We’re in our new decade and there’s plenty to be happy about.  Not only will each of us be celebrating entering another decade of life,  but if you’re into art deco (like me), we’re celebrating the 100th birthday this timeless furniture was born.  It began in the 1920’s in Paris as a result of a large decorative arts exhibition.  Art Deco was a celebration of modern life that emphasized on luxury and sophistication. Not only was it a design explosion, Art Deco works featured new materials like chrome, Bakelite (a type of plastic), as well as other costly materials like ivory, mahogany and solid brass. Furniture created during Art Deco’s early years tended to be an expensive luxury because some furniture pieces were made using rich hard woods like ebony and also featured veneers, or very thin layers of wood used as a surface covering, of exotic woods like mahogany red veneers.  There’s a rich history of art deco and extensive research has been done and to learn more about it, you can click here.  Now thinking back to this era when this style hit the scene, color photography pretty much wasn’t existing, because it wasn’t until 1928 when vivex (an early color photography process) was invented by Dr. Douglas Arthur Spencer, who later went on to become managing director of Kodak Ltd.

Yea, that’s pretty old.. and yet Art Deco style has made a grand slam comeback and I can’t tell you how happy I am.  I’ve always loved art deco and when I had the opportunity to purchase my set – I jumped on it.  I purchased it around 1995 while living in NJ.   Our bedroom was small but cozy and as you see… very antiquey…. and very girly.  I was deeply involved in decorating with antiques and scoured as many shops I could find to buy pieces to decorate my “romantic bedroom”. This was the original bed frame that came with the set.

Sorry about the dull pictures but these were taken in my pre-blog and use of a digital came days.

I later found this art deco vanity to pair with the set because having a vanity was extremely crucial for me.  (sidenote: Looking back at these pictures, I still have a few decor items styled in my room today)

The style of my dresser and wardrobe is called “Waterfall” .  The Waterfall series was designed with horizontal edges to give the wood an appearance of cascading downward like a waterfall.

The dressers were adorned with handles typically made of Bakelite and brass, and vanities  were sometimes paired with oversized round mirrors with etched trim.  The Waterfall style became popular in America after creating a stir at the Paris Colonial Exposition.  The Johnson Furniture Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan was among the first to produce art deco furniture in the United States and because of the success of their efforts they inspired other furniture factories to produce Waterfall furniture.

When I purchased this set back in the early 1990’s, it was considered “old-fashioned”, which is probably why I got it so cheap.  I acquired this set from a second hand furniture store (back then they weren’t really considered thrift stores) and I paid around $300.00 for the entire set consisting of head and footboard, dresser, mirror, chest of drawers and nightstand.  I did break the cardinal rule and broke up the set, with the bed.  I sold the original bed frame because I love the shape of the current one.  I had it refinished with a stain to blend with the set.  If you recall, back then, that’s when the  the term “shabby chic” hit the scene and people began getting these sets and painting the furniture.  I, on the other hand, couldn’t bare the thought of covering this beautiful wood with paint and destroying the gorgeous veneer.  Now, if the wood was damaged, then I clearly see applying paint for a quick fix cover-up, but otherwise.. it was a cringing moment for me to see paint on this furniture.

There are times I think about changing our bedroom furniture, but when I see the quality and value, I change my mind every time.  I can’t get the streaks out the mirror, but for 100 years of life, who cares, I call it the patina.  Taking care of this furniture is simple, however, I highly recommend that you not use furniture polish every time you dust – to prevent wax build-up.  Twice a year, I condition the wood with a good oil rub and buff with a cloth to rejuvenate the natural shine.   Occasionally, I’ll use polish, but I don’t spray it directly on the wood, I spray it on the cloth then wipe.

I seriously doubt that I’ll ever part with this set.  Antiques are not everyone’s taste to decorate their home, but I think there’s one thing we all can agree on – they hold their beauty and value.

Today, designers are re-creating looks and styles to pay homage to the roaring ’20s aka art nouveau.  For more inspiration to incorporate art deco in your decor I created a Pinterest board dedicated to its popular revival.  The Art deco explosion is not only in furniture, there’s glassware, wallpaper, fabric, light switch covers, tile, and even buildings.  As mom always said, what goes around comes around and Art Deco has made its comeback around.  I hope I’ve inspired you to add a little deco in your home decor.

CIAO!!!