Art Deco

Art deco pulls from the great ocean liners, grand hotel lobbies, and the golden age of Hollywood — symmetry, sharp geometry, and a confident sense of occasion. It reads as glamorous rather than fussy, which is why it works so well as the one piece in a room that carries the drama.

Much of this collection is black-and-white illustration: flapper portraits, vintage motorcars, skyscrapers and theater facades drawn in fine line. Around that core sit grand hotel interiors, bold repeating fan and scroll patterns in teal, rust and gold, a few cubist compositions, and a handful of softer botanical pieces that lean toward Art Nouveau.

Where it works best

Entryways, dining rooms, and living rooms with clean-lined furniture are the easiest fit, especially with brass or marble accents already nearby. Avoid pairing it with anything too rustic or busy; art deco wants clean space around it to read at full impact.

Sizing for the space

A single large piece works as an entryway or dining-room anchor and asks nothing else of the room. We size every piece to the room in the mockup, so what you see is close to true scale once printed.

Color pairing

Black, cream, brass, emerald and teal are the natural palette here. The black-and-white pieces are the easiest to place in any room; the colored patterns want a room that already carries one of their colors. If your room leans toward clean lines and a little polish, art deco will feel like the natural finishing touch.

Scroll on for the full collection.

With this many pieces in one style, the fastest way to choose is by subject. The flapper portraits bring people and nightlife; the motorcars suit a study or anyone who loves engineering; the skyscrapers and theaters are architecture for an office or entry; the hotel interiors add a sense of occasion to a dining room; and the repeating patterns work like wallpaper panels, filling a wall without telling a story.

Then decide between black and white and color. The black-and-white illustrations go with almost anything and suit a room with marble, glass or black hardware. The colored pieces in gold, rust and teal warm a room with wood and brass already in play — match them to your light fixtures or cabinet hardware and they will look built-in rather than added on.

Art deco reads best with real breathing room around it. Because the style leans on symmetry, it's worth centering the piece over furniture rather than offsetting it — a deco piece hung dead-center above a console or mantel reads intentional; hung off to one side, the geometry starts to fight the eye.

For dining rooms and entryways, one large piece almost always outperforms a grouping. Deco pieces are built to be the singular moment in the room, so resist the urge to cluster several together the way you might with a gallery wall of smaller, quieter art.