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Have you seen the iconic movie of the Australian film director, Mark Anthony “Baz” Luhrmann, “The Great Gatsby”? If you have, then you have an idea of the style Art Deco – pure hedonism with French roots, bright colors, geometric shapes and lavish ornamentation, reflected in architecture, fashion, accessories of the consumer society from the 20s of XX century. The eclectic style combines traditional arts with images and objects from the Industrial Revolution and in particular “Machine Age“, that has changed the lives and culture then. It flourishes under the influence of the greatest archaeological discoveries of its time related to Egypt and pre-Columbian America. Speaking in the elevated style of the creator of the term “Art Deco” or “decorative art,” historian Bevis Hillier, art deco is, quoting: “an assertively modern style [that] ran to symmetry rather than asymmetry, and to the rectilinear rather than the curvilinear; it responded to the demands of the machine and of new material [and] the requirements of mass production”. Art Deco is a luxury, vitality, glamor, faith in social and technological progress. It was the last great European fashion style. Time of jazz; woman with short hair, wearing a dress with plunging neckline, framed with a gold chain; driving a car; smoking with short, amber cigarette holder; smelling of Chanel N5, whose wardrobe is aggressively entered by trouser suit and tuxedo; Veneer of Art Deco left its unique mark on its time – fashion, jewelry and interior design.

Often contemporary designers, both fashion and interior, return to Art deco searching for the forgotten glamor, rich splendor of times past, when hedonism reigned.

This exactly is what the team of Dream Design Studio did when creating the Belle Epoque Residence in Kiev, Ukraine. They combined the style of the 20s of the last century with modernist elements and named their creation “Belle Epoque Residence.” Significance is everywhere. Belle Epoque is the period before World War I, when times are peaceful, people – optimistic, but all things bloom and develop – science, culture, art, archeology, film making, automobile and aviation industry, technical progress … Belle Epoque is the paradise lost.
In our case, it spreads on four floors, full with sumptuous creations from bygone eras, opulent chandeliers, lavish places for recreation; balanced with elements of modern days. Designers said: ”It was important to reproduce the spirit of the epoch using not only handmade techniques, but also new technologies and own understanding of contemporary and comfortable living.”

On the ground floor are the living and dining room. Sliding panels with brass elements divide and unite the dining room from a lovely green courtyard. The first floor is for a guest room and daughter’s room. On the third one, there are a spacious office area, the master bedroom and other premises. Fourth floor hosts another bedroom, dressing room and library. The spaces for the man of the house are designed in darker colors, as the ones for the lady – in lighter ones.

In accordance with art deco tradition, geometric elements live on walls, floors and ceilings. The colors are in the peaceful monochrome range of dark brown, terracotta, cream, sand and silver tones. The textures are rich, the lighting impressive and the furniture memorable unique. The interior is complemented by the exquisite items made by local manufacturers, especially for Belle Epoque – engraved copper wall panels, brass screens, stone carvings and plaster rosettes with wonderful forms.

Splendid home, came out of Belle Epoque, the paradise lost.

Sources: www.home-designing.com, www.freshome.com, www.en.wikipedia.org