Art Deco

Sometimes referred to as Deco, Art Deco is a specific visual arts style combining modern styles with craftsmanship, rich materials, geometric features, and lines unique to the classification. Art Deco first appeared in France immediately after WWI and had a huge impact on how buildings, furniture, cars, trains, ocean liners, movie theatres and everyday items like mirrors and household appliances were designed. In fact, you can see examples of Art Deco design by visiting the Culver Hotel and the next door movie theatre’s exterior here in Culver City.

The term Art Deco is actually short for Arts Décoratifs from the International Exposition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts held in Paris in 1925. The rich craftsmanship and modern aesthetic instantly resonated with architects, designers and artists from around the world. The style was incorporated into the building designs for the Chrysler building, Rockefeller Plaza, and the Empire State building in New York City, as well as the Bullocks Wilshire building located right here in Los Angeles roughly 10 miles from Framed.

Incorporating art with an Art Deco frame will make a big statement in your living space while illuminating elegance and sophistication. However, you just need to make sure the subject matter and art style compliment the frame, and you need to be okay with having the art or photography compete with the frame when it comes to the viewer’s eye. The perfect items for Art Deco picture frames should be from (or reflect) the period between the 1910s and 1930s. Some popular subject matter people bring into the Framed store reflect the following from the above mentioned time period:

• Automotive and transportation subject matter
• Movie posters
• Family photos from the era with people wearing period clothing
• Fashion prints
• Paintings
• Period appropriate maps
• Period appropriate artifacts (clothing, jewelry, collectibles, etc)
• Lithographs
• Contemporary black and white photos

While using a subject matter that reflects the period between the 1910s and 1930s is ideal, there are several instances when contemporary photos and certain pieces can be framed using Art Deco picture frames. This is where professionals at a custom frame store, like Framed right here on Venice Blvd., can assist in helping you pair your piece with the best Art Deco frame that will achieve that look and feel you are shooting for.

Whether you have a photograph from the 1920s, or a current family photo that you seek framing for to blend into an Art Deco aesthetic, our team at Framed can help you achieve that iconic look and feel. One of our customers brought in an enlarged photo of his grandfather sitting in a 1925 Rolls Royce Phantom 1, and using an Art Deco frame that complimented the vehicle’s lines and shadows in the photo, our team was able to take the photograph to an entirely new level by making it stand out as a masterpiece. Another customer brought in a recent photo of herself from a Great Gatsby themed New Year’s Eve party, and using a decadent Art Deco frame that complimented the costume jewelry she wore in the photo, our team was able to deliver a stunning final product that delighted the customer.

If your home has touches of the 1910s and 1920s throughout, investing in high-quality Art Deco frames for paintings will enhance the luxurious look and feel of your room. For example, a Tamara de Lempicka or Erte painting would work perfectly in an Art Deco frame, and our staff  at Framed here in Los Angeles near Venice, CA can help you choose a frame with the right design elements and colors to compliment a painting by a known artist. Art Deco frames are also ideal for reproduction art works in that the high-quality craftsmanship adds a degree of sophistication that gives the art more of an authentic look.  Just leave everything up to the experts at Framed, and we will present you with a number of options. Whether you favor the more subdued look with soft curves from the Depression era of the 1930s also known as the sleeker look of the Streamline Moderne, or if you favor an Art Deco frame that projects more of the geometric forms of Cubism and the vibrant colors of Fauvism, let our creative team at Framed help you elevate your artwork to the next level.