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The Hindu
19-07-2025
- The Hindu
The Art Deco style book at 100
If you're on Marine Drive in Mumbai, you most certainly have seen Pizza by the Bay, the Italian restaurant on the ground floor of Soona Mahal, one of the most striking Art Deco buildings on the bustling seaface. The streamlined building, built in 1937, features cantilevered balconies, vertical accents topped with stepped ziggurat motifs, and a rooftop turret. The Queen's Necklace on Marine Drive houses beautiful examples of this architectural style that took root a century ago, marked by geometric patterns, porthole windows, nautical motifs and the iconic Deco signage. In fact, Mumbai has the second largest collection of Art Deco edifices across the world, second only to Miami Beach. The centenary of the movement in 2025 calls for celebration — and quiet reflection. One hundred years ago, on the banks of the Seine in France, the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, a landmark exhibition that ran for seven months in 1925, marked the birth of Art Deco, a design language that departed from the ostentation of Art Nouveau, the excesses of Victorian, and classical architecture. Emerging alongside the functional minimalism of German Bauhaus and the modernity of materials like glass, concrete, and steel, Art Deco embraced a bold aesthetic, featuring motifs such as frozen fountains, ziggurats (rectangular stepped tower), sunbursts, speed lines, and elements from Egyptian and Aztec cultures. In the years bookended by the two World Wars, migration and travel brought it to India. Affluent Indians, introduced to the aesthetic in Europe, asked architects back home to incorporate Deco elements into their new construction. Mumbai, Chennai, New Delhi, and Kolkata saw its strongest architectural expressions, while cities such as Pune, Hyderabad, and the Chettinad region developed more local interpretations. Today, not all of it has survived, and there is an urgent need for documentation and conservation. But, on the brighter side, contemporary movements in textile, typography and design have been incorporating Art Deco motifs into their visual vocabulary. But more on that later. Documenting Deco, one city at a time Atul Kumar, founder-trustee of the Art Deco Mumbai Trust, and his team have documented Mumbai's Art Deco heritage, identifying 1,324 buildings since 2017. From residential multi-storeys with geometric ventilators and chevron patterns to government edifices and cinemas, the Trust's interactive map shows those interested where they are located. In its sister city, Pune, the buildings have a strong vernacular influence. 'We see the incorporation of mythology, lotus motifs and the Devanagari script,' says Kumar. Sugandhi Building, a family owned three-storeyed residential structure in Budhwar Peth, is a favourite for its evocative lotus imagery, vibrant palette, and trademark Deco features such as circular portholes and a mandap-like deck — its moniker derived from a family that specialised in perfumery and fragrances, living in Pune for over 200 years. Hari Krupa or Mehendale Building, a two-storeyed mixed-use building with shops on the ground level, in Sadashiv Peth, is a prime example of how local craftsmen wove Art Deco influences into the local fabric, with religious iconography such as swastiks and omkars, sunbursts and chevrons. 'There is a unique melding of western and Indian styles — the designs are more intricate, and not as stylised as the Art Deco form,' he shares. As most of the 90 residential buildings in Pune now house families and commercial enterprises, documentation has been tough. 'We are focusing on outreach and sensitisation. Urban pressures [such as rapid plot development] are similar across cities, and there is no incentive to preserve or restore these homes. But the families we visited are keen to learn more about their heritage,' adds Kumar. This sentiment is echoed by Adhiraj Bose, who has been documenting Kolkata's Art Deco heritage since 2017. The city has one of India's earliest high-rise Deco buildings — the Tower House, built in 1928 — and a residential home, Jahaj Bari on Elgin Street, shaped like a ship, reflecting the city's love for maritime imagery. Bose leads heritage walks, photographing hundreds of residences in Lake Town and various government buildings. 'Demolition and redevelopment are more popular and economically viable than restoration. The Red Bari café opposite the Kalighat temple, Roastery Coffee House in Gariahat, with its deep ochre and white walls, and the Broadway Hotel are examples of 'repurpose and restore' initiatives,' explains Bose, who is currently striving to preserve the vestiges of single family Deco homes in his neighbourhood, Lake Town. Just a fashion statement 'I've never looked at Art Deco seriously,' says New Delhi-based architect Gautam Bhatia. 'I feel it is not an architectural style; it is more a decorative and ornamental one. It was a temporary, transitory phase going from the classicism of the late 19th and early 20th century into modernism. In India, what you see is a sort of exaggerated opulence in buildings — fancy lighting, stylised lettering, metallic ornamentation, all of which is two dimensional. It doesn't have the appeal of any kind of three dimensional spatial quality. It is what people would construe as a kind of fashion statement in architecture. You didn't need to worry too much about what is inside. In fact, in a lot of places, the spatial quality was completely neglected. Which is why Art Deco was perfect for cinemas. It drew people in from the outside into complete darkness. The only thing that is attractive about Art Deco is that it made people look at architecture. It is like a painting on a street. You can't ignore it. It made people look up and stare — whether it was Regal Cinema or some apartment block in South Bombay.' As told to Surya Praphulla Kumar Inclusion of local sensibilities Meanwhile, in the capital, where mostly Mughal and British Colonial styles dominate, Art Deco still manages to shine. Architect Geetanjali Sayal, founder of Deco in Delhi, a narrative website and Instagram page, began documenting the style around 2020 with researcher Prashansa Sachdeva. With 22 'pure deco' buildings, and a mix of four hybrid and 13 influenced structures, 'we took a cartographical approach, starting with hand-drawn maps of Chandni Chowk and Daryaganj, archiving individual houses and small neighbourhoods', says Sayal. 'The focus wasn't just on ornamentation, but design features like fireplaces, staircase structures, and flooring.' Smaller cities saw the rise of Indo-Deco, a blend of modern construction and local sensibilities. Heritage architecture enthusiast Smita Babar highlights Chettinad's façades with its egg-lime plaster and stencil drawings, tucked away in the bylanes of Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu. The mansions reflect a desire to straddle two worlds at the turn of the 20th century, when affluent Chettiar bankers built homes with traditional courtyards framed by imported glass, marble, and teak, adopting Art Deco elements for their façades. 'Bas-relief figures of goddess Lakshmi sit alongside running bands, concrete and metal grills, and chevrons, highlighting how Art Deco was adapted,' she explains. Abandoned by families who migrated to cities, many homes (estimated to be between 10,000 and 15,000, according to UNESCO) are maintained by caretakers or agents. 'Any restoration or conservation will require a material-based approach, picking singular elements for restoration.' And one of the people stepping up to help is New Delhi-based architect Aishwarya Tipnis, who has developed a material toolkit — a free, research-based, online resource — to aid practitioners with the restoration process as well as directions on where to find the materials and skills. 'A homeowner on Pusa Road in Delhi wanted to preserve their home and used it for terrazzo [material made with marble chips embedded in a cement or epoxy] conservation,' says Sayal, while Tipnis, whose goal is to aid informed renovation and restoration, adds, 'We have to train professionals to embrace change in ways that are aesthetically, economically, and environmentally appropriate for the future.' 'It is good to see a new appreciation of spaces such as Manik Bagh as early expressions of distinctly Indian modernism, going beyond the overly simplified view that they were simply copies of what was trendy in the West. The collective vision of Maharaja Yeshwantrao Holkar II of Indore and architect Ekhart Muthesius of Berlin, Manik Bagh brought modernist design principles into an Indian context and began to shape the early thinking around Indian Modernism and Deco.'Yeshwant Rao HolkarHotelier and heritage conservationist Letterforms meet legacy Art Deco has shaped not just Mumbai's shimmering skyline; its visual grammar has also permeated the city's typography. Tanya George, a Mumbai-based custom type designer, has been fascinated by its fonts. 'I started noticing letterforms on buildings — printed, flex, and with adaptations of Indian scripts. Art Deco's design captured the spirit of looking forward, so even their letterforms have longevity,' she explains. George created Dekko during the pandemic (2020-21), a Deco-inspired typeface featuring tall figures, narrow fonts, and exaggerated waistlines, as seen in Devanagari and Latin scripts. 'The project started with studying the letter forms, and the lockdown gave me more time to flesh out the design. Versions of the fonts have been used for identity across projects,' she says. Sketches helped with the genesis of the English font, and the Devanagiri script followed suit. In her project with the Art Deco Mumbai Trust, she recreated the sign for Empress Court, an Art Deco building constructed in 1936, using archival photographs and modern materials such as stainless steel and polyurethane. Behind the sparkle In May 2024, a vintage suite of Art Deco Platinum Jewellery was the highlight of online auction house AstaGuru's 'Jewellery, Silver and Timepieces'. Comprising a necklace, bracelet, ear clips, and a ring, the set sold for ₹1,86,91,200. 'Globally, vintage and period-specific pieces are increasingly seen as style statements,' says Mumbai-based jewellery expert Jay Sagar. 'Contemporary designers are drawing heavily from classic Art Deco motifs to create modern pieces that pay homage to the originals.' For instance, jewellery designer Hanut Singh, whose pieces have been showcased by celebrities across the globe, offers a modern take on Art Deco, experimenting with rock quartz in jewels, or the crescent moon shape paired with the linearity in pavè diamonds, offering a glimpse into the glamour of the era. Art Deco has also inspired restaurant interiors. 'The Bombay Canteen features vintage-inspired furnishing, terrazzo flooring, and intricate detailing,' says Sameer Seth, founder and CEO of Hunger Inc. Hospitality, adding that their Art Deco Cocktail Book features cocktails named after landmarks such as Liberty Cinema, Soona Mahal, and Sea Green Hotel. At the Bombay Sweet Shop's Byculla store, the interiors feature curved glass displays and hand-blown glass lights, reminiscent of Mumbai's iconic cinemas. And the signages of both 'have typefaces that are bold, streamlined, and with geometric forms', says Seth. According to designer and restorer Kunal Shah, Art Deco's timeless quality endears it to today's designers. 'There's interest in objects like home décor, jewellery, rugs, saris, sunglasses, and shoes,' says Shah, who in 2022, curated a paean to Mumbai's Deco movement with architectural photographs, art, collectibles, fashion, furniture, and typography at Gallery 47-A in Khotachiwadi. Juxtaposing Deco's standout features against the current city design aesthetic, he says, 'Art Deco sits uncomfortably with current aesthetic choices since today's interior design style is aspirational, while [the former] was restrained and self-assured.' Porbandar's gem In the last wave of palace building, and in the early half of the 20th century, several significant Art Deco royal palaces were built — most famously Umaid Bhawan in Jodhpur, Manik Bagh in Indore, New Palace in Morvi, and Huzoor Palace in Porbandar. 'Not many know about the last one. With its many wings and endless views of Porbandar's French Riviera-like azure ocean, the Huzoor Palace is an architectural wonder,' says Deepthi Sasidharan, founder-director of Eka Archiving Services. 'From its curving balconies and walls, ceramic and marble tiled geometric patterned walls and floors, to the pastel hued interiors and custom made thematic lights, fittings and carpets, it is an Art Deco masterclass.' As told to Surya Praphulla Kumar Woven into borders and pallas Elements of Art Deco are, however, finding a new expression in Indian textiles and jewellery. In its Azalea collection (2024-25), Jaipur Rugs has reimagined iconic motifs with a bold black-and-gold palette in hand-knotted rugs. 'The bold geometry, symmetry, and glamour have a quiet dialogue with India's textile traditions,' says Rutvi Chaudhary, the brand's director. 'By reimagining these motifs, we celebrate this cross-cultural legacy and present it in a contemporary manner.' Raw Mango's Art Deco sari collection creates shapes and forms characteristic of the movement, with streamlined woven ornamentation that is geometric and stylised, translating them into silk and brocade. Think arched scalloped pallas with gold zari and hand-embroidered borders of architectural motifs. 'The collection began as a questioning of possibilities,' says Sanjay Garg, founder and textile designer, adding, 'The challenge of any motif incorporation is to accurately capture the essence of textiles.' The research process spanned a minimum of two years or more in terms of design and sampling at the studio, whose flagship store in Chennai, Malligai, is housed in a stunning Art Deco two-storey house built in the 1960s on Cenotaph Road. A century ago, India embraced a modern design language, imbuing it with its own cultural tapestry, creating Indo-Deco. Today, Indian practitioners of the style remain optimistic that this timeless design syntax will endure in form and function, supported by greater awareness, informed restoration, and detailed documentation. 'In the classroom, Art Deco is still not discussed in the same breath as other architectural styles because of the vast array of architectural wealth across the country. Our effort to document, study and preserve it, is to give the movement its due recognition,' Sayal concludes. The freelance writer is based in Chennai.
Scroll.in
02-06-2025
- General
- Scroll.in
In Hyderabad, the international style of art deco reveals itself in homes, with personal touches
Most discussions about the influence of the design style of art deco in India seem to focus on impressive buildings in Mumbai or Chennai. But tucked away in Hyderabad are quieter, equally elegant structures inspired by the subtle geometry and streamlined elegance of the style. – homes, commercial buildings, banks, schools, universities and cinema halls. In Hyderabad, art deco reveals itself gently, in understated domestic settings, with deeply personal touches. Presented in 1925 at an exhibition in Paris called the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, art deco percolated into many spheres of design, from jewelry and furniture to automobiles and even saris. In Hyderabad, the first art deco buildings were constructed in the 1930s and were in vogue till the late '50s. It was deployed by architects such as Mohammed Fayazuddin, Zain Yar Jung, the Austrian Karl Heinz and Eric Marret from Britain. Only around 1,000 art deco buildings remain in the city, bearing typical features of the style such as stylised floral patterns, sunbursts and vertical windows. Making an appearance Anuradha Reddy, historian and convenor of INTACH Hyderabad, credits architects Fayazuddin and Heinz for the city's art deco heritage. Her granduncle, the Raja of Wanaparthy, Ramdev Rao, built one of the first art deco buildings in the city for a new home he was building in the early 1930s. It is now the Muffakham Jah College of Engineering and Technology. Heinz came to Bombay as a refugee in the 1930s, fleeing Hitler's crackdown on the Bauhaus art movement. He made his way to Hyderabad thanks to the German Circle, a cultural group with close links to the country. Fayazuddin, said Reddy, had been educated at the JJ College of Architecture in Mumbai and then in the UK. 'Later on, while returning to India from England, he came via Spain and was greatly inspired by the Moorish architecture of the country,' she said. After devastating floods in 1908, Hyderabad began growing outside the old city. Newer areas such as Banjara Hills were being developed. The aristocracy of the princely state of Hyderabad were inspired by the flamboyance of the art deco style, which was already being embraced by royalty elsewhere in the country. Many had encountered this new style during their travels to Europe and were keen to follow the latest trends. These architects used the topography of the Deccan to build grand structures that came to be seen as symbols of a new age. They used geography and elevation of the area to great effect. Confluence of styles Indian art deco is unique because it used design elements from older periods in a decorative manner, said architect G Srinivas Murthy of the Architectural Design Foundation. 'Indian art deco has adopted elements from different styles – the jharokas and floral patterns from the Hindu temples, the pointed arches and jaalis from the Islamic architecture, the chaitya or the arch from the Buddhist viharas, and the columns and the grand staircases from Europe,' Murthy said. Hyderabad, with its influences from the Qutb Shahi and Asaf Jahi dynasties, incorporated the style and gave it a new syntax. From motifs like the swastikas and Om symbols from the Hindu lexicon to the geometric patterns on the city's older Islamic buildings, the Hyderabad art deco language had a syncretic vocabulary. Some buildings by Heinz were designed in the forms of ocean liners and airplanes, as did several art deco buildings around the world. Fayazuddin's designs, which include the Salar Jung Museum and the State Bank building, retain influences from Moorish styles. A rare repository Art deco buildings are characterised by the distinct use of curvilinear forms, parapets, rounded staircases (which gracefully resemble parts of circles) and place an emphasis on horizontality rather than verticality. 'Sunshades that swirl around a building, the top of boundary walls in the form of waves that rise and fall, as well as circular grills, are other distinct features of the style,' said architect Yeshwant Ramamurthy. Jeera Colony in Secunderabad is a treasure house of this style: around 30 sprawling art deco houses still survive. Built by Gujarati migrants in the 1940s, it is a residential enclave with pastel facades, decorative balconies (with motifs ranging from parrots and lotuses and even a boat) and the in-situ terrazzo finish flooring that makes this street a portal into the past, even as the rest of the city surged forward. Other prominent art deco structures in Hyderabad are the Arts College at Osmania University, the Zinda Tilismath building, the State Bank of Hyderabad in Gunfoundry, the Congress Bhavan, Arya Samaj Mandir, Niloufer Hospital and the State Central Library at Afzal Gunj. Many are dotted across older colonies in the city, including the bylanes of Afzal Gunj, Padma Rao Nagar, Himayat Nagar and parts of Secunderabad. The future of these buildings, though, is in question as many are increasingly being demolished (including the Secunderabad railway station in February). As Hyderabad marches into the future, its art deco legacy stands at a crossroads, caught between reverence and redevelopment. Why are these structures important and in need of being saved? 'Why is the Charminar important?' said Reddy. 'Why were the participants of Miss World [held in Hyderabad at the end of May] taken to the Old City and not the gleaming glass buildings of Hitech City? Because heritage tells us the story of who we are, and art deco tells us of an important period of our heritage where we married international design with local sensibilities.' Added Ramamurthy, these art deco buildings are 'anchors to the sensibilities of a city and showcases its history'.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ooh La La! Art Deco Exhibition Ends Today
Exactly one hundred years ago, the most fashionable designers from around the world gathered in Paris to debut an entirely new kind of modern design. The Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes launched the style we now call art deco, and the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles has been celebrating all weekend at one of L.A.'s most magnificent secret spaces, the Oviatt penthouse. The private residence of clothing magnate James Oviatt sits 12 stories above his magnificent men's store on Olive Street downtown. The boutique closed in 1967 and sat empty for decades. His widow lived alone in the penthouse until she died eight years later. The space was restored in the 1980s and is occasionally open for special events. Today is World Art Deco Day, and until 9pm, guests and club members will be mingling amidst icons of decorative arts from the 1920s at 'Art Deco Tous Les Jours'—an original exhibit of stunning period artifacts including textiles, furniture, fashion, fine art, and a newly recovered painting long lost to the Oviatt. 'They can come see the exhibit and enjoy our centennial cocktail menu curated from period books by our vintage cocktail expert,' the society's executive director Margot Gerber tells Los Angeles. 'We'll have French music and curator talks in the gallery explaining the significance of the original expo and how it impacted Los Angeles.' Los Angeles City Hall, the Wiltern, and the Eastern Columbia building were all influenced by the style. The 1925 Expo sent shockwaves around the design world, inventing a whole new design vocabulary that found its way to fashion, architecture and everyday household objects. Suddenly, everything from vacuum cleaners to clocks went modern. A zeppelin-shaped cocktail shaker will be on view near original fabrics and souvenirs from the Expo, including some very expensive playing cards that were intended to be sold in Oviatt's clothing store. They're displayed near a carved bar that Oviatt had sent back from the original Parisian expo. The Art Deco Society is cooking up months of fun to celebrate. More outings to vintage venues like the Queen Mary, Tam o'Shanter and Yamashiro for their popular Cocktails in Historic Places series are on the roster. L.A.'s legendary Bullocks Wilshire department store, a temple to commerce and art deco, opens June 7 for a lecture on jewelry history of the 1920s and a perfumier will address the group at the Saban theater in Beverly Hills on June 29 to discuss Jazz Age fragrances used in everything from perfume to chocolate. What will become of L.A.'s mini expo tonight when the doors close at 9? 'When we wrap we'll just bulldoze it into the Seine river,' Gerber jokes. 'That's probably what they did in 1925.'
The Independent
10-02-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Everything you need to know about 2025's hottest home trend
It was a design exhibition in Paris in 1925 – the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes – that introduced Arts Décoratifs, to the world. This was shortened to Art Deco, and its hallmarks of geometric shapes, luxe materials and rich jewel colours would become an iconic look that would usher in a new era for interiors and be in fashion for years after the exhibition opened. Looking forward after the destruction caused by the First World War, the exhibition organisers stipulated that historic designs would not be permitted. The result was striking modern pavilions showcasing highly decorative but steam-lined motifs including chevron sunbursts, zigzags, stepped designs and stylised floral elements. Inside, beautiful burr woods were fashioned into stylish cabinets, chandeliers in angular shapes teamed glass with gleaming metallics and richly coloured fabrics glowed against dark woods for a sense of elegance and glamour. During its six months, the exhibition attracted about 16 million visitors and generated worldwide demand for Art Deco, which continued throughout the following decades and into the next century. 'It threw off the fustiness and heaviness of 19th-century antiques and offered a new, truly modern type of furniture – simpler, more streamlined but still made with the finest materials and skilled craftsmanship that harkened to an earlier age,' says Anthony Barzilay Freund, editorial director of 1stDibs, the luxury vintage online marketplace for whom Art Deco pieces are a strong seller. Art Deco's most famous architectural icons are arguably the Empire State Building, its striking stepped design reaching for the sky, and the Chrysler Building with its emblematic terraced crown. In London, Claridge's hotel in Mayfair is renowned for its Art Deco features such as its geometric patterned stained glass. 'Art Deco was also about a vision for how people could live a modern, glamorous life,' says interior designer Bryan O'Sullivan who, when he recently revamped Claridge's, was mindful of its heritage. 'It was the first time design was truly seen as something that could elevate daily life, combining beauty with functionality.' It also fizzed with optimism and glamour, qualities that people were eager to embrace after the preceding decade. 'Its cultural significance is one of the reasons why it remains so popular all these years later,' says Emma Deterding, founder and creative director of Kelling Designs. 'It symbolises optimism, progression and resilience – qualities that really resonate in uncertain times.' This is perhaps why, beyond its centenary, Art Deco continues to inspire today and, indeed, is roaring back into fashion. A 2025 survey of designers carried out by 1stdibs found that a majority plan to use objects dating from the 1920s and 1930s in their designs over the next 12 months. Popular pieces include club and lounge chairs, desks, side tables and rugs. 'It seems to bridge eras – pre-industrial and post-industrial, the antique and the modern,' says Freund. 'Deco feels almost timeless and the furniture and objects can comfortably fit into design schemes of almost any style.' 'Metallic finishes in gold, brass and chrome are staples that bring in luxury and glamour to a space, whilst the movement's focus on symmetry and patterns, such as sunbursts and chevrons, create an eye-catching statement that is timeless,' says Nathan Kingsbury, creative director of Nathan Kingsbury Design. 'It's a design style [that's] all about opulence and indulgence, and materials like luxurious velvets, marbles and exotic woods combined with rich, jewel-toned colour palettes keep it as a go-to aesthetic for sophistication.' 'It's incredibly versatile,' says O'Sullivan. 'You can incorporate a single Art Deco piece into a modern space, and it will still feel relevant and sophisticated. In my own work, I often draw on its sense of proportion and its use of rich, tactile materials. For example, I might incorporate a brass inlay, or a mirror feature in a way that feels contemporary but pays homage to Deco's elegance. It's about creating spaces that feel layered, luxurious, and timeless – just as Art Deco always does.' To introduce Art Deco into your home, go bold with wallpaper featuring its typical geometric motifs or introduce the design through tiles on a kitchen or bathroom floor. A striking rug will also elevate a room, or if you prefer just a touch of Art Deco, pop a patterned cushion or two onto an armchair or sofa. Look at luxurious fabrics such as velvet in rich, warm colours. Statement pieces are also a brilliant way to introduce the beautiful, sculptural lines that Art Deco is renowned for. An eye-catching chandelier in an angular shape will add impact and style to a room, or a shapely mirror above a mantelpiece or console table in a hallway. Finishes that gleam are also key to achieving a luxe look so think gold, silver and chrome, along with lacquered wood and glass. Stick, though, to a pared-back colour palette – Art Deco often features just two colours such as black and white or gold against deep blue or green. Just be careful that you don't go back to the future too much and create a room that is a pastiche. Kingsbury says: 'For a fresh look, combine Art Deco designs with contemporary elements, to create a beautifully, balanced, and modern, result.'
