London’s skyline is famous for its striking juxtaposition of historic landmarks, such as the medieval Tower of London, and radical 21st-century skyscrapers like The Shard. But the streets are also special for their architecture, including the spectacular interwar phenomenon of Art Deco. From the mid-1920s until the outbreak of the Second World War, this glamorous aesthetic transformed London. It reshaped public transport, corporate headquarters and the leisure industry, leaving behind a lasting architectural legacy.
The movement officially arrived in the UK in 1925, following the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris, the event that ultimately gave the style its name. While French Art Deco originally focused on handmade, high-end luxury items for the wealthy, London adapted the movement into something far more practical, public and forward-looking.
As the city expanded outward during the interwar years, architects used clean lines, bold geometry and new materials like chromium, glass and reinforced concrete to modernise the capital. A key example of this is London’s Grade II-listed Broadcasting House on Portland Place, which was completed in 1932 by architect George Val Myer. The same architect also built Russell Court in Russell Square, WC1H.
In central London, Art Deco also became synonymous with the hedonism of the Jazz Age. The West End revamped luxury hotels like Claridge’s and The Savoy, replacing heavy Victorian wood with shimmering mirrors, geometric light fixtures and silver-leaf detailing. Art Deco eventually faded as wartime austerity took hold, but its impact on London remains undeniable.
We are currently selling a one-bedroom apartment in Russell Court, WC1H. Formerly an artist’s studio and designed to look like a Victorian orangery, it is available for £750,000.
