What Is Art Deco Style?

Art Deco made its dazzling debut in 1925 at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris. A glamorization of the architecture and interiors made possible by modern technology, the style reveled in all things new, exotic, glamorous and dramatic — and was wildly popular until the late 1930s and early 1940s, when its over-the-top ostentation fell out of step with the Depression and World War II. Its bold, exuberant colors, decadent high-end finishes, and exotic motifs have surged back in the popular imagination over the years, and Art Deco’s celebration of strong geometry, look-at-me-patterns and rich materials is hugely influential with contemporary designers. Ready to revisit that confident chic for the 21st century? This is how tastemakers are interpreting Art Deco style in contemporary spaces.

Art Deco Wallpaper Is Tonal + Textural

This moody bedroom’s gorgeous plum grass cloth wallpaper establishes a strong textural tone that continues in the golden crushed velvet on its channel tufted bed, a plush faux fur blanket, a graphic avian print accent pillow and an intricate, jewel-bright floral area rug. Tone-on-tone plum paint carries the walls’ drama up and across the ceiling, and geometric gold detailing on the pendant, table lamp, nightstand and desk adds opulence to the room.

Art Deco's Patterns Are Geometric

Much like New York City’s Chrysler Building — a classic example of Art Deco architecture with seven radiating terraced arches at its crown — Art Deco interiors frequently showcase sunburst patterning and vaulting that features concentric arches. This condominium bedroom’s feature wall plays with a characteristic Art Deco pattern in both feminine pink and a supersaturated peacock green. A pair of white table lamps on flanking nightstands doubles down on that idea of graded curves, while the nightstands themselves offer sharp angles in chrome legs and hardware to counterbalance those curvy elements.

Art Deco Deploys Mirrors, Crystal and Acrylic

Appropriately enough for such an extroverted aesthetic, Art Deco rooms are all about mirrors — to reflect light, to add embellishment and to simply pile on the luxury. Intricate geometric frames like this one are characteristic of the style, as are dramatic sconces like the pair here. Deep, oceanic tones like the mineral-patterned wallpaper in this foyer space offset pale, metallic and reflective pieces like these.

Art Deco Accessories Are Exotic

Intricate floral, animal and Eastern motifs are all popular in Art Deco spaces. In this chic Art Deco-inspired entryway, a pair of Egyptian busts share space with gleaming gold starburst paperweights and an assortment of art, sculpture and travel-related curios. Bold sconces flank a dramatic vintage clock composed of mirrored panels.

Miami Embodies Tropical Art Deco Style

To bask in all things Art Deco with a beachy twist, look to the colorful, art-filled, sunlit interiors of Miami Beach. Spaces like this one offer a contemporary take on the aesthetic: vivid coastal blues carry through touchable velvet chairs with geometric details, curvaceous glass accessories and a bold abstract painting. Custom lighting in the tray ceiling offers a playful contrast to the traditional chandelier and sconces.

Art Deco Furniture Favors Rare Woods

If you’re lucky enough to stumble across a piece like this Art Deco table featuring drawers carved from burled wood, don’t even think about reaching for a paintbrush — that fabulous graining is rare, costly and a calling card of original pieces. Because materials like this were in such great demand in Art Deco’s first heyday, rare wood often makes appearances as inlaid detail work rather than in massive slabs. At the other end of the budget spectrum, you can also score Art Deco style with humbler woods by giving them a dramatic coat of high-gloss black lacquer.

Art Deco Experiments With Shapes + Materials

One of the most authentic ways to design a space in the original spirit of Art Deco practitioners is, counterintuitively enough, to reach for art and sculpture that feels brand-new. Art Deco embodies optimism and celebrates technological breakthroughs — so artistic spaces like this foyer, with both modernist pieces and a hypermodernist video installation centered among them, echo that momentum all over again.