Understanding Art Deco Style
Key Characteristics of Art Deco Style
- Geometric shapes, patterns, and motifs
- Symmetrical forms
- Metallic accents and jewel tones
- Bold colors, often contrasting
- Long lines and fluid, aerodynamic curves
- Extravagant materials
- Animal, floral, and sunray imagery
- A streamlined aesthetic at its core, but brought to life with opulent ornamentation
Why It’s Popular for Living Rooms
- Creates a glamorous, dramatic feel that’s still comfortable and welcoming
- Brings a sense of splendor and extravagance to clean, minimalist environments
- Visually captivating design evokes feelings of wonder and awe
- Combines elements of the past and present, yet remains timeless and unbound by fleeting fads
Elegant Accessories for a Modern Art Deco Living Room
Silhouette Scalloped Bowl
The Silhouette Scalloped Bowl boasts long, symmetrical lines that perfectly fit the Art Deco style. The lustrous metallic finish shines luxuriously, yet tastefully. The Silhouette collection also features a matching tray and cream and sugar set.
Butterfly Cobalt Blue Vase
Rich jewel tones and animal motifs are prominent elements of Art Deco design. This hand-blown glass vase from the Butterfly collection adds a splash of color and is perfect for holding vibrant blooms.
Helios Brass Large Round Serving Tray – 17”
An ideal coffee table centerpiece, this regal brass tray from the Helios collection adds an opulent metallic accent, tantalizing the eye without stealing the spotlight from the rest of the modern Art Deco living room.
Ibiza Double Walled Bowl – 15½” x 3½
The streamlined design with clean, geometric patterns makes this bowl from our Ibiza collection one of our quintessential Art Deco living room accessories. Place it on a side table as a convenient catchall.
Butterfly Double Bowl
This mirror-polished brass double bowl combines a symmetrical design with an animal motif, beautifully capturing the spirit of Art Deco design. Use it as a dish for candy, nuts, berries, and other grazing foods.
Styling Tips
Be Bold With Your Choices
Fortune favors the bold! Art Deco is an inherently striking design style. While there’s no obligation to create an over-the-top aesthetic, it’s usually best to lean into the opulence as you plan the look of a modern Art Deco living room.
Choose Tastefully Luxurious Pieces
Although Art Deco design is extravagant, it’s not tacky. You want the room to have great panache without crossing the line into kitsch territories. Avoid excessively garish pieces, instead opting for the classy, refined side of lavishness.
Invest in High-Quality Accessories
It’s better to have one or two prestigious pieces than a room crowded with mass-produced, inferior items. Every decoration should serve a purpose and inspire joy. If you’re not 100% confident in a choice, skip it. Our heirloom-quality modern serveware is always a safe bet!
FAQs
As you design your modern Art Deco living room, you may want to look to the past for inspiration. That way you can create an authentic reimagining of the early styles, but for the modern era.
The name—Arts décoratif—originates from the Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes (International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts), an event that took place in Paris in 1925.
Although it wasn’t named until 1925, the Art Deco style began in Paris in the 1910s as a response to the declining Art Nouveau style. It was heavily influenced by Futurism, Cubism, and Constructivism.
The Art Deco movement quickly gained popularity throughout the United States and Europe throughout the Roaring ‘20s and ‘30s.
There are no rules! Simply choose Art Deco living room accessories that make you happy. Our bowls, dishes, trays, and vases all work as gorgeous accent pieces. You can also incorporate ornamental light fixtures, sculptures and statues, framed paintings, patterned wallpaper, and furniture with exotic woods and plush, patterned upholstery.
While it’s impossible to predict what the future holds, Art Deco interior design remains quite popular even after more than a century. It’s safe to say that it’s timeless at this point!
Due to the inherently bold nature of Art Deco design, those who adore the aesthetic tend to be tastemakers who embrace it regardless of current trends. As long as your modern Art Deco living room inspires positive feelings for you, there’s no need to worry about how it’s perceived by others.
