Where Art Thou Deco?

Next month I will be going on a road trip to Florida with my family. We will be staying in Daytona Beach to watch the Space shuttle launch. I’m looking forward to going down there but I hope that if we get to visit that state again, we get to see Miami, because of its collection of Art Deco buildings.

One of my favourite design styles is Art Deco. I love its symmetrical use of straight lines and curves with beautiful combinations of materials such as stainless steel, aluminium, lacquer and woods such as walnut, rosewood, ebony and oak.

Art Deco’s bold look fused together modern and functional design with exotic materials with oozed glamour and elegance. Its streamlined style punctuated with rich materials is something I love personally in design. I love design that is simple, clean and functional but is also distinct in the colours and textures it uses. I once had the honour of owning an Art Deco wardrobe and a dresser which were a beautiful Walnut Veneer.

I have visited Paris many times over the years and I love the Montmartre area of the city which has some lovely Art Deco and also Art Nouveau (Another style I love) gems.

Here are some of my favourite Art Deco pictures. Enjoy!

Left: Chrysler Building, NYC

Centre and Right: Various Buildings In Miami, Fl

Left: Lyceum Theatre Glasgow, UK

Right: Interior of the Rex Cinema, Berkhampsted, UK

Left: Ebonized French Art Deco vanity c1920

Right: Art deco Fashion

Left: Art Deco Poster

Right: The entrance to the Abbesses Metro Station, Paris

Where has all the Decoration gone?

500 odd years ago the top architects and craftsman’s built huge cathedrals, churches, grand houses and palaces for royalty, the clergy and the aristocracy. These buildings some of which still stand today are feats of engineering and works of art in a time when tools were basic. They didn’t have cranes and diggers to move vast and heavy sods of earth. They didn’t have power tools and lasers to carve and chisel mouldings, busts and ornate ceilings. All the work was done by hand and it usually took years to complete. Henry VIII was so impatient when the Great Hall at Hampton Court was being built that he forced the builders and masons to work through the night using candlelight to see what they were doing.

The decoration of these old buildings inside and out is so intricate and ornate, it amazes me how it was done. But what I find strange is that now in this modern era of technological building techniques we no longer have ornate sculptural buildings. Everything is plain, clean lines, and flat. Yes I know that a lot of city buildings are built to be greener and structurally advanced, but where are these buildings that are works of art as well.

Below are some of the pictures of Hampton Court Palace inside and out. Such an interesting building to look at, with its combination of Tudor and Baroque. The Tudor interior is a gorgeous world of colour and texture, as seen in the stained glass windows, tapestries and carvings in wood and masonry. The Baroque interior has wood panelling, amazing painted frescos on the ceilings, murals that span huge walls, gold and crystal chandeliers.

The entrance to the palace (Tudor) The Apartments of William & Mary (Baroque)

One of the tapestries adorning the Great Hall wall’s

Tudor corridor (Left) The Roof of the Great Hall (Right)

The Great Hall Coat of Arms on the ceiling Portrait of a young Elizabeth

The Cross over between Tudor and Baroque A mural going up the Kings Staircase A ceiling Fresco

The Gardens

I’m very lucky to live near these beautiful, historic buildings back home in England. Where thanks to the good work of Historical Royal Palaces, English Heritage and other private houses these beautiful buildings are looked after and restored to preserve and to teach future generations about their country’s history and culture.