The Roaring Twenties: A Look Back
“Elegance is when the inside is as beautiful as the outside.” ~ Coco Chanel
Chrysler Building
Welcome to 2020! A fresh new decade full of new beginnings, innovations and events to look forward to. A whole 10 years to shape the trends, dare in fashion, music styles and potential bad hairstyles to reference in the future. To celebrate this numeric palindrome we’re taking a look down memory lane a 100 years back to the Roaring 1920s – Jazz Age and the inspiring influences of the Art Deco design style.
Chrysler Building
The 1920s decade was an age of economic boom with more people living in urban areas then ever. The glitzy glamour of the Jazz Age are remembered in iconic symbols like The Great Gatsby, Flapper Girls and Prohibition. Cars like the Model T Ford were instrumental in helping youngsters have the freedom to frequent Jazz bands playing at dance halls.
Alavoine of Paris and New York. Weil-Worgelt Study, ca. 1928-1930. Brooklyn Museum
The Art Deco visual style originated in France in architecture and design. In the 1920s, becoming the first International design style to create a global influence of design in buildings, fashion, furniture and everything from ocean liners to vacuum cleaners. The essence of modern luxury, Art Deco combines fine craftsmanship and rich materials as the essence of the decade along with a new optimism in technology advancements.
An era for the “New Women” with the ability to now vote in America. More women were working in white collar jobs affording them the ability to participate in consumerism. Coco Chanel ushered in the “little black dress” and sunbathing was now in fashion. Many women adopted the flapper fashion style embracing a lifestyle now considered as the first generation of independent American women.
The Wellesley Hotel Knightsbridge, London
In architecture and Interior Design this style is still evident in many buildings around the world, like The Wellesley Knightsbridge Hotel. A 1920s townhouse rich in history and beautifully restored with a modern take on the Art Deco style. The hotel is named after Sir Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington. The building began its life as the Hyde Park Corner underground (Tube) station by architect Lesley Green and also the former home of iconic jazz and cabaret venue, Pizza on the Park. It reopened as an intimate luxury hotel, The Wellesley in December 2012. The design by Fox Linton Associates acknowledges the building’s decadent jazz legacy and has been beautifully restored.
The Beaumont Hotel, London
The glamorous Beaumont Hotel in London occupies a 1920s Art Deco style building, once the luxury parking space for Selfridges. Opened and reimagined in 2014 as a hotel designed to match the 1926 building facade.
Hotel Bachaumont, Paris
We still see the charm of this style in newly designed spaces today like the Hotel Bachaumant in Paris. The dramatic archways, moldings and iron window panes create the element of simplistic grandeur.
Hotel Bachaumont, Paris
This historical building from the turn of the 18th century was restored in 2016 to revive it’s history with many modern touches. Bold graphic elements compliment the artistic nature of the architectural lighting that the Art Deco style embodies. Including different styles and exotic shapes, symmetrical, shiny and in many finishes. Here are examples of a modern take of this design style in todays lighting fixtures.
Arteriors Home
Art Deco design in furniture took a sophisticated turn in this era including other influences of the Bauhaus style which incorporated tubular shapes. The curved sweeping lines of chairs and sofas covered in velvet textures in a variety of rich colors paired with refined table bases and legs create this styles elegance in a room.
To create added impact in the essence of this style, wallpaper in dramatic patterns and bold color are layered in, making an opulent statement. Here is a selection of inspiring wallpapers that define this look.
Graham and Brown
A trademark of the Art Deco style is revealed in decorative ceiling mold tiling and incredible graphic patterned floor tiles. Here are references for sources of tile made in the present time that embody the dynamic pattern of this era.
Tilebar by Vanessa DeLeon
We’re looking forward to the next ten years of seeing design style trends discovered in our culture to celebrate. We’ve loved looking back with you to see the Roaring Twenties, Art Deco design style and all of it’s glamour. Hoping that you have found inspiration to take away to incorporate in the design of your spaces.
Cheers!
Melissa Mathe
Contact us to inquire about pricing on an item! And for all your Interior Design and Decorating needs @mathedesign.com