10 Ways to Bring Art Deco Style Into Your Living Room That Feel Right for Today

Before sitting down to write this article, I had the sense that an Art Deco living room wasn't going to be my cup of tea. I could only imagine the very archetype Art Deco style — glitzy and glamorous, yes, but by today's decorating standards, a tad kitsch. However, when you start to dig into this style, and how it manifests itself in a more contemporary home, it's a lot more varied, nuanced, and sophisticated than I first thought.

Art Deco interior design is a style that borrows from a lot of other movements and periods, after all. There was an obsession with Egyptian motifs, for example, spurred by the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb; a lingering legacy of the elegant Art Nouveau motifs that came before it; and the same Cubist inspiration as Bauhaus — an artistic movement occurring contemporaneously to Art Deco.

You can, therefore, feel Art Deco influences in living rooms that didn't even set out to be Art Deco in the first place — and it's the reference point people are generally more familiar with than those others, named above. With that in mind, the best examples of Art Deco living rooms aren't, necessarily, completely thematic, but borrow ideas — shapes, materials, colors, and patterns — that imbue them with the glamour of this decorating style. So, this is how you can get the Art Deco spirit in your living room, filtered through the lens of design today.

1. Introduce Contrast Through Trim

Black and white, especially in combination with metallic finishes, is perhaps the most iconic color palette, emphasizing the movement's tendency towards contrast and graphic, geometric shapes. However, this part feels a little discordant with today's design scene, still just emerging with an obsession with monochromatic color schemes.

In this project by Lore Group and Vinterior, where a cabin suite at Sea Containers in London was transformed into an Art Deco style apartment, this idea has been applied in a more modern way.

"The moldings were all chosen for their strong shapes, reflecting the spirit of Art Deco," says Jacu Strauss, designer and creative director of Lore Group. "It was about having simpler and stronger geometric patterns, but still using warm materials with it like burl wood."

Rather than the stark, glossy, lacquered black and white of classic Art Deco, this color palette of black and white is softer and warmer — there's still contrast between wall and molding, but it's not so harsh.

2. Use an Art Deco-Inspired Wallpaper on Living Room Walls

Maybe the easiest shortcut to creating an Art Deco living room is through wallpaper — you only need to type Art Deco wallpaper into a search engine, and you'll be inundated with options.

But what sort of living room wallpaper ideas read as Art Deco? The key features include classic geometric patterns and symmetrical repeats, as well as jewel tone palettes and the use of metallic accents.

A wallpaper such as the one used by designer Yana Molodykh in the apartment above is thematic enough to do a lot of the heavy lifting in making a room feel Art Deco, meaning you don't have to go as heavy on the rest of the styling of the scheme.

It's an ideal choice for even a small living room, as Yana tells me. "The wallpaper features stylized palm leaves against a rich red background, and I deliberately chose a bold patterned wallpaper for this small room to visually distract from the feeling of a confined space, and to add a sense of intimacy and a 'boudoir' vibe," the designer says.

3. Design in Art Deco-Inspired Built-Ins

This living room joinery project by cabinetry makers Woodworks Brighton has a clear Art Deco influence that anyone would spot from the use of patterned wallpaper inset into the back of this built-in storage idea. However, its cleverness is in how it balances the old and new of the design, making it feel like a modern take, not a pastiche.

"It took us a bit of time to land on the right design for this one," Francois Damseaux, director of Woodworks tells me. "Striking the balance between true Art Deco and a more contemporary feel was no small feat."

"We pulled in some classic Deco elements — think bold curves, a touch of that 50s glamour with the wallpaper, and rich American walnut that instantly brings a sense of timeless luxury," he explains. "But to give it a fresh, modern edge, we brought in reeded walnut and a sprayed liquid brass finish — two newer materials that add depth and texture without losing that old-school charm. The result? A piece that could’ve come straight out of a 1950s cocktail lounge… or a high-end interior from last week."

4. Or a Unique Art Deco TV Wall

Though spatial clay designer Devi Vervaeke's designs aren't necessarily directly inspired by Art Deco style, I can't help but feel its presence in elements like this TV wall idea in a home in the city of Bruges, where colorful, textured ceramics marry with geometric shapes to create an incredible piece of joinery.

"We were given carte blanche to let our creativity run free — a dream commission," Devi, founder of Nestor & Rosten, tells me. "The wall unit is the standout feature connecting the living room and TV area. Each ceramic panel is actually a door hiding a storage compartment for books or personal items. The radiating circular motif is playfully interrupted by geometric shapes, while the vibrant ceramic glazes create a rich, expressive visual impact."

5. Explore Art Deco Motifs Through Your Living Room Mirror

Possibly the most enduring motif of the Art Deco style comes in the form of mirrors. This living room wall decor can be the perfect signifier of Art Deco style, but it can lean a little clichéd if you choose too literal an interpretation.

So what sort of styles work best as an Art Deco living room idea? "The shapes during this time became simpler but still very expressive," Lore Group's Jacu Strauss says. "It was a confident celebration of a new era of optimism, engineering, and design."

I'd recommend avoiding the stereotypical Art Deco fan in your mirror design, opting for something a little subtler.

6. Choose a Modern Art Deco Color Palette

Changing up archetypal Art Deco color palettes might be just what you need to make this interior design style gel in your living room a little better. The strong contrast — the black, white, and gold — it doesn't necessarily feel right for how we decorate today.

"Color drenching can work beautifully for a modern take on Art Deco, especially if the wallpaper is the focal element," suggests Jamie Watkins, co-founder of luxury surface design brand, Divine Savages. "By using one dominant color across walls, ceilings, and any painted elements, you create a dramatic, cohesive backdrop that lets the patterned wallpaper stand out without competing for attention."

It means you can lean into something a little more deep and luxurious as a living room color idea, without it feeling too kitsch. "Choose a rich, moody hue like a deep red to echo Deco luxury, or gold as a neutral for contemporary subtlety," Jamie suggests.

7. Choose Furniture That Embodies Art Deco Style

There are plenty of visual cues you can take up in your choice of living room furniture ideas that can direct your design into an Art Deco direction, similar to this apartment in Australia's Glenelg South, designed by Atelier Bond.

"While Art Deco is known for its bold geometric patterns, curves were also prevalent to soften the rigid lines and add a touch of sophistication," says Greg Bond, founder of Atelier Bond. "For this project, that meant leveraging the curves already found in the plastered fireplace and stairwell, and incorporating them into the furniture selections and soft furnishings."

The apartment's living room is the perfect storm of Art Deco materials, from the curved rattan and burl side table to the sofa color. "Sarah Ellison's Muse couch in Malibu Agave Velvet became the centerpiece, selected for its resplendent 1930s arcs and seafoam hue," Greg explains. "A nod to the graceful curves of streamline modern design can also be found in the TV credenza and the cane Satara chairs."

8. Bring Art Deco Style Through Lighting

While the bones of this property, a George Washington Smith house located in Montecito, California, are distinctly un-Art Deco, the bold, geometric pendants in the rich blue family room bring the glamorous spirit of the style into the space.

It goes to show the power of the right living room lighting, and when it comes to Art Deco living room ideas, you've got a selection of scene stealers to choose from. Geometric shapes, sunbursts, tiered levels, and even floral motifs are common in classic Art Deco pendant lights, even in the reproductions made today.

9. Seek Out Fringed Finishes

Fringe wasn't just a popular Art Deco element for 'flapper' dresses in the 1920s, it also translated in furnishings such as lampshades and furniture trims, bringing a sense of not only opulence, but a movement and energy that captured the spirit of the time.

Fortunately, these decorative fringes are just as much in fashion today as they were back then, and designer projects like the Lord Byron Hotel in Paris, designed by Oscar Lucien Ono, of Maison Numero 20, utilize these fringed details to bring an extravagant edge to its furniture.

"Fringe introduces a sense of movement and tactile richness — drawing the gaze and inviting a sensorial interaction," Oscar explains. "It evokes the glamour of 1920s boudoirs and grand hôtel particuliers, grounding the piece in the codes of haute décoration."

10. Add a Folding Screen Into Your Living Room

Highly decorative folding screens became the 'it' living room trend of the Art Deco era. This type of furnishing, which originates from ancient China, was valued for its 'exoticism', a recurring theme in Art Deco living rooms.

Whether decorating with ornate, gilded pictures or in a classic fan style, this piece of design brings instant Art Deco appeal to a space, as with this apartment's living room also designed by Oscar Lucien Ono, which uses it to clever effect.

"A room divider adds another layer," Oscar says, "introducing rhythm, breaking the linearity of the space, and creating a sense of intimacy without compromising on openness. It’s a refined way to echo the structured elegance of Art Deco while enhancing the flow and function of the room," he adds.

FAQs

What Style of Sofa Is Most Art Deco?

Art Deco style sofas were less angular and geometric than some of the other furnishing motifs adopted by the style movement, instead leaning into softer curves in seating design.

However, as much as you'd see curvaceous silhouettes and rolled arms to the types of sofas popular in the era, there was often a tension between hard and soft elements, including tub chairs encased in burl wood or lacquer.

Iconic furniture designs by the likes of Jindrich Halabala and Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann are perfect examples of Art Deco sofas of the age; however, you'll often see fluted, velvet sofas in various colors listed as Art Deco style by modern furniture retailers.

This modern interpretation of an Art Deco living room is a little more rudimentary than the authentic expression of the style. It's all about the glam — the velvet and the brass — but there's a lot more to true Art Deco than that.

But whether you're thrifting original Art Deco furniture for your living room, or just finding influence in pieces like the re-emerging trend for burled wood furniture, hopefully, these ideas go to prove that there's more to this design style than meets the eye.