• Art Deco (1920-1940)



Identifying features:

Smooth wall surfaces, usually made of stucco Zigzags, chevrons, and other stylized and geometric motifs occurring as decorative elements on façades Highly stylized doorways
Towers and other vertical projections above the roof line

The Art Deco design revolution of the 1920s and 1930s symbolized the optimism and rapid change of the industrial age -- clean lines, dramatic shapes, and colorful and ornate surfaces. Art Deco changed the look of everything from ocean liners and passenger trains to toasters and wall clocks; but nowhere was this transformation more dramatic or more lasting than in architecture.

The Art Deco style derives its name from The Exposition des Arts Decoratifs (Paris, 1925). It strove for modernity, an artistic expression of the machine age, and the suggestion of motion. Forms were simplified and streamlined. The motifs were derived from geometric shapes, often stepped back or angular with floral designs, zigzags (chevrons) and fluted or reed-patterned ornamentation -- often inspired by those of ancient civilizations. African tribal art, Central American (Aztec and Mayan) architecture, pharaonic Egyptian art (Tutankhamen's Tomb was discovered in 1922) and the Orient (glazes and lacquerwork) were just some of the many exotic sources from which this style came.

From luxurious objects made from exotic materials to mass-produced, streamlined items available to a growing middle class, the world of Art Deco represents a "graciousness of form" from a simpler time. Today, "Art Deco" (often dubbed "Retro Moderne") is used to refer to a mix of styles from the 1920s and 1930s.