1930s house - advice needed re Art Deco interior

[Ormirian]

We moved into our new house in the summer. It's a lovely big comfortable 1930s semi with original stained glass in the porch and hall windows. The previous owners decided that actually they would rather live in a Georgian rectory and have filled the house with faux details that don't fit.

I have had a look online and realised that most of the grates are original 1930s ones but the surrounds in the main reception rooms have been replaced. My friend has found me a pair of reclaimed glass wall lights that would have gone well in the Empire State building and some glass finger plates for the doors to replace the flowery ceramic ones.

Can anyone guide me towards a place to get art deco fabric for curtains or for the window seat please? Also short of replacing the fire surround any ideas for disguising the top with it's 'charming' Wedgewood style cameos in relief?

So far I found one site with gorgeous fabrics but ouchy prices and I'd have to pay to get them made up as I am wouldn't dare do it myself. I have done curtains in the past but I have no time these days.

If you find a particular fabric you like, it's worth keeping an eye out on ebay for lengths of it - I found one 1920s fabric design reissued by Schumacher that I really, really wanted but it was £175 per metre through normal suppliers - so I saved an ebay search for it and eventually picked up enough to make curtains for a large bay window, averaging about a sixth of the price per metre.

There are also some places that specialise in end of rolls, discontinued lines etc - like Loose Ends which sometimes have big warehouse sales. Or just John Lewis at sale time....

Ebay is also good for art deco lighting and architectural bits and pieces (door handles, mirrors etc). Do you have an architectural salvage yard anywhere near you? They might have genuine fireplace surrounds for not too much.

great. Thanks exexpat. I did find some curtains on ebay but they were a bit too art-nouveau - I wanted less flowery IYKWIM.

Actually I love this plain curtains

What a great room - and yes, those curtains are really nice - sometimes plain is better than trying to go over-the-top with the period thing. I love the art deco stained glass windows though...

I used to live in a 1930s flat and spent hours salivating over the interiors in endless episodes of Jeeves & Wooster and Poirot, and searching junk shops for similar furniture. I still have a couple of rooms full of art deco furniture even though I'm in a Victorian house now - it goes OK, but you don't get the full effect without the modern windows and parquet floors.

We don't have parquet floors sadly. There are tile floors in the hall and porch but if there were parquet floors elsewhere they have been taken away.

I am also a huge art deco fan and have daily e-bay updates on new deco items (v v addictive but I am quite disciplined about what I buy).

I think it is futile and slightly artificial trying to reproduce art deco (or, for that matter, any period) interior in its entirety. To create the right vibe a few key pieces might be sufficient - an armchair with a distinctive deco shape, lighting, some art on the walls. The rest can be neutral modern stuff like the lovely plain curtains you linked - after all, modern aesthetics largely derived from deco, and Eileen Gray looks suspiciously like IKEA (well, vice versa!)

As I am sure you know, deco combines well with Biedermeier pieces and Oriental furniture, esp. chinoiserie, as well as mid-century furniture, so you might find some fabrics and features that suit.

I agree that flowery knobs have to go but classical cameos on the fire surround may actually blend well with e.g. a bronze sculpture in the style of Lorenzl or Preiss.

Have fun - it is so exciting to look for that perfect piece!