Art Deco Revival: What It Takes to Get the Details Right

A convincing Art Deco revival should feel like the hotels and apartment buildings of the 1920s and 1930s, and not like a themed restaurant's version of them. That usually means studying period interiors and not film sets, which tend to be more theatrical in colour and pattern than the real rooms ever were.

Geometric terrazzo, often based on the fan motif common in period lobbies, is a signature entry treatment. A floor poured and ground in place gives the seamless pattern that original interiors had. It is slower and costs more than prefabricated tile, and in an occupied building the grinding and polishing has to fit within approved working hours.

Black lacquer cabinetry built up in several sprayed coats catches light the way original lacquerwork did. A brass sunburst mirror opposite the entry door makes a statement and also echoes the period habit of using mirrors to spread limited daylight in small apartments.

Palettes usually draw on jewel tones such as emerald, midnight blue and mustard gold. They read as rich without tipping into garish, and getting that balance is where amateur Deco interiors most often fail.

Authentic furnishing mixes genuine vintage pieces from auction houses and specialist dealers with new pieces made to match period silhouettes, since good vintage Deco furniture is now hard to find. MRETTY, a custom furniture and cabinetry maker with a showroom at Luzerne on Bendemeer Road, offers a bespoke Art Deco line using solid wood carpentry, real metal inlays and hand-applied high-gloss lacquer. It is a furniture and cabinetry maker, not a general interior design studio. Its hardware comes from Blum and Hettich.

Lighting works best when it borrows Deco geometry, such as stepped forms and symmetrical fans, in custom brass and frosted glass without copying a historical fixture exactly. Restraint helps too. Quieter private rooms in soft tones let the public rooms carry the full geometry and colour.