Every item on this page was hand-picked by a House Beautiful editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.Jump to:Art Deco is one of the most easily recognizable architectural styles out there. Known for its sleek symmetry and geometric motifs, the style adorns skyscrapers, storefronts, and apartment buildings across the country. And this year, the fan-favorite style turns one hundred. The style originated in France before spreading worldwide in the latter half of the 1920s. Art Deco architecture was seen as a celebration of progress, using geometric forms, lavish materials, and bold ornamentation to embody the optimism of its time: the Roaring Twenties. Officially a centenarian, Art Deco has dominated the design world longer than mid-century modern and Memphis combined, and it continues to be a popular choice for designers and architects alike.Like any major interior design trend, Art Deco has waxed and waned in its widespread popularity, but the classical elements that define its style have outlasted many a fad, and for good reason. According to a 2025 designer survey by vintage retailer 1st Dibs, Art Deco is the top trending design era this year, with 32 percent of American interior designers looking to the 1920s and ‘30s for inspiration. “Art Deco is a sophisticated, modern design style that combines elements of luxury, geometric precision, and technological innovation,” says Glen Hardwick-Bruce, founder of the Art World Advisory Group. “It was influenced by a mix of modernism, avant-garde movements, exotic cultural imagery, and the optimistic, lavish spirit of the 1920s and 1930s.”The Roaring Twenties was not just a time of opulence and glamour; the decade also saw a major technological boom that influenced the architectural style. Motorized vehicles, ocean liners, and a budding aviation industry all contributed to the atmosphere of limitless possibility. There is so much that encompasses the Art Deco style, especially after 100 years. Below, we highlight the key elements of the architectural juggernaut. Read on for everything you need to know about Art Deco’s influence and lasting impact.Additional copy by Kate McGregor.Related StoriesWhat Is Art Deco?mkfoto//Getty ImagesElevator lobby in the Four Fifty Sutter Building in San Francisco, California. The building was completed in 1929.Art Deco is a decorative arts, architecture, and design movement that began in the mid-1920s and continued through 1940. Known for its sleek, symmetrical lines and rich materials, it’s characterized by an emphasis on industrial innovation, opulent decoration, and fine craftsmanship.When it comes to architecture specifically, Art Deco is largely about verticality, as new engineering techniques and materials led to the rise of steel skyscrapers. Pulling from the other parts of the design movement, Art Deco architecture also featured geometric patterns and flamboyant ornamentation.“Art Deco may best be described as a popular form of modernism. If we think of modern architecture in its most rigorous form as having stripped away ornament and replaced it with glass-and-steel austerity, Art Deco responds with Jazz-Age glamour and sophisticated urbanity,” says Tom McDonough, an art history professor from Binghamton University, State University of New York. “Think streamlined silhouettes, curved corners, and rhythmic composition, not strict geometry and cubic form. Think the Chrysler Building, not Lever House.”The term Art Deco comes from the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris, where arts décoratifs, meaning “decorative arts” in French, was shortened to Art Deco. At this exposition, Art Deco architects, designers, and artists showcased a new, modern style intended to break away from the flowing, natural forms of Art Nouveau. Launched into international prominence, Art Deco spread globally during the next 15 years. “Its appeal was easy to convey in photographs, which meant it quickly found a global reach, extending from Paris and New York to Mumbai, Shanghai, and beyond,” says McDonough. “Everywhere it spread, its designs offered people a means to identify themselves with what was new, modern, cosmopolitan.”The Influences of Art DecoS. Greg Panosian//Getty ImagesUnion Station in Los Angeles, built in 1939. Art Deco is inextricably tied to the social atmosphere of the 1920s. “Art Deco responded to the atmosphere of the Roaring Twenties, the release and relief felt at the end of the First World War,” says McDonough. “It replaced the ascetic intellectualism—not to say puritanism—of much modern architecture with an image of hedonistic desirability.”But Art Deco was also directly linked to industrial progress, too. The rise of mass production and the advent of new materials such as stainless steel, chrome plating, and plastics including Bakelite allowed designers to create sleek, streamlined forms. “Designers were fascinated by machinery, speed, and the efficiency of industrial production, which can be seen in the sleek and streamlined forms,” says Hardwick-Bruce.Art Deco certainly wasn’t the only art and design movement that drew from those influences. Before it came Cubism, Futurism, and Bauhaus, which promoted technology with an aesthetic vision—these styles directly influenced the development of Art Deco.And finally, there’s the matter of global discoveries. Though Art Deco is a forward-looking style celebrating the machine age, its adherents also incorporated elements from ancient cultures, such as Egyptian and Mayan art into their work. “The discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922 sparked a fascination with Egyptian art and symbolism, bringing elements like scarabs, sphinxes, and pyramids into the Art Deco style,” says Hardwick-Bruce. Eventually, the Great Depression and World War II shifted the cultural and economic landscape, and Art Deco began to fade in popularity. While new, more austere architectural styles took over—examples include the International Style, Midcentury Modernism, and Brutalism—Art Deco’s influence remains visible in many buildings and design objects around the world.The Defining Characteristics of Art Deco Architecture and StyleGeometric Forms and SymmetryChris MottaliniOpulent materials lend an Art Deco vibe to a Manhattan apartment designed by Nannette Brown.The hallmark of Art Deco architecture lies in its geometric precision. Buildings are structured with sharp, clean lines, often forming stepped or ziggurat shapes—again, a nod to ancient cultures. Ornamentation and Decorative ElementsWhile geometric forms establish structure, ornamentation adds visual richness. “Common motifs include zigzags, chevrons, sunbursts, and trapezoidal shapes,” says Hardwick-Bruce. “An example of this includes The Chrysler Building in New York City which has sharp geometric details, with a sunburst pattern crowning its spire.”Verticality and HeightArt Deco buildings, particularly skyscrapers, are characterized by their vertical emphasis, often accentuated by narrow, elongated windows. Such tall, sleek forms were meant to reflect progress, ambition, and the upward mobility of society.Use of ColorArt Deco designers were not afraid to use color. “Art Deco color palettes often featured vibrant, saturated colors, including deep greens, gold, silver, bright reds, and metallic finishes,” says Hardwick-Bruce. This was not only featured on the exterior of structures but also in interior design.Lavish MaterialsKEVIN J. MIYAZAKIA Deco-inspired bedroom in Chicago by designer Erin Shakoor.“Designers used opulent materials such as lacquer, polished wood, chrome, glass, and exotic materials like ivory or sharkskin to exude luxury,” says Hardwick-Bruce. “Furniture pieces by Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann often used rich veneers and inlays of ivory, giving it a sophisticated and expensive appearance.”Famous Art Deco Buildings Around the WorldChrysler Building, New YorkGary Hershorn//Getty ImagesNo building embodies Art Deco quite like New York’s Chrysler Building. Designed by architect William Van Alen and completed in 1930, the Chrysler Building has a tiered crown of stainless steel arches embedded with triangular windows. Much of the ornamentation here is derived from automobile elements like hood ornaments and radiator grilles.Empire State Building, New YorkJamesHarrison//Getty ImagesThe only Art Deco building more famous than the Chrysler Building is the Empire State Building. Completed in 1931, the Empire State Building remains a towering symbol of Art Deco ambition. Designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon, the building has a geometric look thanks to its tiered setbacks, which are quintessential Art Deco style. Art Deco Historic District, Miami BeachJean-Pierre BOUCHARD//Getty ImagesSouth Beach in Miami Beach, Florida, is a hotspot of Art Deco architecture—it’s impossible to pick a single building to exemplify this entire district of Art Deco structures. Here, the Art Deco architecture was largely inspired by the ocean liners seen just offshore. And in a regional touch, many feature more tropical hues that differ from the jewel tones found in Art Deco design elsewhere.Hoover Building, LondonMichael Nicholson//Getty ImagesDesigned by Wallis, Gilbert & Partners and completed in 1933, this factory-complex-turned-residential building is a masterpiece of British Art Deco. It has a white cement (also known as snowcrete) façade and colorful geometric details that were unheard of in factory design of the era.Eastern Columbia Building, Los AngelesMichael Lee//Getty ImagesA standout example of West Coast Art Deco, this 1930s department store (also now a residential building) is known for its striking turquoise terra-cotta façade with deep blue and gold ornamentation. Architect Claud Beelman’s use of color and form makes it one of L.A.’s most photographed landmarks.Follow House Beautiful on Instagram and TikTok.