Vintage Dinnerware: Art Deco Design Style (1910-1940)
Vintage Dinnerware: Art Deco Design Style (1910-1940)

What is Art Deco?
Art Deco, or Deco, as it is sometimes called, was a design style movement that was popular from 1910-1940, and first introduced to the world in Paris in 1925. The popular style could be found on the architecture of buildings, jewelry, glassworks, fashion, and even radios and vacuums. The slick, streamlined, and compact design was a stark contrast from the organic shape of Art Nouveau. During this time, the definition of art evolved from painting and sculpting to include jewelry design and glass work. The popularity of Art Deco began to wane with the onset of the Great Depression when people began to favor less extravagant styles. Despite this, Art Deco has been the most lasting design style of the past century. Demonstrative of this fact, the design style of Art Deco would experience a major revival in the 1980s.



The best example of Art Deco architecture is the Chrysler Building in New York, which held the record for the world's tallest building until the completion of the Empire State Building, also in New York. The interiors of these magnificent Art Deco buildings of course had to match the elaborate exterior architecture. And thus, interior designers and furniture designers became celebrities in their own right.
Leading Art Deco Designers



Jacques Ruhlmann was a popular interior designer and furniture designer who became known for his artfully shaped end tables and angular chairs.



Maurice Dufrene was a furniture designer who became famous for his elaborate interior designs in salons and boutiques.



Jean Dunand was well known for his innovative Art Deco style lacquer furniture.



Paul Poiret was a women's fashion designer who is credited with the creation of the corset. The dresses designed by Poiret relied heavily on strategically draped fabrics rather than more fussy, tailored styles.
Erte was a Russian born fashion designer who came to be known as the most lavish Art Deco stylist. From 1915 through 1937, his highly stylized and sophisticated fashion illustrations appeared on the covers of Harper's Bazaar, as well as Vogue and Cosmopolitan.





Rene' Jules Lalique
Rene Jules Lalique is the most famous glass art designer in the world. He was born in Paris, France in 1860, and would become the most praised Art Nouveau jewelry designer, working with leading French companies like Cartier and Boucheron. In the 1920s, Lalique transitioned from jewelry making to glass design. He created everything from jewelry to car hood ornaments, to perfume bottles , as well as being credited with the creation of the walls of lighted glass and columns of the Normandie ocean liner. Lalique also went on to create a glass fountain for the very first Deco exposition.



Art Deco Style Dinnerware
Dinnerware of the Art Deco period featured the same style elements as the architecture and interior design of that era. Here are some examples of the different styles of dinnerware that would have been in use in many American homes. Keep in mind, this period nearly coincides with the Great Depression and its Depression glassware, so those styles would have also been seen as well.








I hope you enjoyed this week's post on the Art Deco design style movement. If you missed last week's post on the style of Art Nouveau, you can read it here. I'll see you next week to discuss Mid-Century Modern Dinnerware & Style.
Until then, Happy Hunting!
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