Create an Art Deco Look In Your Living Room

You don’t need to be an interior designer or have deep pockets to indulge in a little art deco interior design. Neither is an art deco house – built in the early decades of the last century – a requirement. With a little hard work and a few clever buys you can pay homage to this glamorous look wherever you live.

Here's our expert design guide providing some ideas on how to get the art deco interior design for your lounge.

Black and white is probably the combination that springs to mind when you think art deco, and it can work beautifully in a living room. This iconic art deco pairing is strong on drama with pretty much equal doses of both, but for a living space, we’d suggest a finish that’s a little more restful (you can always go the whole hog in a hallway). 

Prefer an art deco living room with a bit of colour? Opulent tones will create the look you’re after. Peacock blues and greens have the right feel, or consider rich yellow or purple. Where to use them? Try choosing them for upholstered furniture or even to paint walls for a low-cost DIY solution. Alternatively, how about opting for plantation shutters in a typical art deco colour. We can colour match ours to any shade you like.

Instead of painting walls, you can reference the style in your choice of wallpaper. Geometric pattern is key, and there are classic art deco wallpapers that feature richly detailed geometric motifs on offer on the high street and online that’ll really up the glam factor in a living room. For a more subtle reference, dial down the detail while sticking to symmetry, as this pretty paper (above) does.

Investing in original furniture from the period with its strong, boldly curvaceous lines just isn’t an option for most of us. However, you can get an art deco interior with some DIY projects. High shine finishes are an important part of the style, so why not revamp your old wooden furniture or trawl junk shops for bargains to make over? You can give wood a shiny lacquer or gloss finish with spray or paint-on finishes.

Mirrored glass furniture is also perfect for the style, and will give your living room sparkle, or hang a mirror with art deco detailing – a sunburst pattern is just right.

As ornate and intricate as the rest of a room might be, art deco style window treatments were often simple, or even entirely absent. However, we don't want passersby peering into your lovely home, so we've got a suggestion.

Call us biased, but art deco shutters work a treat in art deco-influenced room schemes. They’re unfussy but they have the elegant symmetry that’s a must, and of course if you choose our DIY window shutters, they’re money-saving because you fit them yourself.

Give a nod to Great Gatsby-style entertaining in the finishing touches. Show off a cocktail shaker, or even add a drinks trolley with cocktail glasses to your living room. Then turn off the overhead pendant and light the room with up or downlighters to create a gorgeous glow.