Architecture
Modern Architecture
Roots of Style: Art Deco and Art Moderne
Get to know the similarities and differences between these architectural styles of the 1920s and 1930s
The Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes of 1925 lent the name “Art Deco” to a movement in which art, architecture, fashion and industrial design merged into an extraordinary era of cutting-edge aesthetics with expressive details based on modern design principles. Art Moderne began about 1930, introducing streamlined design elements in cars, planes and ships. Although the two styles overlap in some buildings, Art Deco normally has a vertical emphasis, while Art Moderne has a horizontal emphasis. The Chrysler and Empire State buildings in New York are Art Deco designs, and apartment buildings in both styles are common and still exist across the country.
Art Deco and Art Moderne houses are rare, but their distinctive lines and elements are easy to identify; only the International Style bears a slight resemblance to Art Moderne. They remain without significant revival, unlike many other fashions of architecture. Surviving examples are often unaltered original designs dating from the 1920s through the 1940s. We have Eliel Saarinen to thank for introducing us to the Art Deco aesthetic when he placed second in an important 1922 Chicago architectural competition with an entry that received significant publicity. His son, the architect Eero Saarinen, went on to give us the iconic midcentury Tulip chair and Saarinen table.
Art Deco and Art Moderne houses are rare, but their distinctive lines and elements are easy to identify; only the International Style bears a slight resemblance to Art Moderne. They remain without significant revival, unlike many other fashions of architecture. Surviving examples are often unaltered original designs dating from the 1920s through the 1940s. We have Eliel Saarinen to thank for introducing us to the Art Deco aesthetic when he placed second in an important 1922 Chicago architectural competition with an entry that received significant publicity. His son, the architect Eero Saarinen, went on to give us the iconic midcentury Tulip chair and Saarinen table.
This Sydney residence captures the Art Deco dialect in several ways. Typically white plastered walls enclose a series of overlapping forms, some curved, with indented detailing around doors and windows. A stylized fin in a contrasting material provides vertical emphasis at the apex of the curves and above the entrance. When you place this design in the context of the early 20th century, you can imagine how contemporary it would have appeared next to Colonial and Spanish Revivals, Tudors, and French eclectic houses.
Greater Los Angeles has a good amount of Art Deco and Art Moderne architecture in areas that were developed in the 1930s and 1940s, though most of it is apartment and commercial buildings. This is a rare example of a lavish Art Deco house that has been remodeled. One of the most interesting aspects of Art Deco is that the massing is blockish and rectangular to the ground in contrast with the vertical windows, details and entrance, as seen here.
An original Art Deco apartment building in Oklahoma City has been preserved and then expanded in the rear to maintain its elegant Art Deco-Art Moderne identity. Brick veneer is unusual, but it can be found in examples like this. A contrasting brick color offers a horizontal line along the parapet. The forward stepped center mass and entrance details provide vertical momentum. Note the curved walls flanking the entrance door, which has porthole windows. The glazed tile set into the wall around the window above the entrance is a nice feature, as is the embossed vertical fluting in the fascia and keystone. This atypical symmetrical composition still feels clean and fresh nearly 100 years after its birth.
This is the entrance to a New York City apartment building designed in the Art Deco fashion. Because this “modern” style was meant to be a departure from the past, it doesn’t incorporate classical design elements that are so important to most preceding architecture.
Americans tended to elaborately embellish Art Deco designs, even including regional influences, such as pastel colors used in some Florida creations. Though New York and California host a large share of all Art Deco examples, the style reached most parts of the country and can be found in small towns as well.
Americans tended to elaborately embellish Art Deco designs, even including regional influences, such as pastel colors used in some Florida creations. Though New York and California host a large share of all Art Deco examples, the style reached most parts of the country and can be found in small towns as well.
Art Moderne designs appear strikingly simple, but successful asymmetrical compositions like this take considerable thought. This singular example in Palo Alto, California, blends comfortably into its suburban setting among far more common styles such as Spanish eclectic, Ranch and Colonial Revival. The masses of the house step back and fold over one another in a logical and elegant manner. The detailing is quiet, and the monochromatic scheme, common to most Art Moderne designs, has a respectful repose. Nothing is forced, and yet its statement is strong and confident.
I took this photo specifically for this story, but I admit that the house is far more impressive in person. If you take a close look at the picture, you’ll see marvelous details that make this design special. The windows are capped with a flared lip that sheds water to a drip edge. The entrance is flanked by two elegantly curved and fluted walls. The garage doors have an embossed chevron pattern. In characteristic fashion, steel casement windows wrap corners of the building, and a porthole window is strategically placed in the upper-level facade. Just to the right of the porthole, the wall curves to meet the stepped back wall plane of the right-hand side of the upper floor.
I took this photo specifically for this story, but I admit that the house is far more impressive in person. If you take a close look at the picture, you’ll see marvelous details that make this design special. The windows are capped with a flared lip that sheds water to a drip edge. The entrance is flanked by two elegantly curved and fluted walls. The garage doors have an embossed chevron pattern. In characteristic fashion, steel casement windows wrap corners of the building, and a porthole window is strategically placed in the upper-level facade. Just to the right of the porthole, the wall curves to meet the stepped back wall plane of the right-hand side of the upper floor.
The Minnesota house at left and below provides a strong example of the horizontality characteristic of Art Moderne architecture. White stucco walls, asymmetrical grouped massing and parapeted flat roofs share the theme with Art Deco, but the Moderne intentionally flows across the ground plane as if in motion on its own. Glass block suits this style since it can effortlessly round a curved wall, as seen here. Steel pipe railings on the balconies allude to ship designs of the period, and a simple parapet trim cap terminates the height of the walls in one simple and subtle conclusion.
Your turn: Do you live in an Art Deco or Art Moderne home, or do you have any in your neighborhood? Share your photos in the Comment section.
Learn more about home design styles
Learn more about home design styles
Other windows on this house are tall rectangles, and the second-level pairs are divided with vertical channels embossed in the siding. The contrasting horizontals of the upper-floor window awnings foreshadow the Moderne theme. Smooth white stucco is the most common finish material for the Deco and Moderne styles.