Art Deco Interior Design
Key Art Deco Kitchen Elements for Vintage Flair
Most kitchens built in the 1930s looked nothing like the lacquer-and-brass rooms that get called Art Deco now. A 1989 University of Delaware thesis from the Winterthur Program finds that kitchens between the world wars followed a factory-laboratory metaphor, with streamlined appliances styled after machinery.
Designers and renovators still borrow the style, mostly for sunburst backsplashes, glass-front cabinets, brass pulls and frosted pendants, and they usually set the result against the plainer lines of Streamline Moderne and mid-century modern. That makes the modern version an adaptation, not a restoration. Fine by me, as long as you know which one you’re doing.
For cabinet and countertop color pairings beyond the Deco palette, see our kitchen color schemes guide.
What defines Art Deco kitchen elements?
Symmetry, geometric ornament, reflective metal and lacquered surfaces, all in a high-contrast palette. That’s the 1920s and 1930s decorative style boiled down to what you can actually put in a kitchen.
The style reaches well past the kitchen, so if it’s new to you, the wider scope of Art Deco interior design is worth a look before you pick individual pieces.
Origin and timeline
The name comes from the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris. The label itself arrived decades later.
The Paris exposition ran from April to November 1925, with exhibitors from about 20 countries. The Chrysler Building followed in 1930, finished with a stepped stainless steel crown in a radiating sunburst pattern (Designing Buildings). The term “Art Deco” only came into use between 1966 and 1968. It appeared in the title of a 1966 Paris exhibition, and historian Bevis Hillier popularised it in 1968 (Docomomo, Proantic).
Sources date the coinage differently. Docomomo credits Hillier with the term in 1968, while Proantic, an antiques journal, ties it to the 1966 tribute exhibition in Paris. Both are partly right. The 1966 exhibition title carried the words, and Hillier’s 1968 book made the label stick.
Period kitchens rarely matched the glamorous rooms people picture now. In the United States the style went mostly into apartment buildings, skyscrapers and institutional buildings, according to the City of Urbana’s architectural style guide.
A modern Art Deco kitchen is a translation of hotel lobby and cinema glamour. It isn’t a restoration of a typical 1930s kitchen, and nobody should pretend it is.
Art Deco compared with neighboring styles
Streamline Moderne grew out of Art Deco in the 1930s. It traded chevrons and zigzags for horizontal lines, rounded corners and plain surfaces (Designing Buildings). Bauhaus went further and stripped ornament out entirely, and its functionalism was one influence on that plainer look. Mid-century modern came after the war, with warmer wood and restrained ornament.
In a kitchen, Art Deco is the one with ornament and contrast. Moderne and mid-century modern both calm that down, the first by removing ornament and the second by adding warmth.
If the real choice is between Deco and mid-century, there’s a longer comparison of how Art Deco and mid-century modern interiors differ.
Which colors define an Art Deco kitchen?
Black with white or gold, plus deep jewel tones like emerald green, deep blue and burgundy. Metal does the accenting while a dark or glossy base carries the room.
The style embraced color. Its 1930s successor, Streamline Moderne, leaned white (Designing Buildings).
Black and white is the safe route. Wren Kitchens calls monochrome an Art Deco trope and suggests pairing it with colored wall details or accessories. Bora treats a black, linear kitchen as the ideal base and sees white with gold as a strong pairing.
If that feels too stark, Magnet presents rich jewel tones as the colorful alternative that still reads as Art Deco. Deep green cabinets paired with gold hardware are the simplest way to try it, and the same logic holds for deep blue or deep red.
Nicola Cumming Design went a different way, pairing butterscotch lacquered cabinets with high-gloss black lacquer detailing for an owner who wanted a kitchen true to the era (Trendsideas).
Metal belongs on hardware, trim and fixtures. Let the base color stay dark or glossy. The broader Art Deco color palette has more options for walls and trim.
Which geometric motifs mark the style?
Sunbursts, chevrons, zigzags, stepped forms and fans, usually repeated as flat or low-relief pattern instead of realistic ornament.
The Buffalo as an Architectural Museum site describes Art Deco ornament as largely low-relief geometry: parallel lines, zigzags, chevrons and stylized florals.
| Motif | Where it comes from | Where it fits in a kitchen |
|---|---|---|
| Sunburst | Skyscraper crowns | Glass panel, backsplash centerpiece |
| Chevron | 1920s facade ornament | Tile border, floor inlay |
| Zigzag | Low-relief Zigzag Moderne detail | Backsplash tile, cabinet panels |
| Stepped form | Ziggurats and stepped pyramids | Shelf profiles, mirror frames |
Stepped forms trace back to ancient architecture. Docomomo notes that Zigzag Moderne buildings of the 1920s allude to the ziggurats and stepped pyramids of Egyptian, Assyrian and Mayan and Aztec builders.
The Chrysler Building shows the sunburst at full scale, with stepped arches clad in ribbed, riveted stainless steel (Designing Buildings).
In a kitchen, the sunburst motif works best as one focal piece, say a glass panel or a backsplash centerpiece.
Hard angles were balanced by sweeping curves, and Houzz suggests curved open shelves to soften a geometric scheme.
Kitchens inherit the geometry of Art Deco interiors mostly through tile, glass and cabinet panels, because those surfaces take repeated pattern well. Pick one dominant pattern per room. A chevron floor and a sunburst backsplash will fight each other.
Materials and finishes: chrome, brass, lacquer and glass
The shine comes from polished metal, high-gloss lacquer and glass, and in the period that included pigmented structural glass such as Vitrolite.
Chrome and stainless steel were the industrial metals of the era, and you can see both in the Chrysler Building’s crown and lobby. Brass is the warmer option, usually paired with marble in current kitchens. Lacquer gives cabinet fronts and panels a deep, glassy finish. Glass shows up as mirror on backsplashes or as structural glass on counters and walls.
Lacquer has a documented route into French design. Jean Dunand learned Asian lacquering in 1912 from Seizo Sugawara, a Japanese master living in Paris, according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The Met’s essay on French Art Deco also frames the 1925 works as luxury goods, valued for beauty of form and material over practical use. That distinction matters in a kitchen, where a finish has to survive splashes.
Vitrolite is the period material most kitchens lost. The Vitrolite Company made it from 1908 to 1935, and Libbey-Owens-Ford produced it from 1935 until 1947, per the Hagley Library.
Because it is non-porous glass, it served as a marble substitute for counters and tabletops in bathrooms and kitchens. Hagley holds two 1930s Vitrolite catalogs, one for bathrooms and kitchens and one for storefronts, both printing the same color chart.
Production stopped after 1947, so new kitchens use modern glass tile instead. A Vitrolite specialist quoted by the Duluth News Tribune says today’s tile is thinner, often back-painted and less deep in tone, and that the original can break.
Mixing glossy lacquer or mirror with matte stone or wood is a choice about texture as much as color. Too many shiny surfaces read as flat, because nothing contrasts.
Bakelite is the period plastic. The Science History Institute calls it the first fully synthetic plastic, and the Linda Hall Library lists table knife handles among its uses.
What do Art Deco kitchen cabinets look like?
Rounded corners, glass-front doors, fluted or stepped fronts, exotic wood veneers and high-gloss lacquer, usually laid out in symmetrical runs.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art bought its “Fuseaux” cabinet directly from Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann in 1925, built in Macassar ebony with ivory, silk and silvered bronze.
Ruhlmann made furniture, not kitchens, but the logic transfers. Phillips auction notes on a Ruhlmann cabinet say the grain of his Macassar ebony reinforces the verticality of the form, so the veneer itself is the ornament.
Kitchen cabinets follow the same rules as the traits that define Art Deco furniture, with the surface doing most of the decorating.
Veneer fronts in burr walnut or Macassar ebony let the grain be the ornament. Homes & Gardens shows a burr walnut veneer and marble island treated as a piece of art. Magnet’s Reed range uses fluted cabinets and suggests fluting the whole kitchen or just one or two units, and glass-front doors with decorative glass add display space and a lighter look.
Rounded corners soften the straight lines, the same job curved open shelves do.
Run cabinets in mirror-image groups on either side of the range or window, following the principle of symmetry that organizes formal rooms.
Houzz profiled a Chicago kitchen where the owner’s research into 1930s designs produced inset door fronts, overlay drawers and contrasting colors.
Floors, backsplashes and countertops
Black and white checkerboard tile, terrazzo and inlaid linoleum cover the floor. Mirror or glass tile goes on the backsplash, and marble or laminate on the counters.
The American terrazzo industry took off in the 1920s, when architects saw its potential for Art Deco designs, according to the National Terrazzo and Mosaic Association.
Terrazzo is marble, quartz or glass chips set in cement or epoxy, then ground and polished. Terrazzo & Marble Supply Companies tells GBD Magazine that the upfront cost runs higher but the long life usually makes it cheaper over time.
Cracking is the failure mode. A 2010 ASCE technical paper names stress concentrations, differential movement, impact loads and material properties as the underlying causes of terrazzo deterioration, and argues that careful design can avoid it.
Linoleum used to be a kitchen standard, and Pro Builder describes it as made from linseed oil, wood flour, resins and ground limestone. New sheet gives off a linseed oil smell for the first few months, and Forbo’s marketing manager told Pro Builder that buyers order multi-hue checkerboards and inlaid designs. Much of what is sold as retro “linoleum” today is vinyl (Zocalo Public Square).
For pattern ideas beyond the checkerboard, browse the inlay patterns used in Art Deco flooring.
Mirror and glass tile carry the shine on the wall. New kitchens usually go with glass tile, and a walkthrough on installing a glass tile backsplash covers the setup.
On the counters, Formica became a cheap stand-in for lacquer, helped by Art Deco’s preference for sleek black surfaces, according to the Mail & Guardian.
Which lighting fixtures suit the style?
Pendants, wall sconces and uplighters with frosted glass and chrome or brass frames, built from angular lines or stepped, globular shapes.
Pendants usually go over islands and dining areas, sconces beside a window or range hood, and uplighters on top of tall cabinets.
Lalique built its name on molded frosted glass, and its Vendome chandelier uses geometric molded glass elements.
Magnet advises going big, since Art Deco lighting rewards scale. Livingetc ranks kitchen lighting among the easiest and most effective ways into the style.
Decorative glass softens light, so it works as ambient lighting while under-cabinet fixtures handle the counters. Layering the two is the usual fix.
Check bulb output before buying a fixture, because a frosted shade diffuses the light. An LED light requirement calculator helps size the output for the room.
Hardware and appliances that match the period
Chrome or brass pulls, semi-circular handles, Bakelite knobs and enameled ranges with rounded corners match the period. Modern appliances fit too, as long as the colors suit the scheme (black, white or gold).
Livingetc calls a semi-circular handle a shortcut to a modern Art Deco look, and Magnet points to ornate detailing as the right register. Bakelite drawer pulls turn up in dealer listings such as 1stDibs, sold as sets for period kitchens.
The AGA cooker is the clearest period appliance. It reached England in 1929 (Grace’s Guide), and the first solid-fuel model sold in Britain had a black top with white front panels (Good Food).
Weight is the catch. Good Food puts an AGA at about 500 kilograms, which is why owners plan the room around it.
Brass hardware splits into two finishes. Unlacquered brass darkens into a patina, while lacquered brass holds its shine and cannot be polished, and Arciform warns that brass polish damages the coating.
Black appliances need a palette built around them, which the guide to kitchen color schemes built around black appliances walks through. Bora suggests hiding small appliances behind cabinet doors or buying them in colors that match the scheme.
How to plan an Art Deco kitchen: period-accurate or modern?
Go with a modern adaptation unless the house itself dates from the 1920s or 1930s. Period accuracy costs more, and the resale numbers favor the lighter touch.
Choosing the approach
The 2025 Cost vs. Value report from the Journal of Light Construction shows a minor midrange kitchen remodel recouping 113% of its cost at resale, against 36% for a major upscale remodel.
Veneer, lacquer and terrazzo push a budget toward the upscale end.
| Element | Modern adaptation | Period-accurate route | Reversible? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Handles and knobs | Chrome or brass pulls in Deco shapes | Original Bakelite sets | Yes |
| Lighting | New geometric pendants | Original or reproduction glass fixtures | Yes |
| Backsplash | Geometric tile or mirror | Structural glass, hard to source | Partly |
| Cabinet fronts | Glossy paint or laminate, fluting | Veneer or lacquer | No |
| Floor | Patterned tile or linoleum | Terrazzo or inlaid linoleum | No |
Magnet names door handles and Livingetc names lighting as the easiest entry points. Both sit at the top of the reversible column, so spend there first and add one pattern surface after.
Price veneer, lacquer and terrazzo with a home renovation cost calculator before committing to them.
Order of work
- Fix the layout and clearances before choosing any finish
- Plan lighting and outlets while the walls are still open
- Pick one base color and one metal
- Install cabinetry and counters
- Lay the floor and backsplash
- Add hardware, fixtures and appliances
Test the palette in a room color scheme generator before buying samples, because the base color drives every later choice. Mixing chrome and brass is possible, but a single metal reads as more deliberate.
When does the style stop working?
In small or dim kitchens, in homes whose other rooms contradict it, and anywhere glossy, metallic surfaces demand more upkeep than the owner will give.
Clearances come first. The NKBA Kitchen Planning Guidelines call for a work aisle of at least 42 inches for one cook, and a statement island eats into that.
Oversized fixtures raise a second problem, since they need the right scale and proportion for the ceiling height.
Dark palettes shrink a small room. Designer Felix Milns of HUX London told Homes & Gardens that the look does not require dark colors or daring wallpaper, so a lighter version works, and the best colors for small rooms are a safer starting point.
Lacquer, mirror and polished metal show fingerprints and splashes, so cleaning time is part of the cost.
Going all in gives you a strong, consistent identity and durable materials like terrazzo and chrome. The price is the highest cost, the most upkeep, and a room that is hard to reverse.
Picking a few elements costs far less and can be changed whenever you like, which suits rentals and plain rooms. The effect is weaker, though, and it looks random if the pieces don’t share a metal and a palette.
In a rental, hardware and lighting carry the look without touching the walls.
Art Deco Kitchen Elements FAQ
Can I get the look without replacing the cabinets?
Mostly, yes. New handles, lighting and a geometric backsplash shift the look the most, and the doors can be refreshed in glossy paint.
The guide on covering kitchen cabinets without painting shows the no-paint route.
How is Art Deco different from Art Nouveau?
Art Nouveau runs on curved, organic, nature-based lines. Art Deco goes for geometry, symmetry and shiny surfaces.
The University of Oxford’s Department for Continuing Education says Art Deco rejected the rounded, organic style of Art Nouveau. A longer breakdown sits in the guide to Art Nouveau interior design.
Does wallpaper belong in the kitchen?
In small doses. Livingetc calls a run of Art Deco-themed wallpaper an easy way into the style, and one accent wall keeps the pattern in check.
Which kitchen island suits the style?
A glossy or veneered one. Livingetc shows a glossy island adding a touch of the style, and Bora suggests a gold island if you want extra drama.
Which faucet finish works?
Polished chrome, brass or black, matched to the cabinet pulls.
Sharing one metal across faucet and hardware keeps the room from looking assembled piece by piece.
What accessory completes the look?
A cocktail bar. Livingetc says no Art Deco kitchen is complete without one.
A mirrored bar cart or a glass-front drinks cabinet delivers it without a remodel.
Which Art Deco Kitchen Elements to Buy First
Handles and lighting come first among Art Deco kitchen elements, because both change the room at the lowest cost and can be swapped out later. The backsplash and counters come next, and cabinet fronts and flooring go last.
Resale data rewards small scope, while terrazzo pays back through decades of use. Reversible changes suit owners who may sell, and terrazzo, veneer or lacquer suit owners who plan to stay.
The price of this order is a longer timeline, since the room reads as unfinished until the irreversible surfaces change.
As of October 2026 the 2025 Cost vs. Value report is the newest edition found, and the order changes if a newer edition shows upscale kitchen remodels recouping more than minor ones.
Wall paint is the last decision, and the guide to popular Art Deco paint colors is the natural place to start.
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