Art Nouveau is an artistic style mostly employed in design, architecture and visual arts, which emerged in the first part of the 20th century. The new artistic movement was a response to Neoclassicism and also a link between the end of the 19th century design and modern mid-century design.

Understanding Art Nouveau

Although it was met with enthusiasm, Art Nouveau had a relatively short life span. Art Nouveau co-existed with the Arts and Crafts movement, with the major difference that the latter relied on mass production and rejected the idea of manufacturing. Considered by some of the designers and too exaggerated, lavish and utterly more expensive, Art Nouveau was left behind in favor of the more practical in terms of production means Art Deco.

The Legacy of the Art Nouveau movement

However, the popular style inspired avant garde and creative thinking designers from the Bauhaus and De Stijl art schools in Germany and Netherlands, respectively.

One of the most reputed remains of the Art Deco legacy are Antoni Gaudi’s architecture jewels in Barcelona, a few hundred houses in Latvia, part of the UNESCO World Heritage buildings, a handful of posters, illustrations and pieces of furniture and decor inspired by artists such as Alphonse Mucha, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Gustav Klimt.

Incorporating Art Nouveau in the contemporary interior design

Although being spread less than any other style among the contemporary interior and exterior design, Art Nouveau is still introduced by the admirers of its feminine, elongated leaf-inspired aesthetics. The use of archways, curvy shapes, tasteful embellishments and stained glass boost any contemporary design into a more sophisticated one.

The following photos of interiors are proof that Art Nouveau can still be successfully incorporated in a modern and contemporary design, and stands for creative flair, ingenuity, and infinite elegance.