinery was also on the rise and very popular at the beginning of the 20th century and a lot of the ArtDeco geometric designs resemble a creative representation of a mechanical scheme. Geometric shapes are implemented in almost every ArtDeco design from wallpaper to furniture and lamps.

Metal finishes

Going hand in hand with technological development metal finishes are the perfect representation of the new trend. Everything is mechanical (aka made from metal), shining, and promising. Metal finishes are used for everything – furnishings, decors, art, and even walls.

Art Deco Furniture

When choosing ArtDeco furniture for your house you can follow two routes – look for authentic pieces from the beginning of the 20th century, or go for modern furniture in ArtDeco style. Both will look amazing but will have different vibes.

Authentic ArtDeco pieces will demand the whole interior to be designed in ArtDeco. Otherwise, they will look out of place and won’t have the desired effect. However, with the help of other elements, they will transform your space from a modern living room to a vintage but stylish ArtDeco salon.

Modern furniture pieces, however, are more forgiving and you can mix the styles much more effortlessly. There are options to choose different colors and have ArtDeco furniture with a modern twist.

ArtDeco Sofa

A sofa can be a focal point of an ArtDeco interior. It has sleek lines and often is installed on elegant sofa legs. It can be curved in a slight C form and have the back upholstered like a clamshell. ArtDeo sofas are usually made of luxurious velvet in jewel colors or of durable, good-quality leather.

ArtDeco Table

ArtDeco table can be round or rectangular, made from wood or glass but the common element of any ArtDeco table is geometric decorations. Either the legs are made from metal and resemble rectangles of various sizes, or maybe the table is standing on a circle or half circle. Another popular characteristic of an ArtDeco table is a glossy finish for a wood table, glass or even mirror surface, or in some cases – marble table top.

Art Deco floor

There are a few options for an ArtDeco interior floor. You can choose to go minimalistic with hardboard flooring which will look fantastic. You will need to add a rug here and there though – in ArtDeco there rarely was a floor without at least one rug. Talking about floor coverings, the floor was often covered with a carpet that most definitely had a geometrical pattern.

There is also an option to use tiles and have them with geometrical patterns that excite the eye. Another more glamorous option is to go for marble flooring or at least for a floor that is mimicking marble. And last but not least, a very popular trend was to use parquet and arrange the boards in several geometric patterns that ornament the floor like a carpet.

Art Deco Wallpaper

Original ArtDeco's interior often had dark-colored walls or wood paneling. Wallpaper was also a popular choice – brown or black and white tones, stripes, geometric shapes, or Asian or Egyptian motifs. The authentic ArtDeco wallpaper of 1920 is quite subtle but still luxurious.

However, today we have many bold options regarding ArtDeco wallpaper. They are printed with popular patterns of the era – fans, diamond and other geometrical shapes, lots of straight and curved lines, as well as spirals, leaves, and Asian motifs. The wallpaper often has a metallic finish which definitely describes ArtDeco very well.

ArtDeco wallpaper will give your room a feel of the authentic 1920 but still make it fresh and stylish. To achieve amazing effects try using ArtDeco wallpaper in unusual places. For example, why not wallpaper the ceiling? Or use the wallpaper to create an ArtDeco oasis in the bathroom. These options will definitely give a twist to your room interior and will make it more unique!

Here are a few fun ArtDeco wallpaper choices to check out: “Sun Cottage”, “Gallant Duke”, “Splendid Aurum”, and “Royal Orchestra”.

Art Deco light fixtures

ArtDeco light fixtures are sleek, elegant, and symmetrical. They often have a fresco effect – the light from the bulb is shining through the colored glass creating a unique effect. It is also popular to have metal lines on the lamps that create geometrical patterns.

ArtDeco Ceiling lamps

There are several options for ceiling lamps. You can go for a bold chandelier made from glass that resembles an upside-down wedding cake or have something more subtle, for example, a flat cylinder or a wide cone hanging from chains.

ArtDeco sconces

If you choose to have sconces in ArtDeco style they need to be symmetrical. Either you have two sconces on each side of the bed or you already have a sconce with two lampshades. They can be in a fan shape or any other geometrical form.

ArtDeco Table lamps

The same as with other ArtDeco interior elements, ArtDeco table lamps have geometrical ornamentations and symmetrical shapes. A very popular table lamp design is a person, animal, or anything else holding a ball which is the light source.

In Conclusion

Art Deco is a fascinating design era. It is full of promise and excitement about new technological achievements, and a desire to celebrate life. It is visible in every detail of ArtDeco interior and maybe that is why it is so relevant today as well. If you want to create a room or the whole house in ArtDeco style, go for it! You can choose to use modern materials and adaptations or go for authentic pieces, either way, ArtDeco will look amazing in your home.