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Art Deco Revisited

A style that was ahead of its time can be just right for a client's home today.

by Sharon L. Anderson

CHALLENGE: I have been asked to help my client design a window treatment in the Art Deco style. The design actually will be for a sliding glass door that leads to an outdoor balcony overlooking a river. The room will be used for parties only. I am having trouble finding reference materials, i.e. pictures of this style to review. I have tried my local library but they did not have anything useful. I was wondering if you have any advice. SOLUTION: First I would like to present some background for you on the Art Deco style. Art Deco was born around the mid-1920s and continued its popularity and strength through 1940. It was named after the Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs held in Paris in 1925. Art Deco was a modernistic style incorporating new materials such as glossy lacquered woods, polished stone, glass and newly invented plastics. It also included the use of shiny metals. Geometric shapes were incorporated into patterns on fabric and used as design motifs and architectural elements. Art Deco style concentrated on the mechanistic process. Buildings in Europe and the United States displayed this style through grand designs on buildings. The surface ornamentation included circles, arcs and triangles. Asymmetry of pattern was very prevalent. Overall, this was a very modern style and motif that appeared in the early part of the century, very ahead of its time! DESIGN TIPS: To incorporate the Art Deco design motif into a window treatment for a home today will be fabulous! The key will be in the fabric pattern. You will need to incorporate a pattern and design motif that follows some of the geometric styles mentioned in the above paragraphs. The sliding glass door in this room needs to be accessible. I would consider a one-way draw drapery panel. With the view of the river just beyond the balcony, I also would extend a decorative rod beyond the door frame. This will allow the drapery panel to stack back completely off the window when opened to provide a full view. Decorative rods with Art Deco styling on the finials also will add to the successful design of the window. Another suggestion would be vertical blinds with a fabric insert in the Art Deco style. Sharon L. Anderson has more than 20 years experience as a professional interior designer in both commercial and residential design. She has taught at numerous colleges throughout California and currently is an educator at Moorpark college in southern California. She is a published author and frequent public speaker.

Editor's note: This is a continuing series of articles written by Sharon L. Anderson that will answer some of the many questions we receive at Draperies & Window Coverings as well as questions Anderson has encountered in her own business. If you have a question you would like Anderson to address, please send it to: Design Solutions c/o Draperies & Window Coverings 666 Dundee Rd., Ste. 807 Northbrook, IL 60062-2769 Fax: (847) 498-0231 E-mail: DesignSol@dwcdesignet.com