deco furniture

What is Art Deco Furniture?

You may have noticed the trend toward dramatic interior design with furniture with geometric patterns, naturalistic motifs, and muted colors, frequently with a chrome finish. These interiors and furnishings are frequently seen on television, at the Oscars, and in the newest design publications. Perhaps you're asking what I should call this trend. How could my interior be that way? The solution is easy...

Art Deco furniture is the term used to describe this design aesthetic. The ornamental art style known as "Art Deco" is frequently used in furniture, architecture, interior design, and common household objects. Custom Art Deco furniture is a wonderful way to subtly capture the sense of luxury and glamour in your decor.

Important Features of Art Deco Design.

Unique to itself, Art Deco style features geometric forms that frequently resemble svelte future forms. First, exotic woods, materials, and lacquer are frequently used in the precise construction of Art Deco furniture designs. Inlays made of exotic woods including Macassar ebony, zebrawood, and rosewood are used in the craftsmanship process. The item is then coated, frequently with Japanese lacquer, to provide a brilliant sheen. Once completed, stunning geometric patterns including zigzags, animal shapes, stars, sunbursts, and floral patterns are created. Any interior will benefit from these elegantly made pieces' added aesthetic performance and elegance. Additional embellishments, such ivory and mother-of-pearl inlays, are frequently added to reflect the designer's ideas. Typically, an inlay like this was used on a side table, sideboard, or dining 

The addition of shagreen, such as snake, shark, or zebra skin to furniture, chairs, and everyday household objects is another eye-catching feature of the design aesthetic. Fur, animal hide, serpent skin upholstery, chrome- or yellow-zinc-plated stainless steel, veneered or lacquered wood, and geometric curves are all common components of Art Deco seats. Arm chairs, dining room chairs, and lounge chairs are examples of different sitting options. The French Club chair is a renowned example; it is upholstered, has a stainless-steel base, and swaps out the standard arm rests with either aerodynamic or flat curves. Clocks, radios, and other basic household items are among the numerous accent pieces produced in the Art Deco style.Leo Hendrik Arthur Beakeland created the world's first synthetic plastic, known as Bakelite, in Yonkers, New York. Due to its stiffness, heat resistance, and electrical resistance, Bakelite became a subject of obsession. Keep in mind that genuine Bakelite has a shiny, scratch-resistant surface and is strong and long-lasting if you're looking for an authentic antique piece. 

Origin and development Originally known as Art Décoratifs, the design movement adopted the "Art Deco" moniker following the 1925 Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes. The Art Deco era peaked around the middle of the 20th century, then spread throughout Europe and the United States up until the outbreak of World War II.

Art Deco Furniture - Materials.

High end French Art Deco furniture from the 1920s was created from the most exquisite woods, including ebony and burl walnut, maple, and ash.

Ebony and other exotic woods started to become scarce by the end of the 1920s, although exotic veneers from other countries such Brazilian jacaranda, zebra wood, palmwood, and calamander were still available.  Sycamore, amboyna, mahogany, and violet wood veneers were also popular. 

Ivory, brass, and mother of pearl were used as inlays.  Shagreen, a sort of sharkskin that was perfect for desk or dressing table tops, snakeskin, oriental silks, pony skins, and other animal hides were used to finish pieces, including those utilized by Le Corbusier in the chaise seen below.

 

The high sheen polish that was usually applied to Art Deco furniture is what gives it its shine.  Japanese lacquer was frequently utilized to create a particularly tactile, hard, and lustrous surface. 

Irish furniture manufacturer Eileen Gray, who resided in Paris, traveled abroad specifically to master oriental lacquering, and her pieces were in high demand.  However, the lacquering procedure required up to 22 layers of lacquer to be applied painstakingly, making it too expensive for most.  In the 1930s, the invention of synthetic varnishes generally superseded it.  

This caliber of Art Deco furniture was not frequently produced outside of Paris. To make luxury furniture more accessible, department stores like Galeries Lafayette began to carry it, however this

The First Interior Designers.

Numerous makers of Art Deco furniture went beyond simple cabinetry.  For their affluent clients, they created the whole interiors.  Some were also architects who designed and furnished the interiors of the homes they built. 

A few British designers, like the Epstein Brothers and Ray Hille, who used walnut and veneers, were influenced by high end Art Deco, but it wasn't until the 1930s, when mass production methods and less expensive materials became available, that Art Deco began to appeal to the middle classes as well as the aristocracy and the extravagantly wealthy.