How to Decorate Interior in Art Deco Style

Elegant and multifaceted, Art Deco is considered the last of the major classical styles. It absorbed elements of Art Nouveau, Neoclassicism, luxury of cruise ships and the jazz madness that coincided with the Art Deco era. 

Although the atmosphere of this style was present in the air since the beginning of the last century, it was only in 1925 that people started talking about it, after the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris. Soon after, the Art Deco trend that swept Europe reached the shores of America, where it evolved into simpler Streamline Modern forms. 

Today, the Jazz Age is often interpreted in various ways, but the main features and decoration techniques of this style have remained unchanged for many years. Let's explore them in more detail.

DNA of the Style

When and where it appeared: in the 1920s in Paris.
Main elements of the style: geometric patterns, angular lines, expensive wood, gold, shiny surfaces.
Notable names: Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann, André Groult, Élie Jacques Kahn.

5 Rules for Decorating Interior in Art Deco Style1. Symmetrical Layout

Originally, Art Deco was considered a middle-class style, so it is not necessary to have large spaces: one or two-room apartment can easily provide the required area.

As with any classical style, symmetry is important for Art Deco. It fits better into rectangular or square spaces than irregularly shaped rooms. You can zone the space in this style using decorative screens or wide sofas.

2. Expensive Finishing, Exotic Wood, Moldings

Art Deco is intense and contrasting, so clean white planes are not suitable for this style. You can paint the walls in milky or nacreous color, "cutting" them with simple moldings. Try placing 2–3 "molding-like" horizontal lines through small intervals near the ceiling and floor, then paint them in a contrasting black or dark brown color. You will get a graphic, recognizable Art Deco finish. 

The floor in this style is parquet made of exotic wood, ceramic granite under marble or travertine such as Royal Marble, with contrasting decorative inserts, black-and-white mosaic (a reference to piano keys – one of the themes in Art Deco). Modular parquet, for example, Lab_arte Verona – Notte, fits perfectly.

The fountain is another motif of this style, so you can confidently include its image in the interior using prints or decorative panels.

3. Elegant Furniture, Sun Motif, Inlay

Art Deco does not suit armless chairs or complexly designed sofas and chairs with too much decorative detail. Furniture in the Art Deco style is visually light, graphic, and infinitely elegant. Its distinctive features include simple curved legs like in the Linn chair, high backs, crystal-like and stepped hardware, strict lines, and sun motifs often found in mirrors and prints.

Design furniture for an Art Deco interior can be found in the product catalog of the Design and Interior Center "Expobuild on Nakhimovskiy". We have selected the most striking representatives.

With high back and angular forms, this chair is exactly what you need for this style. What about a crystal chandelier with stepped forms? Strict and elegant, such a model will add effect to the interior, reminiscent of old films. Dark borders around the edges reveal the Jazz Age character of this sofa. In the 1920s, athletic forms were trendy. This bronze figurine is a modern interpretation of the trend. Such a chair will enhance an Art Deco interior with its minimalism, contrast in legs and upholstery, and muted colors. Abundance of mirrors in the interior is an important element of Art Deco, and mirror panels feature another style motif – geometry. If you love Art Deco and breathe minimally, take a look at this sleek and very elegant leather chair. Gold underfoot: a viscose and cotton carpet is pleasant to the touch, and its color scheme matches the style. Shiny upholstery, refined forms, neat legs – an Art Deco sofa is before you.

In the 1920s, it became fashionable to decorate furniture with galley – shark and ray skin, zebra hide, crocodile leather. Today, it is perfectly acceptable to use high-quality imitations of these materials in interior design. Add furniture with elements made from brass or bronze to the décor. Art Deco loves shine, so choose sofas and armchairs with silk or velvet upholstery and furniture with a glossy lacquer finish.

The next Art Deco calling card is inlay (a technique of inlaying table tops and cabinet doors with thin strips of veneer). Just like the fountain motif, you can incorporate inlay into the interior using decorative panels.

4. Use Gold in Color Palette, Complex Geometric Prints

Gold, silver, brass, ivory, golden-brown – these complex, expensive tones make up the main palette of Art Deco, which is balanced with black and white. You can find inspiration for color choices in the collections of French brands like Misia, inspired by the Parisian interior fashion of the 1920s, or check out the Metropolis collection by English Mokum: it was developed in collaboration with a designer who decorated the interiors of "The Great Gatsby". 

Metropolis Collection, MokumFor wall finishing, choose wallpapers with ring patterns, complex geometric prints like those of Italreflexes Asia. An authentic gold effect can be added to the interior by covering walls with Italreflexes Oxid wallpapers. 5. Crystal Chandeliers, Stepped Shades

To highlight Art Deco elements in the interior, use lighting fixtures with faceted or crystal-shaped shades, shaped like polyhedrons. Such lights will look great in this style with shades outlined at the edges: such an effect can be seen in the Garda Decor chandelier. 

Art Deco lighting is often decorated with crystal and metal. Motifs from Roman and Greek styles are also found in Art Deco, so luxurious chandeliers with references to antiquity will not only be a decoration for the Art Deco setting but also soften the strict forms of the style. Our selection includes chandeliers from Schonbek and Eichholtz.

Do you dream of decorating your interior in a modern style but don’t know where to start? At the Design and Interior Center "Expobuild on Nakhimovskiy" you can buy all necessary materials and get a free consultation from a professional designer. Book your appointment right now!