Art Deco Interiors

These 48 color plates are paintings by architects from the early 1930s in France. They represent drawings for clients mostly in the ile-de-france, but also the south. They express the joy of Art Deco, which is far brighter and cleaner than the cluttered and overstuffed Victorian/Beaux Arts era. The introduction explains it as forward looking, as opposed to jamming apartments with antiques. You can only do that so long, and Art Deco was the whipsaw reaction: minimalism as relief. The lines are clean and squared. The organics left over from Art Nouveau add a balance of grace. No gathered brocade drapes here.

What you will see is architects attempting to make tiny Parisian apartments feel large. They take advantage of the naturally high ceilings of beaux arts buildings, and reinforce that with extra low furniture and furnishings. It has the exaggerated look of Frank Lloyd Wright interiors, except his furnishings were so low because his ceilings were so low.

Thanks to Dover for once again finding and rehabilitating a gem from the past.

David Wineberg

One really has to appreciate these wonderful reprints of then-contemporary works. In this case, a collection of full page, full color illustrations/designs of interiors from the art deco/moderne period, assembled at the time in 1935. Owing more to Le Corbusier and the more austere European aesthetic than the glamour of Miami or NYC, the heart here is of clean forms of modern materials. As the preface states, the desire is to get away from living in an antique store of oak furniture and clutter; instead, the goal is simplicity through modern materials like glass and steel.

The book contains 48 residential rooms covering most areas of a home: from bathroom to sitting room, living room to storage. Of note, kitchens are oddly missing from this collection but you'll find other interesting 'interiors' such as terraces. A recurring theme in nearly all the plates is that the walls are not for hanging so much as part of the living space; furniture is nearly always built in and a part of the house structure. Beds, desks, couches, even dining room tables are almost always attached to or built into a wall so as to be inseparable if one moves homes. Few items of furniture are free standing and closets are envisioned as part of a wall block and not a separate room.

Since the illustrations are contemporary to the period, they are an authentic account of the period's architecture and design styles. Clean lines, few pictures, typically wall-to-wall rugs with geometric designs and patterns. Especially striking are the childrens' rooms with built in beds and desks that look clean and admittedly very sterile.

The book contains a simple one page publisher's note and then another one page note from the original compiler, Delacroix. Plates are full page with only a simple title (room type, owner). Most are sketches of final room appearances but some plans are also included for several areas. Because they are sketches of how a room will be completed, we get a really nice picture of how pieces are put together - from furniture to color schemes, custom carpets to accents. The cover image is very indicative of what you will find inside.

In all, the 48 sketches are nicely presented and this is a great resource for the moderne (more than art deco, to be honest) movement. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

If Art Deco decorating and furnishings are your cup of tea, you'll enjoy this release from Dover Publications. Using a muted color palette, the book is filled with illustrations of rooms furnished in Art Deco style. Bedrooms, baths, living rooms and more are included. Because of size, it was difficult to tell (at least in the eVersion) but it seems two black-and-white photographs were also included. Each illustration includes the name of the designer, the type of room, and the abbreviated name of the owner. Good resource for interior decorators and set designers.

'Art Deco Interiors' by Henry Delacroix was first published in Paris in 1935.

The full watercolor and ink color plates are architectural and interior design renderings of living spaces. They are drawn by Henry Delacroix, Jacques Meistermann, Francis Jourdain and others. The spaces shown are bedrooms, offices, living rooms. They are shown as furnished, but the stark lines and edges of the furnishings gives things an austere look.
It's the style of art deco, and there are some gorgeous rooms, but they just don't seem to be that comfortable or inviting. The things I liked best were the wall length cabinets in bedrooms and offices. I love the style, and it's great to see the designs in this book. I enjoyed spending time looking through this book.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Dover Publications and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

Fascinating sketches of Art Deco interiors. My favorite decade for furniture and design.

An interesting book. Takes the reader on a journey through homes of the past. This will be a fantastic historical reference book in time. People who are ispired by Art Deco or interior decoration will love this book.

This is a lovely book, first published in Paris in 1935. Dover Publications has kindly reprinted it in English.

Mr. Delacroix was a French architect and his purpose in writing the book was to provide modern comfort in diminutive spaces - simple, compact and beautiful modern rooms for the busy person. Every inch counts - everything is necessary and no unnecessary and frivolous ornamentation. These rooms really resemble best of the modern minimalist interior design movement.

This is a fascinating and informative book for anyone interested in this historical period. Whether it's for pure reading entertainment, or artistic inspiration, this book works so well. And the rooms give the reader insight into the lives and mindset of the Art Deco period - at least that of the wealthy.

A very worthwhile read for anyone interested in this topic. Beautiful book.

I love checking out books that are related to architecture and decorating. They are kind of adult picture books. This book was no exception, a lot of fun checking out all the Art Deco Interior designs featured in this book. A lot of great colors and interesting living spaces are included in this book. Some were amazing, like Plate 12. Pierre Chareau's Dressing room home of Mrs R which had a library up above on the wall complete with a ladder that went across the wall so you could reach the books. I'm not sure that this is something I'd actually ever use, but man would it look cool in any house. Some of the designs are simple, some more complex and "busy" All of them pretty cool and a pleasure to flip through/

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.

These designs are a modern minimalist's dream! They include pictures of living rooms, salons, bathrooms and furniture. They are mostly rather stark, sparsely furnished and brightly-coloured. I much prefer the more ornate Art Nouveau and several of these rooms struck me as rather mannish. I am also far from being a minimalist. However, these images are so modern that they are still suitable for buildings today!

Some of the bathrooms, salons and dressing-rooms are quite pretty and Parisian. This book is certainly worth buying, if only for these pictures. It is an excellent book for historians of interior design as well.

I received this free ebook from Net Galley in return for an honest review.

Art Deco Interiors, by Henry Delacroix is a delightfully intriguing art book.

It was first published in Paris as Decoration Moderne dans l'Interieur in 1935. This book includes a translation of the original Introduction, as well as a new Publisher's Note.

According to the Publisher's Note, "This exceptionally beautiful collection of forty-eight residential and professional interiors originally appeared in 1935.... Complied by French architect Henry Delacroix (1907-1974), the portfolio reveals the forward-thinking designs of numerous interior designers and architects of the time and was influenced by the Art Deco movement.... The final image, Plate 48, is one of Henry Delacroix's own designs."

Art Deco Interiors is a lovely book that's geared towards various ages, from teenagers to older generations. It's especially recommended for those interested in interior design, architecture, and/or art.


Note: I received this book from NetGalley, which is a program designed for bloggers to write book reviews in exchange for books, yet the opinions expressed in this review are my own.