MODERN 1900 - 1950

Art Deco

Art Deco emerged at a time of economic upheaval and depression and was an eclectic style borrowing motifs from Egypt, South America and elsewhere. It embraced modern materials and applied the art of design to architecture. The 1920s and 30s, with the technological advances of the motor car and aeroplane, saw the machine as more relevant to the world than nature. At the height of its popularity, Art Deco was personified by unusual materials, exotic woods and hand craftsmanship which effectively removed it from the reach of the masses. Eventually designers considered less expensive materials such as chrome, glass and tubular steel with Art Deco houses resembling liners with their curved tubular metal railings to balconies and areas of glazing above ground floor level.