art deco

[joeb]

this is going to probably sound daft my son came home from school homework was "WHAT IS THE ART DECO"

[jno]

A style of architecture and of decoration popular in the 20s-30s. South Miami Beach has a lot of buildings surviving; so does Napier, New Zealand. In other parts of the world there's plenty around, but more scattered. Artefacts - furniture etc - can also be found in museums and second hand shops. Here is a link to an architecture site. Apart from that, just googling art deco should get you zillions of answers.

[Clanad]

A decorative style predominant from 1910-1930 characterized by geometric motifs and shapes, luxurious materials, and strong colors; the name actually derives from the 1925 Paris Exposition International des Arts D�coratifs et Industriels Modernes, but it also refers to pieces in that style made prior to 1925;

 Its main features were a bold geometry and motifs derived from non-western architectural traditions such as the Egyptian, Assyrian and Pre-Columbian.
Although most noticeable in architecture it also affected jewelry, furniture and other venues...

[Clanad]

Boy, jno, what timing!