At the turn of the 20th century, Art Nouveau reshaped the way the world thought about design. From Parisian cafés to Viennese apartments and grand English townhouses, this sinuous, nature-inspired movement introduced a new harmony between architecture, interiors, and everyday objects. It was radical yet refined, sensual yet sophisticated, its motifs a celebration of nature’s rhythm and the artistic spirit of the age.
Today, more than a century later, Art Nouveau still casts a spell. Its flowing lines, botanical references, and embrace of craftsmanship feel strikingly relevant in a design world seeking individuality and timelessness. Whether you want to reimagine a single room or infuse your entire home with the movement’s spirit, there are many ways to embrace this style without descending into pastiche.
Here, we explore ten ways to give your home an Art Nouveau makeover, blending authentic inspiration with contemporary livability. Each approach combines history, artistry, and practical guidance to help you transform your interiors into a sanctuary of elegance.
1. Walls that Whisper Nature: Wallpaper & Murals
Art Nouveau homes often began with the walls. Designers such as William Morris, Josef Maria Olbrich, and Maurice Verneuil saw wallpaper not merely as background, but as immersive art. Motifs included stylised buttercups, sinuous honeysuckle, dragonflies hovering among reeds, and even stags caught mid-stride.
How to bring it home:
• Choose wallpapers that echo authentic design plates from the 1890s–1910s. Contemporary reprints from heritage archives—such as delicate dog roses or bold laburnum clusters—offer instant atmosphere.
• For subtlety, try tone-on-tone florals in muted sage or dusky blush. For drama, opt for symmetrical peacock feathers or gilded chrysanthemums on a deep ground.
• Murals are another route. A single wall with sweeping stylised irises or golden fuchsias creates the effect of a salon in Brussels or Paris.
Tip: To avoid overwhelming small rooms, pair bold wallpapers with plain plaster walls in soft creams or moss greens. Let the feature wall sing.
2. The Curve as Command: Furniture with Flow
Straight lines had no place in Art Nouveau. Instead, furniture echoed the curves of nature: whiplash lines of vines, arched chair backs, and undulating armrests. Designers like Émile Gallé in Nancy or Charles Rennie Mackintosh in Glasgow embraced this language, whether through intricate marquetry or elongated silhouettes.
How to bring it home:
• Seek out antiques: bentwood chairs by Thonet with fluid backs, mahogany sideboards with inlaid blossoms, or oak tables with carved seedpods.
• Contemporary makers are reviving these ideas—look for handmade pieces with curved legs, scalloped edges, or carved botanical reliefs.
• Don’t feel every item must be Nouveau. A single statement chair or cabinet can transform a room, particularly when balanced with simpler modern pieces.
Tip: Upholster seating in velvet or silk with subtle florals for authenticity. Jewel tones—emerald, topaz, amethyst—bring richness without heaviness.
3. Light as Poetry: Stained Glass & Luminaires
If wallpaper sets the mood, lighting completes the enchantment. Art Nouveau lighting turned function into sculpture: Louis Comfort Tiffany’s stained glass lamps, Hector Guimard’s organic sconces, and Otto Wagner’s restrained yet lyrical fittings all remain icons.
How to bring it home:
• Invest in a stained glass lamp or pendant. Even reproduction Tiffany-style shades cast jewel-like glows that transform evenings.
• Look for metalwork that mimics vines or stems: bronze, brass, or patinated iron frames shaped into curling tendrils.
• For contemporary ease, commission a stained glass panel for a transom window or door, filtering daylight into coloured fragments.
Tip: Layer lighting—combine ambient (a pendant lamp), task (reading sconces), and accent (stained glass or etched glass lanterns). The interplay of light and colour creates true Art Nouveau atmosphere.
4. Doors, Handles & Hinges: The Everyday Elevated
The genius of Art Nouveau lay in total design—every detail mattered. A simple door handle might curl like a fern frond; a hinge could resemble dragonfly wings. WMF in Germany, Joseph Sankey in England, and countless local artisans produced metalwork that turned utility into artistry.
How to bring it home:
• Replace standard door handles with heavy brass or bronze pieces echoing 1900 designs. Look for stylised florals, elongated stems, or flowing asymmetry.
• Hinges, escutcheons, and finger plates can be sourced from antique markets or reproduction specialists.
• Even modern kitchens can embrace this detail—cabinet pulls shaped like leaves or stems subtly nod to the style.
Tip: Don’t polish everything to brilliance. Art Nouveau metalwork often looks more authentic with a mellow patina, suggesting a life well-lived.
5. A Palette from Nature: Colour Schemes with Soul
Art Nouveau palettes drew directly from flora and landscape. Soft greens, dusky pinks, golden ochres, and earthy browns dominated, accented by jewel-like purples and blues. The tones were rich yet never garish, always in service of natural harmony.
How to bring it home:
• Paint walls in muted shades: sage, celadon, or soft primrose.
• Accentuate with deeper hues: aubergine velvet cushions, cobalt ceramics, or garnet glassware.
• Metallics—particularly antique gold and bronze—should be used sparingly for highlights, echoing the gilt lines often seen in posters by Alphonse Mucha.
Tip: Use colour to zone rooms. A dining room might glow with deep greens and bronzes, while a bedroom breathes tranquility with soft lilac and pale ivory.
6. Art as Soul: Prints, Posters & Decorative Panels
Art Nouveau was as much about the poster as the palace. Alphonse Mucha’s theatre designs, Eugène Grasset’s panels, and English floral plates all turned walls into galleries of imagination.
How to bring it home:
• Frame prints from original design plates—botanical studies, stylised stags, or flowing female forms. Websites such as Jugendstil.co.uk offer faithful reproductions.
• Large panels—such as a quartet of seasonal designs—create rhythm and narrative.
• For subtlety, cluster small prints in walnut frames with white mounts, forming a salon wall.
Tip: Avoid overcrowding. Each print should have breathing space, allowing its detail and linework to shine.
7. Nature Indoors: Motifs & Accessories
More than any style, Art Nouveau blurred boundaries between indoors and outdoors. Stems, blossoms, and animals infiltrated every surface. From dragonfly brooches to barley-sheaf candlesticks, the message was clear: nature belongs at the heart of life.
How to bring it home:
• Accessories are the easiest entry point. Think ceramic vases with iris reliefs, bronze candlesticks shaped as buttercups, or textiles embroidered with ferns.
• Use mirrors with asymmetrical frames or carved vines to add both function and decorative presence.
• A single bold motif—perhaps a peacock feather rug—anchors a room.
Tip: Choose motifs with personal resonance. If you love roses, find stylised rose accents; if dragonflies appeal, let them recur subtly across your space.
8. Floors & Tiles: Grounding the Style
Look down, and the Art Nouveau story continues. Tiles in stylised floral repeats, parquet floors with curving borders, and mosaic panels transformed the floor into a canvas. Metro stations in Paris or villas in Brussels still reveal this magic underfoot.
How to bring it home:
• In hallways or bathrooms, consider reproduction tiles with curling iris motifs or repeating tulip patterns.
• Parquet floors with curved inlays echo the craftsmanship of the era.
• Mosaic inserts—perhaps a circular floral design at an entrance—offer a bold yet authentic statement.
Tip: Pair intricate floors with simpler walls to avoid competition. The aim is harmony, not sensory overload.
9. Textiles & Soft Furnishings: Flow & Opulence
Art Nouveau interiors revelled in textiles—silks, velvets, and embroidered linens—all enriched with botanical designs. Curtains, cushions, and throws were not mere comfort but integral to the artistic whole.
How to bring it home:
• Look for fabrics printed with authentic Art Nouveau motifs—poppies, wheat sheaves, chrysanthemums. Spoonflower and heritage suppliers often reprint from original plates.
• Heavy drapes with stylised borders frame windows in luxury.
• Cushions in jewel-coloured velvets embroidered with gold thread add depth to sofas and beds.
Tip: Mix scale. Pair one bold, large-patterned textile with smaller, subtler designs for balance.
10. The Spirit of Gesamtkunstwerk: Holistic Living
Perhaps the greatest lesson of Art Nouveau is the idea of total design—the German Gesamtkunstwerk. A room wasn’t simply decorated; it was conceived as a complete work of art, where walls, furniture, lighting, and accessories harmonised.
How to bring it home:
• Think of each room as a composition. How do your wallpapers, textiles, and metalwork converse with one another?
• Allow repetition of motifs across media: a dragonfly in a lampshade, echoed in a print, and subtly repeated in a door plate.
• Don’t chase perfection. True Art Nouveau celebrated individuality and artisanal craftsmanship. Embrace irregularities, hand-finished edges, and organic imperfection.
Tip: Begin with one room—perhaps a dining space or hallway—and create a holistic story. Let that spirit then flow, organically, into the rest of your home
Round-up
Giving your home an Art Nouveau makeover is not about recreating a museum set piece. It is about channeling the movement’s ethos: reverence for nature, celebration of craftsmanship, and harmony between beauty and utility.
Whether you hang a single gilded print, commission a stained glass panel, or embrace sweeping wallpapers across an entire floor, each step draws you closer to a home that is both luxurious and deeply personal.
A century after its first flowering, Art Nouveau still whispers enchantment. Its promise—that art can infuse every corner of daily life—feels more urgent than ever. In a world of mass production and flatpack living, choosing the sinuous, the crafted, and the organic is a declaration: our homes can still be poetry.