Art Deco

The Art Deco period came to the U.S at the beginning of World War II and was strongly influenced by the Art Nouveau design period. Art Deco had skyscraper furniture and many decorations in its designs. The furniture was made of ebony, leather, metals and even glass. Jean Dunand was a major furniture designer during this time. He moved more toward the geometric forms in his furniture. In his factory he produced cabinets, chairs and tables. He also decorated for the wealthy with his own furniture which I thought was pretty cool! Another designer I liked was Eileen Gray. She had a long career in France and after the war she designed screens and furniture. Her furniture was very original and cubist.

Bibendum Arm Chair by Eileen Gray

Another thing I really liked about this period was the textile design. Carpets generally had a lot of zig zag, stripes and plaid designs.

One interior designer/furniture designer I really liked from the PowerPoint shown in class was Joseph Urban. He came to America as a stage designer and designed the New School for Social Research. He also designed a theater that was later demolished called the Ziegfeld Theater. 

New School for Social Research

Current Applications:

I looked at Emily's blog and I liked her examples of the period. They gave a really good picture of what Art Deco stands for. I also looked at Justine's blog and was really intrigued by the video she posted. It clarified all the questions I had regarding the difference between Art Nouveau and Art Deco.

Here is a quick clip that gives you tips on how to design using Art Deco inspirations!