Creating an Art Deco inspired bathroom
Thinking of planning an Art Deco-style bathroom but don’t know what type of vanity top will work best or what kind of cabinets you should be looking to buy? Let’s take a closer look at the Art Deco movement and hopefully give you a bit of a steer.
The Art Deco movement
The architecture and interior design style of Art Deco (short for Arts Décoratifs) began in France right before the outset of World War I. It gained its name a few years after the war ended, when an exemplary collection was displayed at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes held in Paris in 1925.
Distinct from its predecessor, Art Nouveau, it used geometric shapes, straight lines, zigzags, highly stylized floral garlands and fruit baskets to create an opulent wow factor. And, because they were built with such fine craftsmanship, examples of Art Deco became associated with luxury, glamour, exuberance and aspiration toward social progress.
Art Deco interiors
There were no hard and fast rules to designing an Art Deco interior. Designer Jeanne Lanvin’s bathroom, for instance (now displayed in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris), incorporated a curved Sienna marble bathtub and the walls were decorated in carved stucco and bronze, depicting flowers and leaves. The washbasin – part of a custom-made vanity unit that also included a shelf with opulent angled mirror – was almost conical in shape and its smooth curves were offset by the stark geometry of the triangular floor tiles. It was a true feast for the eyes because, whilst its colours clearly complemented one another, its shapes most certainly clashed by comparison.
Art Deco style fixtures available at Riluxa.com
Designing your own Art Deco bathroom
There are three signifiers of an Art Deco bathroom that you should pay close attention to when designing your own:
- Elegance
Art Deco is stylish and sophisticated. It is never tacky or cheap. Don’t scrimp on materials and don’t overload it with stuff just because it looks fancy.
- Function
An Art Deco bathroom should work beautifully. The fixtures and fittings should be as user-friendly as they are glamorous.
- Modernism
Choose angular, geometric shapes for some objects and offset them against smooth curves in others. Let floral motifs rub up against stark polygons. And don’t forget that stunning modernist combination of chrome and cut glass.
Lofty Black Freestanding Bathtub with a modern Art Deco style
Art Deco materials
A true Art Deco bathroom would use only the most exotic materials with decadent finishes. Imagine the neoclassical swirls of a black marble washbasin sitting alongside the hard edges of a modernist vanity cabinet (in whichever colour best suites your scheme) and offsetting them with the smooth curves of a white solid surface bathtub. Add some angular but curved taps for that modernist finish. Tile with geometric shapes – even find yourself a vintage floral stucco panel for your wall on Etsy, if you should be so lucky – and decorate with green indoor plants. Light with geometric uplights, polished chrome wall lights or crystal chandeliers for pure, opulent, Art Deco glory. Talk about making the bathroom the best room in the entire home!
Onyx Orange Wall Mounted Washbasin, part of the Marble collection at Riluxa