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Trending Now, Art Deco

Posted 26 February 2020

Interiors Editor Rory Robertson takes a closer look at Art Deco style, and why it's so popular...

Art Deco is one of the hottest trends in the interior design world right now. Art Deco first appeared in France just after the First World War and went international quickly. From jewellery to fashion, homeware to vehicle design - everything was given a streamlined and sophisticated look during the 1930s and 1940s.

Signature cues of the style include luxurious velvet and silk or sateen fabrics, small-scale repeat geometric prints (such as the bedroom wallpaper shown below at Aspen Gardens) and sleek metallic furniture pieces. Linear detailing is contrasted with circular shapes - furniture is often given a subtle curved edge and lighting is globe shaped. 

WhatHouse? takes a closer look at the Art Deco apartments from sale in Basingstoke (Barratt Homes), a stunning Art Deco-styled show home in the South Midlands (Taylor WImpey) and the latest offering in Canterbury (Pentland Homes). 

The White Building at Chapel Gate, Basingstoke (Barratt Homes)

Barratt Southern Counties’ The White Building is a restoration of the former Eli Lilly factory, a landmark in Basingstoke known for its classic Art Deco entrance and windows. The original factory building was designed by notable pre-war industrial architect Arthur George Porri and opened in 1939, but it was made redundant by the pharmaceutical company in 2007. Thanks to Barratt Southern Counties, the landmark has now been sensitively transformed into 96 one and two-bedroom apartments, with 36 different styles to choose from, including family-sized, dual-aspect homes and top floor loft-style apartments which feature some of the original industrial-chic brick finish to the walls. Great care has been taken to preserve and restore the original period features, with the original structure and facades being honoured. Work has been undertaken by specialists to restore the original interior handrails and terrazzo staircases, while period-style lighting will be retained thanks to specially designed light fixtures, and the central staircases will feature elegant oak panelling, alongside two carefully installed lifts. The development is just a few minutes’ walk from Basingstoke Rail Station, which offers direct services to London Waterloo in as little as 44 minutes.

What's it like to live in an Art Deco apartment? We caught up with Nick Willoughby who was so taken with the building that he purchased a one-bedroom apartment off plan a few months ago, using Help to Buy.

Nick comments: “The Art Deco period has never been a style that has inspired me until now. After buying a property in the White Building, I have started to realise the beauty of the Art Deco style. From wallpaper design and art to furniture and lamp shades, I have taken into consideration the building’s history when furnishing my apartment. I’m now excited to see how it all comes together.

“I grew up in Basingstoke and wanted to stay in the town, and found that I was initially drawn to the history of the development. The former Eli Lilly factory has always been a real landmark in the town, and my business partner also had connections to Eli Lilly, so it seemed as if I had some really positive links with the White Building already.”

Nick has taken inspiration from the beautiful Art Deco exterior of the building and worked the trend into his new home with a statement ceiling light and harmonious grey and white interior colour palette.

Find similar lighting with the Huxley Ceiling Light, £210, or the Orb Multi-Armed Ceiling Light, £195, both available from John Lewis and Partners. And discover paint inspiration with shades such as Lamp Room Grey and Pavillion Grey, both from £47.95 for 2.5L, at Farrow and Ball.

Prices start from £189,995 for a one-bedroom apartment.

Discover more about The White Buidling from Barratt. 

 

Aspen Gardens, South Midlands (Taylor Wimpey) 

Taylor Wimpey have used Art Deco styling features to great effect at the Aspen Gardens development in the South Midlands. Style cues synonymous with the design period include luxury velvet fabrics, frosted globe glass wall lamps and linear decorative detailing on furniture items such as the bedside tables. 

Eva Clements, Senior Interior Designer at Phoenix Interior Design, comments: “The Alton is both bold and eye catching while the The Gosford has a warm family feel. The two homes both use feature colour schemes, this means we have agreed on a colour scheme and aim to use it in a number of different areas of the home to bring the design together and create a consistent look in the house. Also the use of different textures and new furniture with details such as warm materials which help to create the homely feel along with the colour scheme.”

The deep teal and blue tones used are contrasted in other areas, such as the livingroom, with a Millenial Pink punch of colour. Pheonix Interior Design have used a really clear colour pallette, and it works! The subtle geometric wallpaper in the bedroom is a really nice Art Deco style touch, as is the use of silk and sateen on the bed.

We particularly like the glamorous dressing table and circular velvet stool setup. Find a similar Deco look with the distinct Aguilera Table, £279.99, from Wayfair.co.uk. 

Discover the Ecailles Gatsby Wallpaper in Beige/Rose Gold, £16 per roll, from Allen Braithwaite. 

Prices start from £345,000 for a three-bedroom house. 

Discover more about Aspen Gardens from Taylor Wimpey. 

 

Saxon Fields, Kent (Pentland Homes)

The first phase is a collection of 28 two-, three- and four-bedroom detached and semi-detached houses with private gardens and is launching in early February. Set to transform the area with its array of on-site facilities including a new primary school, shops, offices, cricket pitch, allotments, meadows and parkland, Saxon Fields will house all the elements needed to support a thriving community that will endure long into the future.

The architecture of the homes on offer at Saxon Fields offer a distinct Art Deco-style charm. Most notable are the exterior doors and windows, which are absolutely stunning. Deco-style linear detail has been worked in to exterior doors and windows have stylish detailing too. Moving in to the interior decor of the show home and the Art Deco style is continued. Sumptuous velvets and a sophisticated chrome, gold and grey colour palette is carried through from the living room to the kitchen and bedrooms. A rich hue of Emerald Green is used to add colour to the living room, and blues are used as an accent colour in the bedrooms. 

As part of the masterplan, Pentland Homes is investing in the local infrastructure, upgrading slip roads from the A2 to improve access into the town centre. A short walk into Canterbury town centre for high speed train services to London, Saxon Fields boasts excellent transport links including the A2, M2 and M20 motorways linking London and the South East.

Prices start from £350,000 with Help to Buy available.

Find out more about Saxon Fields at pentlandhomes.co.uk. 

 

Hayes Village, London (Barratt London)

Hayes Village, a new development by Barratt London, is based around the iconic former Nestlé factory, successful for over 100 years of manufacturing and once owned by the ‘World’s first strong man’ Eugene Sandow who featured in Charlie Chaplin films. Since Sandow’s factory opened in 1913, the site has been a place of enterprise, with a distinct array of Art Deco listed buildings. Barratt London is creating a legacy strategy to restore the old, whilst building sensitively designed new homes. Working with Historic England, the factory’s iconic white and blue Art Deco façade and entrance has been preserved as a focal point. The heritage canteen - with unique green glazed panels and impressive vaulted ceiling - is being restored and gifted to the council for community use.

To honour the factories earlier heyday, historic factory machinery and artefacts will be innovatively integrated into the design, whilst the interior design boldly embraces Art Deco, with deep velvet accents and brass accessories. A move on from Retro Revival of last season, the show homes ‘Eclectic Glamour’ feel is confident and sassy; a grown-up look that channels Thirties sophisticated elegance with a Seventies-style opulence thrown in. Furniture with rounded curves, velvet textures and fluid shapes take centre stage. Think 1920s elegant occasional chairs with the scalloped shell-like backs and soft edges. Rich tones for key pieces, such as royal blue or ruby, mixed with warmer tones of ochre, rose and bronze work best. Metallic touches like burnished copper, brushed brass and bronze, add extra depth and elegance. For this look Deco meets mid-century with a collection of mix-and-match accent chairs, paired with statement sideboards, cocktail cabinets, bar carts and tables in burnished brass and glossy marble.

Barratt London’s Hayes Village will consist of 1,300 homes as well as a new canal-side realm, expansive park, residents' gym, a 200m running track & outdoor exercise equipment. With Crossrail set to serve Hayes & Harlington Station from 2020, the area will be better connected than ever before. 

Prices start from £309,000. For more information about Hayes Village visit Barratt London.

 

Shop for Art Deco style homeware accessories, with John Lewis... 

Products from top left: John Lewis & Partners Huxley Ceiling Light, £210. John Lewis & Partners Shanghai Mirror, £150. John Lewis & Partners Melena Large Side Table, £150. John Lewis & Partners Rainbow Metallic Vase, £30. John Lewis & Partners Scallop Table Lamp, £70

Products from top left: John Lewis & Partners Swoon Emerson Side Table, £229Robert Welch Drift Hurricane Lamp, £50. John Lewis & Partners Fusion Geometric Highball Glass, £8. John Lewis Ellipse Velvet Armchair in Opulence Bottle Green, £349.

 

Shop the Art Deco trend at John Lewis. 

 

 

 

 

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