Art Nouveau Inspired Room

Classic Design Style in a Modern Context

Art Nouveau was a beautifully stylised design movement that occupied the late 19th and early 20th Century. It is a style unrivalled in its honest aspirations to marry art with design, and to celebrate the art and ethereal beauty of the natural environment.

This is a style that is so distinctive that it cannot be implemented in design schemes without recreating it in its historic entirety complete with the more "dated" elements, as we would consider them to be in this present age.

But it is a style that can be adapted with faithful attention to the design philosophy of Art Nouveau, and not necessarily by reproducing the exact stylistic details! [Do you really want to live in a Gaudi interior? Come on, be honest! ]

Here is an example of how I tried this approach for a client in the hospitality industry.

Design Overview

Following instruction from the client brief, the resultant aim of the design was to create a distinctive, aesthetically pleasing space that is practical for everyday use. As the room will be used frequently, the need for easy maintenance must be matched with a decoration that will enhance the experience of staying in the hotel, and so contribute to creating a memorable overall experience for the guests.

The best method to achieving this was to create a bright comfortable atmosphere using contemporary materials that evoked the requisite style, with restrained backgrounds to add a  feeling of comfort and elegance, whilst avoiding fuss and clutter. The use of shape and pattern is essential in this style in order to prevent the overall look from becoming dull and uninteresting.

Therefore, by combining the distinct shapes and forms of those such as early twentieth century style motifs with contemporary materials, this allows the visual aesthetic to remain to the fore by providing favourable contrast with the practical approach to the everyday maintenance needs of running a busy hotel.

Achieving  this style is about mixing rather than matching, through all design elements both historic and contemporary, to achieve a look that is fresh and progressive. Taking inspiration from contrasting sources and periods, the style becomes a highly individualized style and is easily changed on a whim, as most of the scheme is carried in easily changeable design components such as movable furniture and accessories.

In combination, the various elements of colour and stylistic motifs communicate such characteristics of uncompromising excellence, material aspiration, efficiency, drama, and sophistication - that combine to reflect the corporate values and philosophy of a successful business.