Art Deco Interior Design: How to Bring the Glamour of the 1920s to Your Living Room

Art Deco Interior Design: How to Bring the Glamour of the 1920s to Your Living Room

Art Deco is one of the most glamorous and immediately recognisable interior design styles in history. Emerging in the 1920s as a reaction to the ornate complexity of Art Nouveau, it embraced bold geometry, luxurious materials, and a celebration of modernity and prosperity. A century later, it remains as compelling as ever — and its influence on contemporary interior design continues to be felt in everything from geometric patterned rugs to velvet sofas in jewel tones. This guide explains how to bring genuine Art Deco character to your living room.

The Core Principles of Art Deco Design

Art Deco is defined by bold, symmetrical geometry — chevrons, sunbursts, stepped forms, fan shapes, and stylised natural motifs. These geometric forms are applied to everything from wall patterns to furniture legs to light fittings. Rich, opulent materials — velvet, lacquer, brass, chrome, marble, and mirrored surfaces — are central to the style. The colour palette is dramatic: deep jewel tones (emerald, sapphire, burgundy, deep teal), warm metallics (gold, brass, bronze), and the classic combination of black and cream. Excess is not just permitted — it's expected.

The Art Deco Colour Palette

Art Deco interiors lean into drama and contrast. Black, cream, and gold is the archetypal combination — timeless and immediately evocative of the period. Deep jewel tones create the sense of opulence that is central to the style: emerald green, sapphire blue, rich burgundy, and deep plum. Warm metallics — gold, brass, and bronze — appear on hardware, light fittings, and decorative accessories. The palette is never muted or desaturated. Art Deco embraces colour with the same boldness it applies to geometry.

Merlot Sofa in Leaf Green — from EUR 990
Emerald and deep green are quintessential Art Deco colours. The Merlot in leaf green brings the jewel-toned opulence of the 1920s to a modern modular form — pair it with brass accents, geometric cushions, and a dark lacquered coffee table for a genuine Deco effect.

Malbec Modular Sofa — from EUR 1,190
The Malbec's deep, rich tones and substantial proportions are a natural fit for an Art Deco living room. Its modular configuration offers the generous seating that the social, entertaining spirit of Art Deco demands.

Art Deco Furniture: Form and Luxury

Art Deco furniture is characterised by its bold, geometric forms and its use of luxurious materials. Sofas have low, streamlined profiles with dramatic armrests — often angular or featuring geometric cut-outs. Coffee tables in lacquered wood, marble, or brass-trimmed glass are definitive. Sideboards and display cabinets in high-gloss lacquer with geometric handles. Chairs in geometric silhouettes with velvet upholstery. Every piece of furniture should feel like it was made to impress.

Key Art Deco Accessories

The accessories are where an Art Deco living room truly comes alive. Geometric patterned rugs in bold colours — chevrons, sunbursts, and stepped patterns. Brass and gold floor lamps with fan or stepped lampshades. Mirrored surfaces — a large Art Deco mirror above the fireplace, or a mirrored tray on the coffee table. Vases in bold geometric forms. Framed prints of 1920s travel posters or geometric graphic art. Velvet cushions in emerald, sapphire, burgundy, and gold tones.