Dezeen Magazine

Eight architecture projects reviving art deco

Art deco architecture and design is making a major comeback. We've rounded up eight projects celebrating the style, from renovations of historic structures to geometric new-builds.

Art Deco, short for Arts Décoratifs, is a visual arts style that spanned a range of disciplines, but its influence in architecture can be identified in geometric forms that draw on cubism, rich materials and bold colours.

The aesthetic emerged in France in the 1920s, from the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts held in Paris. It spread internationally, influencing major projects like the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building in New York.

Just under 100 years later, the aesthetic is now experiencing a major revival in a slew of new projects. Read on to see eight of the best:


Art deco architecture: Paradiso Ibiza by Ilmio Design

Paradiso Ibiza Art Hotel, Ibiza by Ilmiodesign

This hotel in Ibiza by Spanish studio Ilmiodesign features a stark white exterior, candy-coloured rooms and a 1920s-esque typeface that are intended to be reminiscent of the art deco architecture found along Miami Beach.

Find out more about Paradiso Ibiza Art Hotel


Art deco architecture: Galeries Lafayette by BIG

Galeries Lafayette, Paris by BIG

A 1930s bank on Paris' Champs-Élysées has become this home for French department store Galeries Lafayette, who will use it for hosting fashion shows, brand events and other activities.

Bjarke Ingels' firm BIG designed the transformation, which pairs period features with new ornate details.

Find out more about Galeries Lafayette ›


Art deco architecture: Plaster Fun House by Sans-Arc Studio

Plaster Fun House, Torrensville by Sans-Arc Studio

Arched openings referencing the motif found in murals of the style moderne artwork puncture this kitchen extension. Designed by Australian practice Sans-Arc Studio for a small cottage in a suburb of Adelaide, the Plaster Fun House is intended to be at odds to the surrounding brickwork buildings.

"The space feels like an oasis – a bright, art-deco moment," said the firm.

Find out more about Plaster Fun House ›


Art deco architecture: Pine Ave Housing, Melbourne by Cera Stribley Architects and The Stella Collective

Pine Ave Housing, Melbourne by Cera Stribley Architects and The Stella Collective

Cera Stribley and The Stella Collective designed eight townhouses for a Melbourne suburb, taking cues from a number of surrounding period houses dating to the 1920s and -30s.

Details on the exterior include curving white brickwork walls and patterned tiles, while inside brass features, terazzo and geometric shapes allude to the style.

Find out more about Pine Ave Housing ›


Art deco architecture: Mortimer House by AvroKO


Mortimer House, London by AvroKO

Details such as wooden and terrazzo floors were preserved during AvroKO's transformation of an art deco building in London into members club Mortimer House. New additions complement the aesthetic.

"We've tried to keep it within an aesthetic that feels natural," said the studio. "We did a lot of research into what would have been used at the time it was built."

Find out more about Mortimer House ›


180 East 88th Street, New York by DDG

Architecture and development firm DDG has designed a New York tower to take cues from the city's art deco structures.

Eschewing the common swathes of glass, the design features grey brickwork, concrete marked with chevron patters, and huge vaulted openings.

Find out more about 180 East 88th Street ›


Art deco architecture: Tilden Hotel by Studio Tack

Tilden Hotel, San Francisco by Studio Tack

Brooklyn design firm Studio Tack has revived a historic hotel in San Francisco that is the famed location of legendary blues singer Billie Holiday's arrest for opium possession.

The design aims to evoke the Japanese wabi-sabi philosophy of celebrating imperfection, using clean lines and "humble materials".

Find our more about Tilden Hotel ›


Art deco architecture: 45 Broad Street by CetraRuddy

45 Broad Street, New York by CetraRuddy

Completing the list is an art-deco influenced supertall that CetraRuddy designed for Lower Manhattan in New York. Elements of the design referencing the style include thin bronze lines that will stretch up the slender glass facades.

Find our more about 45 Broad Street ›