Perfect Fusion

As a fan of the detective books of Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham and Dorothy L Sayers, the period in which the stories are set is in itself fascinating on many levels. Without considering the aesthetic aspects depicted in these stories, there were at the time major political and cultural shifts taking place across the world and in Europe in particular.

The period between the end of the First and the beginning of the Second World Wars saw the blossoming of both socialism and fascism across much of Europe and it is into this period that these writers insert their fictitious detectives Hercule Poirot, Albert Campion and Lord Peter Wimsey. From a story telling perspective, Sayers is my favourite but it is the translation of the Poirot stories in the ITV series of the same name, starring the incomparable David Suchet in the leading role, that fully embraces the imagination of those who appreciate the Art Deco period.

The design movement embraced by the term Art Deco is one of diverse and multifarious strands which fuse into a complete statement of artistic expression. Unlike any other design trend, Art Deco encompasses architecture, interiors, graphics, fashion, jewellery, ceramics and fine art itself.

Art Deco at its height, like any other distinct design period, is a little indigestible. It is however the fusion of Art Deco with the Moderne, superimposed on a society that was still emerging from the Edwardian era which makes this depiction of the 1930s so visually rich.

To appreciate this more fully, we need to understand how Art Deco emerged and how it collided with Moderne.

The Art Nouveau era of floral motifs and the Arts and Crafts movement of the early 1900s were giving way to the world of the machine. The 1925 Exposition Art Decoratifsin Paris may have been the high point in pure Art Deco but this was to synthesise and adapt as it collided with the Moderne movement promoted by architects such as Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius and Mies van der Rohe.

Art Deco, whilst embracing the machine age, was still producing objects of exquisite design which demanded the same craftsmanship as the preceding eras. The modernists felt that good design should be available for all and to achieve this utopian aim, decoration should be stripped away following the mantra that form must follow function.

Such a philosophy is deeply antithetical to human nature. Humans have, from the earliest of times, experimented with patterns, colours and embellishment to express their culture and beliefs.

By the 1930’s, Art Deco was blending its own style with that of the Moderne. This was the result of a number of influences. The 1920s and 30s was the age of the silver screen and cinemas were popping up everywhere and taking on an architectural style that was a blend of the Art Deco and the Modernist. At the same time, high speed travel was beginning to have an influence on the design and styling of trains and cars and with aircraft now a growing industry, this too created an influence on line and form never seen before.

In 1937 Sir Nigel Gresley, chief mechanical engineer at LNER, designed the magnificent streamlined A4 Class locomotives Mallard and Sir Nigel Gresley which proved a sensation. Not only did these locomotives set world records, the distinctive streamlining marked a break in design from what had gone before. A new age of speed was beginning.

Whilst Gresley was busy refining steam engines, R.J. Mitchell was building his racing seaplane, the Supermarine S.6B, the predecessor of the Spitfire, and was competing in the coveted Schneider Trophy. The styling of such machines forged an impression of a world moving forward, both literally and figuratively and breaking away from the rather stiff and staid Edwardian era.

Whilst developments in transport seemed to forge ahead, architecture was slower to adapt. The English are fond of the vernacular as expressed in the work of Sir Edwin Lutyens and Charles Voysey. The more adventurous clients of the 1930s, many of whom where influenced by the ideas of modernist architects and had the resources to commission such designers, were building avant garde houses, which were antithetical to their surroundings, in amongst the vernacular properties of an earlier period.

And yet somehow this fusion of old England with the new worked uniquely well at that time. Whilst it would be wrong to suggest that Art Deco was imposed from the top down, it emerged as a complete design philosophy that encompassed the entire field of the visual arts. It was, however, in the main the preserve of the rich. The buildings, cars, speedboats, fashions and textiles of this era were rich in detail and content but costly.

In time the influence and design ethos of the period spread downwards to more affordable everyday items such as china, glassware, book covers and much more, enabling the middle classes to sample, if not entirely embrace, the Art Deco era.

I titled this brief essay Perfect Fusion as it seems to me that whilst the old aesthetic world remained intact, something new was emerging which was not seeking to destroy or overturn what went before, but rather to add to it by embracing the new technologies and influences from across the world.

By contrast, the 1960s and 70s seem to have been more destructive in a desire to undo the past whilst not having a unifying design philosophy that was distinct across all areas of the visual arts. Today we are left with no contemporary design philosophy. There is no identifiable “hand writing” that typifies the current era that spans all the disciplines from art, graphics, architecture or fashion. The kaleidoscope of ideas is fragmented and nothing is coming into focus.

So whilst the emergence of Art Deco jarred with the preceding eras, it left in its wake a blend of the old and the new which, to my mind, created a perfect fusion of visual delights.

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About the Author:

Nicholas Engert is the founder and creative director of Nicholas Engert Interiors, a studio known for its timeless, elegant and understated design philosophy. With decades of experience in interior architecture and design, Nicholas brings a refined eye and a wealth of knowledge to every project, blending form, function and character with a deep understanding of client needs. Every product featured in the studio’s collection is personally selected to meet exacting standards of quality, design, and aesthetic integrity.