Jump to:If you asked a stranger on the street to name an architectural style, Art Deco would undoubtedly be a popular response. Though the heyday of Art Deco ran from the 1920s through the 1930s, the design movement was so prolific that numerous Art Deco buildings around the world define city skylines even today.Originating in France before spreading worldwide, Art Deco architecture is a celebration of progress, using geometric forms, lavish materials, and bold ornamentation to embody the optimism of its time: the Roaring Twenties.This was not only a period of opulence and glamour but also a time of technical innovationthink of the burgeoning aviation, automobile, and ocean liner industries, which embraced modern design for their sleek exteriors and interiors. The festive social atmosphere of the Roaring Twenties combined with the period's technical achievements spurred the development of Art Deco. 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.Here, well explore the defining characteristics of this iconic style.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, its characterized by its emphasis on industrial innovation, opulent decoration, and fine craftsmanship.Specifically concerning architecture, Art Deco is largely about verticality, as new engineering techniques and materials led to the rise of steel skyscrapers. But 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 Dcoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris; arts dcoratifs, 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.Related StoryThe 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 intellectualismnot to say puritanismof much modern architecture with an image of hedonistic desirability.But it was also directly linked to industrial progress, too. The rise of mass production and the advent of new materials like stainless steel, chrome plating, and plastics like 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 visionthese 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 Tutankhamuns 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 overexamples include the International Style, Midcentury Modernism, and BrutalismArt Deco's influence remains visible in many buildings and design objects around the world.Related StoryThe Defining Characteristics of Art Deco Architecture and StyleGeometric Forms and SymmetryChris MottaliniThe hallmark of Art Deco architecture lies in its geometric precision. Buildings are structured with sharp, clean lines, often forming stepped or ziggurat shapesagain, 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 HeightParticularly evident in skyscrapers, Art Deco buildings 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 weren't 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. MIYAZAKIDesigners 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 mile-Jacques Ruhlmann often used rich veneers and inlays of ivory, giving it a sophisticated and expensive appearance.Related StoryFamous 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 that are quintessential to the Art Deco style. Art Deco Historic District, Miami BeachJean-Pierre BOUCHARD//Getty ImagesSouth Beach in Miami Beach, Florida, is a hotspot of Art Deco architectureit'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) faade 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 faade with deep blue and gold ornamentation. Architect Claud Beelmans use of color and form makes it one of L.A.s most photographed landmarks.Follow House Beautiful on Instagram and TikTok.