Art Deco – How to Interpret Fall’s Most Elegant Trend

Nordic Design Institute
Nov 7
5 min read

art deco interior design trend fall autumn 2025

When Nostalgia Meets Innovation

It begins with a feeling. A longing for something more structured, more intentional – yet still warm, elegant, and human.After several years of beige minimalism, organic shapes, and muted earth tones, the world of interior design is now turning back toward something more expressive.

In fall 2025, Art Deco is making a comeback – but not as a copy of the 1920s. The new interpretation is about balance: geometry meets softness, luxury meets sustainability, nostalgia meets the present.

From Gatsby to Gen Z – Why Art Deco Feels Right Now

Art Deco was born out of optimism. After the turbulence of the 1920s, the world longed to surround itself with beauty, structure, and shine.A hundred years later, we find ourselves in a similar time: we’re seeking security, but also expression. We want interiors that feel intentional, not routine.

That’s why Art Deco feels so relevant today. It’s not about returning to lavish salons and glittering surfaces – but about reclaiming the idea behind form. Every line, every material, every surface in a room has a purpose. There’s direction, symmetry, and a sense of calm in the midst of all that expressiveness.

The Modern Art Deco Style – Fall 2025

This year’s interpretation of Art Deco is about refinement rather than exaggeration.It’s no longer black and gold, but emerald green, amber yellow, petrol blue, and antique brass.The shapes remain geometric – but softer, friendlier, almost organic.

The Modern Art Deco 2025 is characterized by:

Metallic details in brushed brass, bronze, and chrome – but with a matte finish.
Fluted glass and ribbed fronts on furniture and doors.
Velvet, linen, and bouclé – tactile materials that break away from the smooth.
Marble details in gray, white, or dark green tones.
Lighting that shapes the space: column lamps, opal glass, and asymmetrical wall fixtures.

The result is rooms that feel inviting yet distinctive – minimal but still luxurious.

The Color Palette: Subdued Glamour

One of the most defining aspects of Art Deco 2025 is the color scheme.This isn’t about sharp contrasts but about muted, complex hues. The colors are “smudged” – as if time itself has placed a soft filter over them.

Think bordeaux blending with roasted terracotta, emerald leaning toward forest green, creamy caramel, softly acidic mustard yellow, and warm chocolate brown.

These are colors with soul. They feel honest, timeless, and mature – perfect for rooms that aim to evoke comfort while still daring to stand out.

💡 Designer’s tip: Let one color dominate and keep the others as tonal variations. It creates that Deco feeling without overwhelming the room.

Form, Structure, and Symmetry – On New Terms

Art Deco traditionally celebrates symmetry and precision. In its 2025 version, the lines soften.Instead of straight angles, we see rounded sofas, arched shelves, and column-like shapes in furniture and lighting.

The new interpretation happily mixes the graphic with the tactile: a smooth wall meets ribbed panels, a marble table meets soft textiles. It’s all about balance.

For you as an interior designer, this means you can play with contrasts – hard versus soft, glossy versus matte – to create that sense of contemporary luxury without stiffness.

Statement Furniture & Details – Where Character Lives

What makes Art Deco so exciting to work with is that the style is carried by its details.A single well-chosen mirror, lamp, or armchair can give a room the right character.

A few safe choices:

A round, deep velvet sofa.
An Art Deco–inspired mirror with a curved shape or metal edge.
A side table in stone or marble with a slim metal base.
Graphic rugs with subtle, tone-on-tone patterns.

When working with Art Deco in client projects: choose one defining element to build around.It could be a material, a shape, or a specific flow of light.

Less is often more – let each object speak for itself.

Moodboards as a Tool

To succeed with a cohesive Deco style, visual planning is key.As an interior designer, you can gain a lot by working with moodboards – both digital and physical.

Gather images of color combinations, textures, and lighting.Let the client feel the atmosphere, not just see the colors.AI tools can be a great help here – allowing you to quickly create variations in lighting, tone, and materials to demonstrate different moods before a project begins.

Being able to visualize emotion is one of the most important skills in modern interior design.

Luxury Meets Sustainability

Today’s Art Deco isn’t just a style – it’s a statement of conscious luxury.Instead of buying new, it’s about rediscovering what already exists:

Give old lamps new life with polished metal or a new lampshade.
Reupholster vintage armchairs in contemporary fabrics.
Hunt for tables with potential at auctions or second-hand shops.

Luxury is no longer about price – but about history, quality, and feeling.And that fits perfectly into 2025’s sustainability mindset.

How to Use Art Deco in Different Rooms

Living Room: Let the sofa take center stage and build symmetry around it – two lamps, a centered artwork, soft lines.

Kitchen & Dining Area: Brass handles or fittings, fluted glass in cabinets, black or green accents against light stone.

Bedroom: Velvet, tone-on-tone wallpaper, rounded headboard, warm muted tones and soft lighting.

Bathroom: Marble or stone imitation, round metal-framed mirror, geometric tiles, and vintage-inspired lighting.

Why Art Deco Speaks to the Designers of the Future

For interior designers, Art Deco is more than a trend – it’s a language of balance. It’s a style that allows you to be creative yet structured. You can work conceptually, visually, and emotionally all at once.

Clients are looking for something that feels both safe and exciting – exactly what Art Deco offers. It gives the feeling of living in something beautiful yet real.

The Future of Art Deco – and You as a Designer

The Art Deco trend isn’t likely to disappear quickly.Instead, it’s evolving toward even more personal elegance – where craftsmanship, reuse, and modern technology meet.

For you as an interior designer, it’s a chance to deepen your personal style and position yourself in the market as someone who reinterprets the classics in a contemporary way.Understanding how history and the present intertwine is part of staying relevant in the industry.

And that’s where the future lies: being able to move between trend awareness and timelessness.