Art Deco Interior - Style Features

Art Deco is a very popular, incredibly expressive, elegant, recognizable style, long beloved by many modern designers. He always looks rich, elegant, giving pleasure to contemplating this interior. Most often used for decoration of hotels, expensive restaurants, halls where official receptions, weddings, banquets are held. From the outside, it seems that in such a room one can not only live and rest, as much as shoot a movie, do photo shoot for memory. More information about how Art Deco looks in the interior of various rooms, how and where it originated, the main features in the text of this article.

The history of style

The style originated in the early twentieth century in France, namely, in Paris. Already by the 20-30s, he had risen to the very peak of popularity. These were the post-war years of the crisis, the Great Depression was gaining momentum, but by the 40s, the style had already entered the international arena. He combined functional industrial with hints of African primitivism, the spirit of the jazz era with the severity of neoclassicism, brilliant metal with precious woods, a color palette of fauvism with black and white gradients.

Later in some countries, Art Deco or Art Deco gave rise to the functionalism style, at the same time the Art Nouveau style appeared, personifying a new art. On the architecture of buildings, interior design of the USSR, Art Deco had a significant impact in the Stalinist period - 30-40s. Then he was considered a "solid style for the middle class", and therefore for the majority of Soviet people was considered unacceptable. Tourism and travel to exotic countries became popular all over the world, fashion for various souvenirs, trophies brought from there appeared.

Distinctive features

The main features of Art Deco:

• clear pattern in everything;
• bold "broken" geometry, including ethnic ornaments;
• asymmetry, streamline, sinuosity of lines;
• an abundance of halftones with rare patches of overly bright color schemes;
• the most expensive materials;
• fanciful luxury, the highest chic design;
• stylized images of animals, the latest technology;
• mosaic of wood, glass, stones, stained glass windows, many mirrors;
• crystal, expensive dishes, strange souvenirs from different countries;
• abundance of varnish, gloss, glamor.

In modern times, real bone figurines, terracotta figurines from Africa or Native American tribes are often replaced by crafts by local designers, which reduces the cost of design a little, without prejudice to the overall appearance.

Materials, methods of surface finishing

The materials are mainly used modern, expensive:

• ivory, horn of rhino, deer;
• rare types of wood - mahogany, rosewood, sequoia, stained oak;
• reptile skin - snake, crocodile;
• various metals - aluminum, brass, steel, silver;
• natural, rarely artificial stone - granite, marble, onyx, travertine, labradorite, slate;
• ceramics, expensive wallpaper;
• drywall, ceiling tiles;
• transparent, frosted, colored glass.

The ceiling is whitened, made of plasterboard, including multi-level, decorated with plaster, polyurethane stucco. Plastic ceiling sockets, baseboards, corner elements, moldings and semi-columns on the walls can be gilded or bronzed. The walls themselves are decorated with decorative plasters, silk wallpaper with geometric patterns or heraldic ornaments, African patterns, oriental hieroglyphs.

The floor is usually made of parquet, combining several types of wood, from which complex patterns are laid out - with central symmetry for the whole room or small, repetitive. Less often, the floors are decorated with stone, as it is very cold, and the mirror design is suitable for both the floor and the ceiling, walls, and any furniture. Interior doors are preferable to double-wing wooden, paneled or having an inset of patterned glass, stained glass windows depicting fantastic plots of ancient myths.

Used color palette

The following color combinations are often used:

• gold with black;
• white with golden brown;
• white-green with purple-black;
• chocolate with ivory color;
• beige with noble-purple;
• purple with emerald;
• antique azure with terracotta;
• bistre with pale yellow;
• sand with bronze;
• golden with wine red;
• wisteria with graphite black;
• chestnut with quartz gray.

As a base, gold, brown, beige shades are almost always used, complemented by accessories, bright patches of red, blue, green, and violet.

Lighting

The right light in the interiors of Art Deco is not the last value, creating a cosiness, giving even greater solemnity to the atmosphere. These are huge multi-track chandeliers made of crystal, glass that gently diffuses light. The smaller the room, the greater the number of lamps and fixtures should be used. This is especially true for the "northern" rooms with small windows or where there are no windows at all - dressing room, bathroom, hallway, corridor.

The walls are illuminated with sconces, sometimes with overly elaborate forms, floor lamps with large shades on an ornate carved wooden leg or with a base in the form of an ancient Greek statue. Illumination of the floor for this interior is unacceptable in any form - the light falls strictly from above, maximum at the side, but not less than from a height of one third of the distance from the floor to the ceiling.

Chandeliers fit the most incredible, large, luxurious - with a large number of horns, complex geometry, gilding, in the form of a huge painted ball, etc. Miniature spotlights are allowed only in those rooms where a full-fledged chandelier does not fit due to the small area.

Light is preferable warm - with the help of it it is more advantageous to emphasize the forms of various decorative elements. The abundance of mirrors also visually "multiplies" the amount of lighting.

Furniture

All furnishings have smooth lines, rounded corners. From the materials, in the overwhelming majority of cases, an array of natural wood of valuable species is used, but sometimes even fiberboard is veneered with veneer made from expensive wood.

The main wood species used for art deco furniture are:

• rosewood;
• nut;
• oak;
• pink tree;
• maple;
• ash;
• palm tree.

Chrome, forged, inlaid, carved parts are also often used. In some pieces of furniture using glass, including frosted, colored stained glass, ivory.
For the decoration of upholstered furniture used various types of leather

Many types of upholstery fabrics are used:

• dense jacquard;
• tapestry;
• velours;
• velvet;
• artificial leather;
• flock and others.

Upholstered furniture for the art deco style is used a lot - narrow sofas, couches, high beds, huge sofas, armchairs, upholstered chairs, poufs are present in all rooms. Often the furniture is made to order, in single copies or in limited series. All furnishings are made in the same color, but it is allowed to make separate elements in a different color scheme to create several bright accents.

No need to give preference to excessively massive pieces of furniture, but if they are necessary, they should have separate elegant elements or decor - openwork carving, painting, inlay.

Textile design

An abundance of diverse textiles is usually present in the Art Deco stylistic design. Fabrics are selected plain, with zigzag, geometric patterns, colored stripes or cells, "zebra", "leopard", "snake" prints are also suitable. Popular are also Damascus ornament, "crow's feet", meanders.

The most commonly used fabrics are:

• velvet;
• cashmere;
• velveteen;
• tapestry;
• coarse wool fabrics;
• silk.

The interior has luxurious carpets, heavy drapes, bedspreads, tapestries, cross-stitched paintings, pillows embroidered with gold patterns, canopies with floral ornaments framing a bed or a dressing table. Soft blankets are made bilateral, from wool or faux fur.

Draperies on the walls also take place, being present at the head of the beds or in the form of moving elements separating a large space or studio apartment. Trunks of various sizes are present in the interiors of almost all the rooms, they can be made monochromatic or variegated. Black printed patterned curtains complement the tulle with plenty of flounces. The edges of the carpets complement the band meanders or Chinese characters.

Accessories, decor

Decorative design is very diverse, most often in the abundance of such items and details:

• figurines, animal figurines;
• luxury fans, candles;
• mirrors on any surfaces;
• forged lattices, including zoning space;
• pictures in carved frames - the larger, the better;
• decorative ceramic, glassware;
• souvenir bottles with expensive alcohol;
• pearls, natural bone, turtle shells;
• dry bouquets, floral panels.

Of the paintings, in the descriptions of famous interiors, there are works by Klimt, Vasnetsov, Delorm, Serebryakova, Cassandra, Dupa and many others.

From the artistic motifs of sculptures, canvases are present:

• geometric shapes - circles, squares, zigzags, polygons, ovals, black and white piano keys, steps;
• Oriental motifs - ziggurats, pyramids, sphinxes, murals;
• vegetable, animal ornaments and forms - sakura branches, bonsai tree, leaves of exotic trees, fantastic animals, mythological characters;
• anthropomorphic plots - arabchata, Indians, graceful figures of women.

Too much decor should not be placed in a too cramped room, just focus on a few contrasting elements - the room will look cluttered.

Interiors of rooms

This style is not massive, but it is widely known everywhere. Any hints of austerity, minimalist interior are alien to him.

Here are used in abundance:

• carpets, curtains, all kinds of draperies;
• decorative fountains, podiums, arches;
• reproductions of canvases in the style of cubism, famous American graphics;
• sculptures from ebony, ceramics;
• floor vases, palm trees in pots.

In the art deco style, it is easy to combine objects that are difficult to fit into the framework of a single stylistics. There are always many elements here, and the overall picture does not have to be conceptual.

Fully recreate the interior of the "palace" of the last century in a small apartment is unlikely, but the use of individual elements, attributes of style, will make at least a miniature similarity.

Bedroom

It looks good bright, tall, as if "a bloated" on the sides of the chest with curly handles on the facades of the boxes. Illumination on both sides of the bed above the bedside tables is carried out with the help of a refined shape of a wall lamp, with shades in the form of flowers that gently diffuse light. Intricate weave patterns on the wallpaper will enliven the room, and a decorative or electric fire creates a feeling of warmth, comfort.

Ideal for a bedroom, where one or two, maximum three groups of objects have the same pattern - the carpet is combined with curtains, ceiling tiles with wallpaper, pillows on the bed with upholstered chairs and a pattern on the floor. A double bed with a patterned canopy and a valance, in harmony with the sophisticated desk, dressing table, above which is a round mirror decorated with a frame in the form of the sun. The wardrobe zone is separated by a patterned screen.

If the wall opposite to the head of the bed is decorated with an intricate labyrinth, which is often an attribute of the Art Deco style, then it will be pleasant to examine it while meditating before bedtime.

Living room

A huge leather sofa, with a dome-shaped back, will become the composite center of the art deco interior. Complement the interior of a medium size chest of drawers made of rosewood or palm wood, covered with a thick layer of varnish, a low "oriental" table, chairs or ottomans, decorated with zebra or leopard prints. A large crystal chandelier will decorate the middle of the ceiling, and the corners - floor lamps or sconces made in the same luxurious style. On the floor in the center of the room there is a bamboo mat in the Japanese style, interlaced with gold threads or a fluffy carpet with folk ornaments.

A marble console playing the role of a flat-screen TV stand would also be appropriate. In the most spacious rooms with high ceilings, good acoustics, a grand piano is set up on the podium, occasionally even a full-fledged drum set or DJ console with all the associated paraphernalia.

The living room space may well look like an exhibition hall, where many different items are viewed for hours, each time finding all the new details.

Children's

The furniture in the nursery, like the other Art Deco rooms, has no sharp corners. A warm, soft wool carpet will allow children to play on the floor in the long winter evenings. You should not overload this room with an abundance of fragile decor, especially if children are small - safety is paramount. Stucco molding on the ceiling, a high luminaire made of safety glass, a canopy over the crib, a lot of wardrobe trunks for storing toys, a couple of pictures in carved frames - this is enough to clearly mark the style.

It is easy to arrange a room with one's own hands, together with the child, by depicting through a stencil colored damask monograms, geometric figures on the walls, lamp shades, window frames. Above the headboard often depict the rising sun, in harmony with the same embroidery on the backs of soft chairs or cushions.

The following shades are preferred here:

• pink, blue;
• gold, silver;
• violet, beige;
• light yellow, spring greens;
• linen, bluish gray.

This miniature dressing table is the best for this style if the room belongs to a girl. A comfortable functional table of suitable style is also made for the boy.

Kitchen

Light marble walls are often present in kitchens made in this style. It looks most beautiful when the room has a warmed balcony, a spacious loggia or a bay window - part of the window glass is then decorated with stained-glass windows, which allows even the “pale” interior to play with new colors.

The floor of ceramic tiles in black and white "chess" will have here very much to the point. It can be combined with the same color kitchen apron, in sharp contrast with the headset, which is chosen bright or excessively bright. Curved countertops work surfaces, rounded bar with a suitable type of chairs perfectly fit into the overall style of art deco. The facades of the headset are necessarily glossy, the doors have glass with engraving or colored stained glass, the entire household kitchen appliances are preferred built-in. The dining table has a luxurious tablecloth, and the chairs around it are upholstered.

An island suite is quite suitable for a spacious kitchen, and soft sofas and all sorts of decor will take place along the walls.

Entrance hall

The walls of the long corridor are decorated with stylized oil lamps or candles with lamps located on both sides, and a carpet is laid on the floor, like in a real palace. Plastic stucco along the ceiling also does not hurt.

A large mirror in a wooden or forged frame with gold, with a threshold emphasizes the high cost of the interior. The graphics here will be very useful: wallpaper with a damask ornament, floor tiles or ottomans with the same pattern. The legs of a few hallway furnishings are often wrapped in fish skin. In the square hallway hang chandelier, shaped like an inverted dome.

For a narrow corridor or a narrow hall, the lightest wall design with a minimum of contrasts is chosen.

Bathroom

Walls decorated with frescoes a la Egypt will add uniqueness to this room, creating interesting accents. The same motifs are duplicated on towels, curtains over the bathroom. Facing made of stone, coupled with spot lighting, will add even more solidity to the interior. Monochrome porcelain tile on the floor of a joint or separate bathroom, especially contrasting with the color of the walls, gives a hint of the Renaissance, and the abundance of mirrors will make the room bright and spacious. Golden mosaic, denoting a separate area of ​​the room, also looks great.

If the floor is made entirely of stone, it is desirable to equip it with a special heating, otherwise it will be cold to bare feet on it, even if there is a carpet.

Conclusion

Art Deco, embodying the luxury and glamor, will appeal to fans of classic, baroque interiors, as well as avid lovers of loft, hi-tech or industrial styles. He is gorgeous and, at the same time, bold, luxurious, maximalistic. Art Deco is more suitable for a large, spacious house, but the decoration of even a small apartment in this style also looks great. Fully equip the entire interior in the framework of Art Deco or Art Nouveau can be problematic, so many turn to professional interior designers for help.