Let’s clarify what that means. For me, it is not the floral Art Nouveau or the brutal end of Art Deco. It is all about the rounded curves, geometric silver, mirrored glamourous bedrooms and small parties with of course, a cocktail glass in my hand! However; the whole look can be a bit over the top unless you have the space and house to go with it. Our apartment is small and we are going to mixed it up with a bit of modern decor and use a hint of the 30s to add some style. To do this successfully we need to look at colour, shape and textures.
Colour My World
The world is your oyster! Choose from the tropics with palms and tigers, Egypt with gold and sphinxes, Asian artefacts and the South of France which is all white and azure blue. In the lounge, we have gone with our usual love of sand, white, brushed silver and gold with a touch of pale blue. Then surprise! We lashed out in the dining room with emerald green, monkey candle sticks and added our Asian furniture. We love the vibrant splash of colour and will move more decor over when we finally leave Berlin. For our bedroom, it is classic dove grey, silver and a sense of plush with curtains and throws.
Shapes
There are the square lines of this era but we chose the rounded features such as those in the cocktail bar we picked up for 70 euros! Combined with smart modern decor, the look is a throwback to the Indochine style. Add a cocktail shaker, some cute swivel sticks, St Germain and the best gin you can buy! Our new kitchen needs some work but we instantly fell in love with the vintage ivory curved cupboards. Think cute cafe tables, stools to perch on and vintage tea cups. Add velvets, faux suedes and fir throws and you have that luxe look.
I Don’t Have Much Money!
Get out the paintbrushes and go and buy some silver and gold metallic paint! You can buy cheap mirrors and paint with gold or silver. Paint on and rub off quickly to get a brushed look. IKEA cabinets look great with Zara crystal door knobs. Replace curtains in the summer with soft white linen that ‘puddle’ at the floor. In winter, soft velvet ivory curtains will add warmth and luxury. There are areas I recommend you splurge – get the best lamps, throw cushions and vases you can with this look. If you love bright colours, get going with the jungle theme! Palms, big pots which you can paint in a bright colour, and don’t be afraid of painting a chest of drawers green!
