The Art Deco movement started in France during the 1920s and is an architectural design style. It involves lots of rich colour shades, geometric patterns and detailed opulent embellishments. Wallpapers and wooden flooring are not always the best materials to use in the damp atmosphere of a bathroom. It is therefore important to find a balance between bathroom design and practicality.
For me, the three main things to concentrate on when looking at Art Deco decoration are walls, floors, furniture and finishing details (without doubt the most important of the three!).
Whether you're searching for a classic 1920s look, 1930s bathroom styles or a more modern twist, the following Art Deco bathroom ideas will certainly inspire you to delve further into the history of the Art Deco era.
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1. The Great Gatsby Art Deco Bathroom
This eye-catching Art Deco period-inspired bathroom uses several features to create a bold statement. The geometric Gatsby style patterned wallpaper is a strong lively design, making it the main focal point of the room. The theme follows a simple monochrome black and white colour scheme which contrasts beautifully with the intense wallpaper pattern. This makes the room not only ordered but interesting.
Another great characteristic of this bathroom is the gold furnishings of the taps, pipes, light fittings and shower. All of these elements help to add style and opulence to the space, whilst also creating an authentic 1920s Art Deco look and feel.
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2. Art Deco Marble Bathroom
This is another example of a stunningly grand Art Deco-style bathroom. Luxurious materials like marble are exquisite in any bathroom, but this is particularly the case in one that encompasses Art Deco period design.
What I find impressive about this Art Deco-inspired room, is that although all of the main structures have been created using marble, the finer details offer a balance. Subsequently, it doesn't feel overly dominated by the chunky, angular shape of the marble tiling.
The cupboards are also topped with marble, giving them a connection with the rest of the room, but the wooden drawers and golden handles again stop the material from becoming too overpowering.
Shower enclosures, such as the one in this example, also add to the opulent beauty of the room. In this case, it acts as a centrepiece, which the rest of the bathroom is built around.
From the golden-trimmed door to the stylish canopy and brassy curtains, each element harks back to the designs of the Deco period.
3. Modern Art Deco Bathroom
This Art Deco-inspired bathroom suite, and the rest of the room, is a more modern twist on an Art Deco theme and what makes it so stylish and clean is the white, black and brass that runs through it.
I have noticed that subway tiles have made a massive comeback in recent years, so using these beside black grout is a great contrasting combination for this theme. Everything from the patterned rug to the painted freestanding bath, use these same colour combinations. The effect is striking and perfectly pays homage to Art Deco design.
Add Brass Accents
Finishing the room off perfectly is the gorgeous brassy furnishings. The taps, railings and vanity unit handles all have a warming 1920s feel, which is exactly what is required in Art Deco spaces. The wooden flooring is also a nice final touch, as it adds warmth to the harsh blacks and whites that fill the rest of the room.
Although the plants are not part of the Art Deco period design, they do add a refreshingly modern touch and a small pop of colour.
4. Vintage Art Deco Bathroom
This Art Deco-inspired bathroom is a perfect example of how to utilise Art Deco style patterning within a design. The eye-catching sleek lines of the black tile detailing have been cleverly integrated into the white wall tiles and bath panel, creating a beautiful geometric design. Everything down to the towel detailing follows a similar pattern, giving the room order and symmetry. This proves that order doesn't have to equal bland and boring!
Add Photos or Artwork to Enhance the Look
All elements of Art Deco design have been used in some way to create this bathroom space. The bathroom art follows the black and white theme, while the cabinet reflects Deco styling with its form and engravings. However, there is a notable exception, the golden glass feature on the bath-side cabinet. In a small way, this gives the room an escape from the two-tone design, adding an extra piece of interest and preventing the black and white being all you see.
5. Art Deco Bathroom - Grandeur and Opulence
This luxurious and eye-catching bathroom is a perfect fit for the Art Deco era. Attention is immediately drawn to the gorgeous mosaic tiles on the wall, created using a mixture of marble and tiles. Particularly striking is the opulent colours that are embedded into the pattern, creating this ultimate Deco-inspired finish.
Complementary paint colour has been applied around each of these mosaic panels. This has given the room a sense of calm and prevented the feature wall from becoming overly busy.
Add Touches of Gold
The lustrous gold and black sink unit and bathroom accessories of the towel stand and storage table are effective additions to this room, as they follow all the trends of a lavish Art Deco theme. Similarly, the mirror and light fittings use the same gold and black design, linking the whole room together perfectly.
6. Black and White Art Deco Bathroom
In this stylish bathroom, geometry has again been used to enhance the Art Deco theme (no surprise, as it is a staple in Art Deco design). The eye-catching floor tiles, with their contrasting black and white marbled design and geometric pattern, sit neatly below the regimented white subway tiles. All help to create this beautiful, crisp finished look. Although they do not mirror the same striking pattern as the floor, the walls use stark white tiling, with a neat black trim for contrast.
Use a Statement Piece as the Focal Point
The antique-style roll-top bathtub takes centre stage, with the brass shower and taps adding grandeur and symmetry. The large, draping curtains add a feeling of theatre and extravagance, but also add tone and warmth to an otherwise sterile white decor. Everything from the showerhead and curtain rail to the towel rack has its part to play in creating this uniform design.
What I particularly like about this Art Deco space is that it has been well-decorated but with minimal furniture clogging up the space. This makes it feel spacious, airy and inviting.
7. Opulent Art Deco Bathroom
This small bathroom design works particularly well because its focus is just as much, if not more, on the furniture as on the walls and flooring. The beautiful golden sunburst mirror is what first catches your eye, and works fantastically to portray Art Deco styling. The wall sconces above match too and could quite easily have been pulled straight out of a 1920s movie.
The striking black of the cabinet adds a new depth to the room as it contrasts perfectly with the gold embellishments and grey marble flooring.
A geometric-patterned brown bathroom wallpaper ties nicely into the overall design and has a beautiful reflective sheen to it. This means that you get a different visual effect depending on where you are in the room.
Ultimately though, I believe that the mirror is the star of the show here and deserves its place at centre stage.
8. Art Deco Bathroom Vanity - Gold
There is a subtle, more classic Deco styling within this brass and marble-themed bathroom. The warm tones of the walls and floor steer away from the black and white that we have seen previously, moving towards a more modern Art Deco style.
The number of different geometric shapes within the furniture, walls and flooring grab your attention straight away, making sure that your eyes are never fixed on one specific point.
As for the marble sink, its placement is not only to break up the detailed pattern of the wallpaper but also to add another element of luxury to the mix.
Patterns and Textures are Key
The best thing about this bathroom for me though is the different textures and surfaces that have been brought together. The zigzagged flooring carries through the geometric theme, while the tactile wallpaper has a textured natural hessian-like finish. Finally, the sink supports, light shade and mirror edge, add a rich metallic shine to this gorgeous little room.
This is an Art Deco bathroom design that would be easier to replicate than some of our other more opulent examples. Not only that but achievable within a tighter budget, assuming you can source a similar period sink unit at a reasonable price.
9. Elegant White and Black Deco Bathroom
There is no mistaking this as anything other than a 1920's Art Deco-style bathroom. The Art Deco-inspired space incorporates a dark wooden vanity chest, with beautiful built-in copper bowls, transformed into his and her sinks.
The marble top contrasts wonderfully with the wood and blends seamlessly with the black-grouted white subway-tiled walls, making a feature of them. Black detailing on both of the long rectangular wall mirrors and floor match perfectly, serving to bring all the dark elements of the room together.
Some of the finer details are what make this room so utterly beautiful though. The extra-tall mirrors create bright reflections of light, opening up the room and giving an illusion of additional space. Small brass handles, candlesticks and the low hanging lanterns all add weight to this 1920's recreation.
10. Modern Art Deco Style Bathroom
This luxury bathroom design brings a modern twist to an Art Deco interior. The hexagonal patterned tiles on the floor and simple white tiles provide a structural pattern to the space, while the dark grey walls give a clear contrasting line.
Off-white curtains behind the Art Deco bath and the stunning freestanding bathtub itself, add a clean, crisp look to the overall aesthetics of the space.
Finishing touches, like claw feet on the bath, gold piping and taps, and a slender black table give the room a glamorous and well-refined feel. This is particularly true of the sparkling crystal chandelier, which provides the room with an extra sense of luxury and opulence. A stunning Art Deco-inspired bathroom with distinctive charm.
11. Green Art Deco Bathroom
With this overwhelmingly green Art Deco bathroom, the first thing you can't help but see, are the beautiful walls of emerald tiles. Not only do they bring symmetry to the room, but also visually elongate the space, as your eyes automatically follow the long lines of the white grout.
The fan-shaped flooring pattern then cleverly draws your attention back to the vibrantly-coloured shower wall. (in case you missed it !)
Mix Period Features with Modern Technology
Another unusual feature of this bathroom, with it being a period design, is the walk-in open shower and LED ceiling lights. Most Art Deco-inspired rooms wouldn't include these, since it steps too far away from historic realism. However, this works well here, making this Deco bathroom truly unique and keeping up with modern needs and trends. It also very much keeps the Art Deco theme firmly intact.
12. Modern Deco Bathroom
In this modern-day take on an Art Deco bathroom, the grey and white tones create a light and fresh feeling.
Although, due to some of the more modern elements, this bathroom doesn't immediately shout Art Deco style, it does use clean lines and patterns to create geometric shapes. This is a common interior design trick when creating an Art Deco space.
Examples of this are the hexagonal flooring tiles and the white-lined abstract wallpaper. Another of the classic Deco features used here is the brass fittings and crystal glass handles.
What makes the pastel colours work so well in this design, is that they have been well-chosen to harmonise with Art Deco styling. This has created a modern warm and inviting space.
13. Art Deco Powder Room
This dark, moody bathroom combines classic 1920s pieces with modern Art Deco features. Dark grey walls give an atmospheric feeling to the room, contrasted by the brass tap and pipe fittings. The Intricately carved bronze mirror frame and the light grey marble sink also serve this purpose. Mouldings on the walls give the room an extra authenticity and grandeur, while herringbone wooden flooring creates added warmth and, with its geometric pattern, adds to the Art Deco style.
What finally brings the room together though, is the beautiful vintage chandelier hanging above the mirror. It not only embraces the 1920s theme perfectly but also works with the mirror to reflect light into the room, which is needed in such a dark space.
14. Bold Art Deco Geometric Patterns
This flamboyant bathroom design is based on the 1920s styling of The Great Gatsby. The bold colours of the feather wallpaper consist of deep blues, vibrant greens and crisp whites which work well with the gold embellishments scattered around.
A simple grey tiled flooring leaves your attention on, what is, without doubt, the main feature of the room - the stunning gold and black Deco vanity sink. The geometry and contrast in this unit make it a more than fitting central piece, creating a spectacular Art Deco bathroom chic.
Another beautiful feature of this room is the stylish silver diamond mirror. It not only includes the gold geometric design from the vanity cabinet but also helps to reflect light into this dark room. Overall, the space is sleek and elegant and right on point with the period.
15. Rustic Art Deco Bathroom
The designer of this charming Victorian-style Deco bathroom has created a clever illusion of wall height. They have achieved this by dividing the wall between two distinct materials. The wooden panelling not only looks great paired with the bold colours of the Victorian tiles, but the vertical direction also adds to the feeling of height. The tiles themselves add geometry and an extra splash of colour to the room.
This design goes against most other Art Deco bathroom ideas that we have looked at thus far, as there are no bronze fittings included within the scheme. However, overall the room finds the perfect balance of Victorian features, such as the pedestal sink and Art Deco-style bathroom accessories.
16. Contemporary Art Deco Bathroom
This final Art Deco-inspired bathroom uses lots of different features inspired by Deco trends. The cubist flooring uses geometry and illusion to create 3D shapes, mixing white, black and grey within its design.
Marble-topped cabinets are both retro and modern, particularly combined with a deep sage wall and pale cream curtains. Not forgetting, of course, the usual gold and brass handles dotted around this room.
The period spherical black, white and gold light fitting looks the part and single-handedly encompasses the true spirit of the Art Deco style. In my opinion, this large family bathroom is the perfect example of modern retro and Art Deco styles working seamlessly together.
My Final Thoughts
Overall, these beautiful, cosy bathrooms show how many different ways there are to recreate Art Deco bathrooms.
As long as you concentrate on these three main areas - walls, furniture and finishing details. You can be sure to create the perfect space, whether it is classic Deco or a fusion of design ideas from the Art Deco era.
As you can see from the examples that I have collated, incorporating brass fittings, geometric patterns and marble-topped cabinets, will get you to where you want to be. Whatever you were looking for, whether inspiration or just a nose at other people's bathrooms, this article has hopefully given it to you!