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Everything old is new again. That saying holds true for Art Deco decorating which originated in the '20's and '30's and is currently experiencing a resurgence in many forms of home decor. Art Deco pulls much of its styling from the art that was popular at that time, Cubism and Futurism. Cubism was an avant-garde art movement that was headed by famous artists Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. Cubist artworks usually involve breaking up the objects in a painting and reassembling them in an abstracted manner. The Futurism art movement began in Italy and emphasized industry and technology and how it was shaping the world. So now with a little history on Art Deco how can you use its design principles when decorating your home?
Some popular themes that fun through Art Deco pieces are zigzags and geometric shapes in bold patterns. Materials that are common in this type of decor are aluminum, lacquered wood with inlay, and stainless steel. Bold colors are a must to truly pick up this feel in a room. Using neutrals for the walls will give you a nice clean palette to add your splashes of color to. Thin stenciling on the wall in corners or near the ceiling will make a nice accent to the neutral walls. Rag rolling and stippling were also common painting techniques during that era and would do much to enhance this look.
Even though linoleum on floors was common during the original Art Deco period you probably don't really want to have it on you floors these days. You can still create a nice Art Deco effect on hardwood floors with area rugs. Area rugs in this home decor style have bold colors and geometric designs and a few well-placed ones can really liven up a room. If you are decorating in a large room consider a large area rug for the center of the room and a few smaller ones for contrast placed throughout the room.
Art Deco furniture usually has light-colored visible woodwork, noticeably rounded corners, and makes use of a variety of fabrics and materials including velvet and leather. Expensive window treatments are not necessary since most windows of that era features very plain curtains or no window treatments at all. A plain cornice box above the window may be all you need to capture the Art Deco effect around a window. A few unframed mirrors on the wall give the room a nice touch and make the room appear larger. Take it a step further by purchasing colored glass mirrors.
Lighting during that era was all glass and chrome and choosing the right light fixtures is important to accurately capturing the overall look. Streamlined, wall-mounted light fixtures in fan or bowl shapes are the easiest to find in hardware stores. If you use lamps to decorate lamp shades should have deep fringes on the edges and the base should ideally be modeled like a figurine.
home and deco
Some popular themes that fun through Art Deco pieces are zigzags and geometric shapes in bold patterns. Materials that are common in this type of decor are aluminum, lacquered wood with inlay, and stainless steel. Bold colors are a must to truly pick up this feel in a room. Using neutrals for the walls will give you a nice clean palette to add your splashes of color to. Thin stenciling on the wall in corners or near the ceiling will make a nice accent to the neutral walls. Rag rolling and stippling were also common painting techniques during that era and would do much to enhance this look.
Even though linoleum on floors was common during the original Art Deco period you probably don't really want to have it on you floors these days. You can still create a nice Art Deco effect on hardwood floors with area rugs. Area rugs in this home decor style have bold colors and geometric designs and a few well-placed ones can really liven up a room. If you are decorating in a large room consider a large area rug for the center of the room and a few smaller ones for contrast placed throughout the room.
Art Deco furniture usually has light-colored visible woodwork, noticeably rounded corners, and makes use of a variety of fabrics and materials including velvet and leather. Expensive window treatments are not necessary since most windows of that era features very plain curtains or no window treatments at all. A plain cornice box above the window may be all you need to capture the Art Deco effect around a window. A few unframed mirrors on the wall give the room a nice touch and make the room appear larger. Take it a step further by purchasing colored glass mirrors.
Lighting during that era was all glass and chrome and choosing the right light fixtures is important to accurately capturing the overall look. Streamlined, wall-mounted light fixtures in fan or bowl shapes are the easiest to find in hardware stores. If you use lamps to decorate lamp shades should have deep fringes on the edges and the base should ideally be modeled like a figurine.
home and deco
