Art Deco is sometimes known as Deco or Dado, sometimes Arte Deco and sometimes Disco. It is an artistic style of architecture, visual arts and design which first appeared in France before World War I. Art Deco influenced the style of architecture, furniture, fabrics, art & crafts, tapestries and jewelry. It emerged during the late 1890’s and early part of the twentieth century and remains popular and fashionable today.

Art Deco is characterized by geometric shapes, bright lights and vivid colours. Arte Deco was and still is known for its aesthetic qualities such as an abundance of colours, the unusual shapes, the strong geometric shapes, the use of rounded forms and unique textures and the absence of straight lines. Art Deco styles are characterized by the strong geometric shapes, the use of rounded forms and unique textures and the absence of straight lines. The stylized and shaped finishes, often piped with diamonds and other gems, the multiple motifs and the stylized cut of the furniture and other decorative objects along with the different lighting effects contributed largely to the overall appeal of the art Deco.

Art Deco designers were dominated by the geometric shapes, bright lights and vivid colours. They combined the highly decorative features with the strong arches and the innovative use of textures and curves to produce a highly stylized and geometric appearance. In order to emphasize the strong visual effects of the movement, Art Deco interior architecture included large windows, central ceiling areas, skylights and unusually wide hallways. This movement became highly fashionable in the Art Deco period and remained popular until the Second World War. With the onset of the industrial revolution in the early twentieth century, the movement lost some of its popularity and became associated with the stiff contemporary style of architecture.

The influence of the art Deco movement can be seen even today in the styles adopted by many modern American designers. Especially in the field of commercial architecture, the art Deco style is now used to accent contemporary designs and to provide a new and unique perspective. Many modern American architects are inspired by the works of the art Deco architects. A good example is the minimalistic design used by John Heard Brown in San Francisco. Another example is the unusual use of geometric shapes and textures to accent contemporary architectural designs. Some of the more popular examples include the usage of shiny glass surfaces to decorate contemporary office buildings and high-rise condo complexes.

Although the Art Deco movement had faded somewhat by the end of the First World War, it was soon revitalized when the United States entered the Second World War. During the war, there were a significant increase in demand for the decorative arts and there were a number of innovative individuals who started to use this form of architecture in the modern style. As a result, the Second World War brought about a great expansion of the Art Deco architectural styles. They became popular again after the war and were used extensively by wealthy Americans during the post-war era.

A notable aspect of the art Deco style movement is its rejection of the traditional materials used in architecture. Its emphasis was on the use of expensive materials and it encouraged the use of concrete and heavy ornamentation. However, over time, as the modernistic generation grew to embrace the new materialism, the art nouveau style began to become more acceptable. Its stylized form can still be seen to some degree in many modernist homes today.