Decorating Your Home With Art Deco Design

by UW Digital Collections

Decorating Your Home With Art Deco Design

There are many style options you can choose from to decorate your home in today's day and age, even options that one would never have considered back in the 20th century or even in the past few decades. This includes one style from the 20th century that seems to be regaining some popularity recently, and that style is art deco.

Back in the 1920s to 1930s, art deco design was very popular. In that time period, art deco was considered to be functional, elegant, and ultra modern. Art deco designers would often reject the traditional ideas and materials of decoration and interior design, instead opting to use more unusual materials such as ebony, marble, stainless steel, lacquer, aluminum, inlaid wood, sharkskin, and zebra skin.

The use of harder, metallic materials to construct the furniture used in art deco design were to reflect the celebration of the machine age. Sometimes, art deco designers would alter the furniture they had to give it more of a look that fit the art deco interior design. This is why the process of Lacquering (or giving the furniture a glossy finish) was created.

In addition, art deco designers liked to emphasize clean lines and geometric shapes. Strong, sharp angles were often added to the layout of the room to emphasize the art deco interior design.

If you are considering turning your living room or bedroom into a room that accentuates the art deco design, here are some ideas and tips to consider.

Realize that there is often a pyramidal effect on the rooms that use the art deco design, thanks to the Aztec and Egyptian elements that influence art deco.

Giving your room a gradual lessening of form can present a perception of strength and endurance to those who experience your room. That is why this type of interior design was very popular back during the days of the Great Depression, as people tried to display their financial strength and stability in that dark economic period.

There are other ways to emphasize the art deco interior design in your room.

One way is to add more furniture pieces and accessories that have black and green tones to your room, as black and green are primary colors in art deco design.

Adding intriguing and unusual accessories, such as distinctive artwork, is another way to add to the art deco flavor of your room.

Another way is to have wall-to-wall carpet that coordinates well with the art deco design of your room. This would include having neutral color carpet to help soften up the intensity of the art deco interior design.

You should also pay attention to the lighting in your room, as it should match up well with art deco decorating. Lamps with geometric glass shades often work best with art deco interior design.

In addition to artificial lighting, you should also consider the natural lighting from your windows and the window treatments. With art deco design, going with ordinary-looking drapes may be your best option, though if you want to have people focus on your window style, you could consider using vintage drapes instead.

Decorating your home with art deco design involves using materials that are different from traditional materials, such as ebony, marble, stainless steel, sharkskin, and zebra skin. Lacquering is also a key component in art deco design. Art deco also emphasizes clean lines and geometric shapes, especially strong, sharp angles. Art deco design continues to make a comeback after being very popular in the 1920s and 1930s; if you want an ultra modern, functional, yet elegant design, art deco would likely be your best interior design option.

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