5 Ways to style - Art Deco

Harriet Goodacre

April 14, 2020

Lampas Peacock tile fitted on bathroom wall

The term ‘Art Deco’ was coined in France during the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts. Interestingly this exhibition had been postponed from 1914 due to the start of WW1 so the movement of Art Deco is much older than most believe it to be. The movement is characterised by its love of precise and boldly delineated geometric shapes, strong colours and American architecture but really, it’s an artistic clash of lots of influences with the faith in social and technological progress at its heart.

Art Deco was a pastiche of many styles united by a desire to do something new and modern. Its geometric forms were inspired by Cubism, the bright colours from Fauvism and exotic styles from China through to ancient Egypt. But it’s also known for its lavish materials such as ivory and ebony as well as new materials like chrome plating, stainless steel and plastic.

Most would mistake the movement as originating in America as this is where we see the greatest influence over design and architecture that’s still evident today, the Chrysler Building and other statement New York skyscrapers being key monuments to the style. The Americans were obsessed with this style both in the roaring 20s and the 30s Great Depression where the style become more subdued; it informed the design of almost everything from household items like the vacuum cleaner to luxury cars.

There are lots of elements of Art Deco on trend in the interior’s world today such as a love of geometric lines, touches of metallics, tactile textiles like velvet and of course Maximalism where you see an eclectic yet harmonious clash of styles. So how do you style Art Deco in a contemporary way? We’ve put together 5 simple bathroom looks that capture the essence of the movement’s vibe without it looking like a museum tour of Ernest Hemingway’s Key West home!

1. Playful Pastels

Colour is an important element in capturing an Art Deco look so experimenting with contrasting shades using linear lines is a great nod to the art movement. To stop the look from becoming overly powerful and gaudy we’ve introduced playful pastel tones such as this rose pink Linear tile and a soft jade grout. The linear laying pattern gives it that geometric feel but it’s softened by the pastels. To complete the look, we’ve matched a geometric style basin to the soft coloured grout but remember to keep your sanitary ware light and bright, we’re not looking for any 70’s avocado bath tubs here! The pared back beech wood unit lends a contemporary feel to the space, the light wood and freestanding style gives the illusion of a cleaner space helping to pare back the overall design.

Linear rose gloss tile fitted in bathroom

2. Magnificent Marble

Dark jewel tones work really well especially when contrasted with pops of brass or gold. This deep forest green Metro tile works perfectly with the black and white veining beneath it. Keep the look on point by mixing in clear, shaped glass where possible and add in more modern lines like this metal mirror and the curved simplistic basin.

Metro forest tile fitted on bathroom wall

3. The Geometric Floor

Fans of the Art Deco look can also enjoy the current trend for Maximalism as a lot of the principles are the same! For this decadent bathroom we’ve mixed influences from Victorian design, mid-century furniture and Scandi inspired fixtures. This bold geometric floor tile has a monochromatic design but it also has a marble effect finish ticking two boxes in one! The rich peacock teal wall tiles help the floor pop whilst the curved themed of the furniture and sanitary ware soften the overall design of the room.

Lampas and Ruzzini tile fitted in bathroom

4. Classic Monochrome

If you’re not into using too much colour in your home then a more classic take on Art Deco is probably required to achieve the look. For this bathroom we’ve gone back to the basics, the crisp clean white Metro tiles are finished half way up the wall with this elegant capping piece and then the drama is a black paint above them. Contrast this darker hue with accents of gold and opt for a globe style light fitting as this was a key shape in the original movement.

Metro white tile fitted on bathroom wall

5. Scintillating Mirror

Mirrors were an important part of Art Deco design and also serve the purpose of brightening up a darker alcove like this built in shower. Mix in accents of chrome to celebrate the 1930s influence on Art Deco as well as a darker paint on the wall to make the mirrored tiles sing.

Take key influences from the Art Deco era and create your own colour palette to complete your space transformation. Here we’ve taken inspiration from ten Dulux paint colours. Use these as base colours for paint, fabric, furniture and of course tiles!

More to explore:

Trending Interiors

HomeThe Topps Tiles BlogTrending Interiors5 Ways to style - Art Deco

Inspiration & Advice