Decodence

Carol O’Callaghan transports us to the 1920s and 30s with its timeless style of fine lines and elegant opulence

Shell-shaped chairs and a must-have drinks’ cabinet spell Art Deco glamour (Romance love seat €1,079, cabinet €809 from M&S)

Shell-like patterning with contemporary colour styling provides a statement piece wall covering (Deco Fab wallpaper by NoNo €79 per/roll at Galway Curtains and blinds and Window Fashions)

A Flapper girl poses on the Fifi wallpaper (approx. €79 p/roll at Interior Dream, Limerick)

Over-the-top accessories sum up Art Deco (bar €2,400, stool €380, mirror €1,200, eagle €480 from Aoki Interiors)

Start mixing cocktails and making grand entrances. Art Deco — high fashion of the 1920s and ‘30s — is back.

The style has a timeless quality that’s kept us dazzled in the intervening years with sunburst mirrors, the gloriously tinted Tiffany light shade and its antithesis, the streamlined Bauhaus lamp.

It transports us off to the age of glamorous transatlantic liners and the Hollywood sweeping staircase, (down which Ginger made her choreographed entrance to the strains of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, and into the arms of the dashing, tuxedo-clad Fred).

Simply put, it’s a style of two scales: streamlined elegance and rich opulence, so nothing fuddy-duddy about it then or now. If anything, it’s rather sexy. To get the picture, grab the remote control and flick ‘til you find repeats of ITV’s Poirot, and revel in them. Ignore the anti-sexy, up-tight, moustachiod, title character, and focus on his furniture, the architecture, and the set design. It’s Art Deco at its height, full of sharp lines and wall-coverings awash with patterns in monochrome, gold and silver.

Explore a bit further and spot polished steel, outsize mirrors, shiny surfaces of chrome and stainless steel. Throw in a few stylised sunrays, straight lines at arresting angles, chevron and zig-zag patterned rugs, glinting black lacquer and Bakelite and you have a look that’s very now.

Art Deco never really faded out of fashion, and as current trends are staying firmly in retro, and seducing the eye with colour detail and shape, it’s a look to embrace. Take the straight line aspect of this design period — it doesn’t necessarily speak of stark minimalism. If anything, soft curves and comfort feature alongside colour in luxurious velvety finishes and is often teamed with black, so the colour element tends to be an accent rather than dominant.

Lighting tends to make a statement in Art Deco design. Ceiling lights, floor and table lamps and wall sconces range from angular chrome and plain glass arrangements, to bronze and stained glass. But probably the ultimate Art Deco lighting piece is the torchiere, and as the name suggests, it’s a stylisation of a flaming torch that is all about simple, elegant and timeless form.

Velour is used extensively in upholstered furniture, often on curvier pieces, while leather gives a simple sleek look on chair surfaces. But accessorising is the easiest way of introducing any look and tablewares can introduce it subtly.

Art Deco wares emphasise geometrics and it’s worth checking out images of Clarice Cliff’s work on the internet to get a feel for the timeless feel of the Art Deco tabletop.

Sporting a sense of humour, you might be tempted by a sculpture of an athletic figure for your mantlepiece. Think of the Academy Award’s very own Oscar. He’s the ultimate Art Deco poster boy.

* Next week we’re talking sleek simplicity