Style at a Glance: Art Deco
Last weekend I visited Winzavod with one of my friends from Latvia, who came to Moscow for a couple of days. Winzavod means “Winery” in Russian and it used to be one in the 19th century. Today it is converted into an Art Gallery, which became one of the most famous in Russia and I absolutely love visiting it from time to time. This time we were lucky to catch the exhibition of Art Decor furniture. Many people confuse this style with Art Nouveau, so I thought it might be a good idea to write a post about distinctive features of this style.
Art Deco emerged in the 30-ies of 20th century and was an eclectic mixture of various other styles: Empire, Egyptian, Indian and African.
At a Glance:
1) Furniture – smooth and sleek lines:
2. Use of “experimental” materials and textures, such as plastic, glass, aluminium, stainless steel, lacquer, marquetry.
3. Patterns: never pretty florals or tartan. Art deco fabrics usually had geometric designs, chevrons and zigzags, or solid colours.
4. Exotic finishes: shark-skin, crocodile-skin, ivory, snake skin, zebra and leopard.
5. Colours: striking and bold, using lots of contrast. Deep blues, reds, greens, bright yellows.
6) Images of fantastic animals and creatures, such as mermaids and medusas (Art Nouveau heritage):
7) Flora and Fauna as inspiration:
8) Lighting. Lights were often made of glass or chrome using geometric and streamlined shapes:
9) Walls: wallpapers with bold patterns, often in dark intense colours:
Finally a couple of beautiful spaces, decorated in Art Deco style:
Want to learn more about various interior styles? Check my “HISTORY OF STYLES” book:
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