Elements of Art Nouveau Furniture

Art Nouveau furniture is some of the most unique and interesting furniture to study, or to own if you've got the budget. Art Nouveau furniture designers, inspired by the architectural accomplishments of Horta and Hangar, set out to design pieces of furniture suitable for the elaborate, nature-inspired houses, hotels and public works buildings built in the late 1800s and early 1900s. This was no easy feat, since the curving lines found in Art Nouveau structures did not always lend themselves to sturdy furniture design. There were several furniture designers, notably Gustave Surrurier Bovy, Antoni Guadi and Henry Van de Velde and the like, who learned to create furniture pieces that beautifully suited Art Nouveau homes and hotels.

If you're interested in studying or collecting Art Nouveau furniture, here are some signature elements to look for:

Extreme Curves
Art Nouveau furniture usually features interesting curves that may contradict how you think furniture should be designed. These curves are inspired by nature; the bending of the grass in the wind, or the arch of a new plant reaching for the sun.

Organic Inspiration
An Art Nouveau should immediately make you think of nature. You may see extra arches in a book case or china cabinet that reach up like a tree limb stretching to the sky, with smaller limb-like protrusions curving out and away from the center of the cabinet.

Images of Flowers, Plants, Birds or Insects
Art Nouveau designers loved to work images of insects, birds, plants and flowers into their furniture. These are often carved or inlaid into the furniture as decoration.

Patterns of Curving Lines
Many Art Nouveau pieces have carved, inlaid or built-on patterns of lines that swirl and twist like smoke in the air or water rushing down a mountainside. These lines may look like seaweed waving in the ocean or a cluster of daisies weaving in and out of one another. Images of vines that climb the sides of the furniture are also common.