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The onetime Tassel House in Brussels, now the Mexican Embassy (not shown), is a stunning example of art nouveau design by architect Victor Horta. He used sweeping curves, metal and the then-new electric light. Horta said of his designs, "I discard the flower and the leaf, but I keep the stalk."

This stairway in Louisville, Kentucky, replicates the long, fluid lines of the era perfectly.
by Maynard Studios
Louis Comfort Tiffany was an American artist who founded the Tiffany Glass Company. His designs were spotted by Samuel Bing, who had opened an interior design shop in Paris in 1895 called L'Art Nouveau. The shop, designed by Belgian art nouveau practitioner Henry Van de Velde, gave its name to that style and era.
by Reflections Interior Designs  
Rene Lalique's designs also featured highly in the era and were displayed in the shop L'Art Nouveau. Lalique is known best for his work in glass, and the style is introduced beautifully here in the taps. The decorative shell is also reminiscent of the period.
by Elegant Additions
My biggest source of interior design envy is the original art nouveau cast iron fireplaces. This one is a statement in its own right, though I'd opt for pairing it with plain painted pastels. But for drama, it works well in this eclectic room with a wallpaper that echoes those sweeping lines.
by Beccy Smart Photography
For art nouveau style, add replica tiles to fireplace surrounds or in kitchens and bathrooms. Originals like these can be found in salvage yards and from specialists.
by Paul D'Amico - Period Design
A more subtle display of those stunning art nouveau lines, this trompe l'oeil ceiling perfectly picks up the elegance of the era.
by Ricky Sauls Decorative Painting
Gustav Klimt's 'The Kiss' Tiles - $450.00 [ Link ]
Speaking of interior design envy, I just had to include something from Gustav Klimt, more precisely a founding member of the Vienna Secession but still acknowledged for his part in the art nouveau movement. I can't afford an original of his, but these tiles just could satisfy my desire!
by Designer Tile Plus
Hula Wallpaper, Green - $85.00 [ Link ]
Of course, there is always a contemporary take on past designs, and this pretty wallpaper certainly fulfills that criteria. It could just as easily be used in a more traditional setting with some original art nouveau pieces to complement it.
by Graham & Brown

Comments

Paul D'Amico - Period Design Julia I compliment you for your article on Art Nouveau. In a few words you convey this sensuous style that sourced its inspiration from Nature. Art Nouveau Is my favourite Movement in Design and your photo selection will hopefully encourage people to use it in their renovation / redecoration plans.
5 months ago · ·
Julia Pockett Thank you Period Design. What I love about doing these period articles is the new inspiration I get each time I re-visit an era. I agree, the Art Nouveau movement was indeed a 'sensuous' one - just so beautiful and, just from trying to source images, one that we often tragically neglect! Personally, I am so in love with the Klimt bathroom that I'm having dreams about it!
5 months ago · ·
Paintings by Kirsten Elizabeth Gilmore I would encourage people with eclectic tastes to blend decor in this style with more modern furnishings or art for a contemporary look (like you did in the last photo.) As an abstract painter and landscape painter, I often take design inspiration from the beautiful, sinuous lines and self-repeating patterns of art nouveau without stealing their designs.
5 months ago · ·
Paul D'Amico - Period Design You are right Julia: sourcing images is important and even more so to organise them and place them in a logic. It's time consuming and that's maybe why just downloading picks is sometimes preferred. I have been dreaming about a Klimt bathroom for sometime now and the one in this discussion is new to me. This tiles work very well because it's more than just a picture it creates a whole environment. It successfully puts together two very different aesthetics - the Vienna Secession and contemporary style. That is helpful because there are only so many period elements to be found in reclamation yards and thus one needs to mix which is the point Kirsten is making.
5 months ago · ·
Jean Corey Love the Lalique sink taps. Wish they weren't so pricey.
5 months ago ·
Casart Coverings I'm really enjoying your progressive design period ideabooks, Julia. Will the next one be Arts and Crafts (which I believe began in the British Isles) with some William Morris illustrations? Or will you move on to Art Deco? Art Nouveau, Arts and Crafts and Art Deco seem to overlap and it's sometimes difficult to distinguish between them; especially Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts. Is there an easy way to compare and distinguish the styles?
5 months ago · ·
bubblyjock Big fan of art nouveau here! Especially Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his wife Margaret, and her sister Frances. IMO their work is gentler, more ethereal, than the cold distillation of Klimpt et al. Plus CRM's furniture, cutlery - you name it, he did it - is all faaaabulous.

One question - is that ceiling really trompe l'oeil, though? Isn't it either plasterwork or anaglypta? Just curious, really.
5 months ago · ·
Reflections Interior Designs Thank you Julia for featuring my design work in your informative article (2nd photo showing the large Tiffany glass light fixture). That home I redesigned, was originally built in 1908 and through the extensive renovation I tried to keep the style suitable to the original Art Nouveau period.
Brilliant article!

Jil Sonia McDonald - Reflections Interior Designs
www.ReflectionsInteriorDesigns.com
5 months ago · ·
Julia Pockett Reflections Interior Designs - thank you for your kind comment and you are welcome - a gorgeous hall and perfect light! Julia
5 months ago ·
Julia Pockett catrionacatriona - I think it is but couldn't be 100%. It is described as trompe l'oeil by Ricky Sauls Decorative Painting? Anyway, it is beautiful and most definitely Art Nouveau. :-), Julia
5 months ago · ·
Julia Pockett Casart Coverings – thank you so much for your kind comments. Infact, Arts and Crafts was the week before and I am currently working on Art Deco – this keeps them in chronological order. There’s not enough space (or time) here to cover the differences between them but each successive period took some influence from the previous so they often seem to merge. Arts & Crafts was first and took some of its influence from medieval Gothic. Designers in this period believed handcrafted was best and they rejected the mass production and industrial techniques which emerged in Victorian times (hence you see a lot of wood paneling and handcrafted wooden furniture). Inspiration came from flora & fauna – the natural world. Think William Morris and it sums it up!
Mackintosh began in Arts & Crafts but moved on to Art Nouveau, preferring the freedom and inventiveness. By this I mean Art Nouveau embraced new production techniques with materials such as glass and iron so you see a lot more of those used in Art Nouveau designs. Whilst they still took inspiration from nature, the designs became much more fluid and sweeping – think of the ‘s’ curve to sum it up.
Art Deco came post World War 1 with many of the designers making the transition from the Art Nouveau movement. It can be clearly differentiated as designs were more modern, sharply angled, cubistic forms – lots of zig zag shapes, lots of high gloss from aluminum, black laquer, glass and mirrors.

Difficult to keep it short but hope that helps ☺
Julia (off to work on Art Deco!)
5 months ago · ·
Casart Coverings Thanks Julia. How could I have missed the Arts and Crafts ideabook?! Just read it. Being in the wallcovering business we,of course, are familiar with William Morris the man and the company and have posted several blog entries about both. Here is a link to an early one. http://www.casartcoverings.com/casartblog/wallcovering-and-paint-contrast-or-compliment-for-coexistence/ I'm really looking forward to your Art Deco installment, which is one of my favorite periods.
5 months ago ·
sclawson Love the Klimt tiles and how the complete image is shown on one wall and then broken up on the other wall. Is $450 for one set of tiles that show the total image? if so, surprisingly affordable.
5 months ago ·
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