MODERN ART DECO SETS A STRONG STATEMENT THAT REFLECTS THE TOUCH OF LUXURIOUS AVANTGARDE. SYGNARD REPRESENTS MODERN ART DECO, A 21ST CENTURY VERSION OF A DECORATIVE STYLE, WHICH HAS CREATED A TURNAROUND IN THE PERCEPTION OF STYLE AND BEAUTY SOME 90 YEARS AGO.
WHAT IS NEW, WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF MODERN ART DECO COMPARED TO THE CLASSICAL VERSION? WHY DOES IT SO STRONGLY ATTRACT THE MOSTLY YOUNG, DYNAMIC AND SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE? WE PUT TOGETHER SOME QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND ITS CURRENT APPEAL.
1925 is said to mark the birth of a new style, which was originally introduced as the ‘style moderne’ at the Paris exhibition ‘Exposition des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes’. The term Art Deco was first coined around 1960 to summarize characteristics of this design period, which over time turned into a classic.
After its first introduction in 1925, it was almost immediately adopted as THE avantgarde style that symbolized novelty and progress: new forms, new materials, new attitude, new society, new possibilities and a new hope for a better future. The new style became quite influential in the 1930s and 40s and swept across design in all areas: painting, graphics, architecture, furniture, vehicles, clothing, interior decoration etc. Especially in the United States, design artists thus gladly tried a new approach on 20th century life.
First and foremost: Classical Art Deco stands for symmetry, decluttering the past, a new sense of wealth, grandeur and glamour as well as progress. In the original period, a fascination for exotic materials, quality manufacturing, clear lines and shapes can be found as well as a special attention for machinery that fueled a sense of streamlining forms (cars, ships etc.). Also, the visual expression symbolized successful striving upwards, the reaching for the skies and the ascent to the top of society after many difficult years (among the most famous in architecture, e.g. the Chrysler Building in New York). It was a world that wanted to overcome the bad times of the early 20th century.
Modern Art Deco has grown immensely in importance in recent decades and has established itself as probably THE basic style for creating clean, sophisticated, beautiful environments, whether in a home, office, public building or hotel. It conveys clarity, refinement, fascination for materials and technology in a variety of ways. You can see and feel the difference to its classical ancestor: For example, vertical lines now seem to be less emphasized than horizontal ones, the attention is somewhat less on the upward striving than before. Also, the modern possibilities of global, albeit carefully monitored quality production, knowledge and availability of precious materials have grown by today in a way that was previously unimaginable. In Modern Art Deco, clean comfort and a relaxed feeling of vitality and sophistication are given a stronger accent than before. The fascination for technology might be present today, just as the obsession for machinery was many decades ago, but nowadays technology is taken for granted. Technology may be transforming our 21st century society, as it has happened in the first Art Deco era, but Modern Art Deco reflects a laid back approach to keeping pace; today we are invited to observe life and progress without getting involved in the hectic pace typical of the 1930s and 40s. Today we have countless choices that lead to success.
Overall, the Art Deco period has brought clarity of thought and lifestyle, in design and environment, a modern feeling that was communicated to the general public. It always transported a touch of luxury to reflect the ego of an individual or a society. In the 21st century, Modern Art Deco adds even more individualistic sophistication and a sense of sustainability; handcrafted quality as well as expensive, exotic materials are still important today, although more readily available. Modern Art Deco contrasts the wide-spread, sometimes environmentally harmful throw-away mentality of today’s society.
• Power and freshness in form and feeling; streamlining and symmetry •
• Quality and beauty in precious, lush materials and craftsmanship •
• Corners, edges, acute angles, combined with rounded shapes •
• Clarity in color and form. Saturated colors, geometric shapes (triangles!) •
• Ornaments with catchy, stylized figures •
Sygnard suggests:
You can, of course, opt for a fully planned interior, perhaps a daringly creative, fascinating space incorporating the full range of Modern Art Deco elements, as seen in some hotels that are designed in Modern Art Deco to provide you with that out-of-the-world feeling of sophisticated and exotic comfort. On the other hand, you can also add single characteristic Modern Art Deco furniture and/or other decorative signature elements such as lamps, sculptures, graphics and paintings to your pre-existing interiors to project that special energy with individual pieces that simultaneously adapt and contrast. Sygnard uses exotic woods like polished palisander and ebony, onyx, lacquered and marble surfaces, silver fittings, state-of-the-art and integrated technology. You can also choose between the bright colors that we combine with silver and chrome, black and brown, and shining surfaces in glass and glaze, as well as beige tones that invite you to enjoy generous, wide lines that emphasize the precious moments in your life. Your Modern Art Deco pieces are there to ground your life with powerful, ever new ‘aha’ moments of beauty and quality.
