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Art
Déco

The glamour of the 1920s translated into interface design - deep black backgrounds, gilt gold type in Cinzel, geometric fan motifs, double-border frames, and the unwavering conviction that surfaces should communicate opulence through restraint.

1925
L'Exposition Arts Déco
Geometric ornament
Gold
Single accent only
AD
Grandeur & Form
Geometric precision.
Gilded ornament.
The luxury of the machine age.
"Art Deco was the last style to believe that prosperity and beauty were the same thing."
- Bevis Hillier, Art Deco (1968)

The Deco Palette

Void black, two shades of gold, and cream type. Five values. No additions. The richness comes entirely from restraint.

Void
#0F0C06
Deepest background
Dark Ground
#1A1208
Primary background
Deco Gold
#C9A84C
Accent, borders, type
Bright Gold
#E0C070
Hover, highlight
Antique Cream
#F5EDD5
Body text

Geometric Motifs

The four foundational Art Deco ornaments - each buildable from pure CSS without images or icon fonts.

Sunburst Fan
Semicircle with radiating lines. Used as hero backgrounds, card tops, and section dividers.
Diamond Frame
Square rotated 45°. Often nested (double border) to create a decorative medallion or badge.
Stepped Pyramid
Descending width blocks. The signature Art Deco skyline shape - used as section headers and ornaments.
Deco Rule
Gradient lines with a rotated diamond centre ornament. The universal Art Deco section divider.
◆ ❖ ◆
Double-border frame (position:absolute inset:5px)
Gatsby & Gershwin
The double frame - outer 2px solid gold, inner 1px at 25% opacity, inset 5px - is the most recognisable Art Deco UI pattern.

Type System

Display / Title GATSBY 64px · Cinzel 400
+0.15em tracking
H1 · Section The Grand Collection 26px · Cinzel 400
Uppercase always
Body · Cormorant Body text in Cormorant Garamond Italic - the weight of a pre-war novel. The Old World letterform adds warmth and history to the geometric rigour of the Deco surrounding it. 16px · Cormorant 300i
1.85 line-height
Label / Caption Catalogue Nº 27 · Limited Edition · New York · 1925 10px · DM Mono
+0.16em tracking

UI Components

Buttons

Form Fields

Indicators

Tags
Couture Luxury 1920s Gold Exclusive
Progress
Collection 82%
Commission 55%
Exhibition 91%

Navigation

Card Patterns

Collection · 1925

The Diamond Brooch

Platinum and old mine cut diamonds arranged in the geometric perfection that defined the era - every facet a calculated angle, every setting intentional.

Ref. AD-7241
Architecture

The Chrysler Spire

The stepped crown - stainless steel sunburst arches rising into the New York sky. The most purely Art Deco building ever erected by human ambition.

New York, 1930
Fashion

La Petite Robe Noire

Coco Chanel's black dress reduced fashion to its geometric essence - a philosophy entirely aligned with the Art Deco spirit of elegant reduction.

Paris, 1926

Full Layout

Catalogue · Winter 1925

The Grand
Collection

Seventy-two pieces conceived in the geometric spirit of the era. Each one a precise argument about what beauty looks like when stripped to its essential angles.

The craftsmen of the Maison work only in metals that carry history: platinum for its cool precision, gold for its warmth, silver for its mutability. Every piece passes through four ateliers before it is judged ready for the collection.

Also This Season
Jewellery
The Platinum Suite
Fashion
Evening Silhouettes
Interior
The Manhattan Apartment

Core Principles

I

Gold, Never Colour

The Art Deco palette is void black and a single shade of gold (#C9A84C). Adding a second accent colour immediately breaks the spell. All status information is communicated through opacity of the same gold.

II

Cinzel for All Headings

Cinzel is based on classical Roman inscription letterforms with the vertical geometry of Art Deco. Every heading must be uppercase, wide-tracked (0.15em minimum), and in the gold colour. Never in body weight.

III

Double-Border Everything

The outer 2px gold border and inner 1px faint border (position:absolute inset:5px) is the signature frame. Applied to cards, panels, modals, and the main layout. It communicates luxury through geometric precision.

IV

The Deco Rule

Gradient lines from transparent to gold, meeting at a centre diamond ornament - use this between every section, before every header, after every pull quote. It is the visual signature of the style and cannot be omitted.