the Jazz Age & beyond
everal housing booms after brought us comfortable houses that are decidedly not Craftsman Bungalows. Indeed, in much of the USA, an “old house” refers to one built in the 1920s or later. Some of these houses belong to an obvious genre—Colonial, Modernist, Tudor. Others are weird suburban mash-ups. In decorating, what falls between Arts & Crafts and Bauhaus? ■ Art Deco, the style most associated with the Jazz Age, never made it to the residential mainstream. Householders usually opted for a plush, romantic look; think of those Hollywood movies offering an antidote to the Depression years. Eclectic rooms featured colorful fabrics, provocative art, faux finishes, and troweled plaster.
