Art-nouveau, art-deco, vintage and retro handles

Any handle that “looks old” isn’t necessarily a “classic”. Indeed, we often use this term for many different styles and trends, even though they are enormously different from each other and were developed in different periods in history, in Architecture, Painting and Decorative Arts.

The Art-Nouveau style (this was called Modernism in Spain), was an artistic trend at the end of the 19^th century and the beginning of the 20^th century. It was inspired by organic, plant and exotic features from the Orient and the medieval times and it was created in the European urban environment reminiscent of the world of the countryside and, in particular, nature.

Curves, asymmetry, flowers and plants were used by artists such as William Morris in furniture and Decorative Art, Tiffany in Jewellery,  Alfons Mucha or Klimt in Painting and Gaudí or Victor Horta in Architecture.

The art-nouveau furniture handle is definitely in line with these standards, with its soft, sinuous and floral shapes that accompany pieces of furniture to remind us of the natural world. The references 7588 or 7319 are just two of the precious art-nouveau style handles made by Navarro Azorín.

The Art-Deco style followed Art-Nouveau and it emerged after the 1^st World War. The World experienced the horror and regeneration was necessary. The industrial evolution, the anxiety to rebuild and the desires to break away from the past now inspired the art and the design of the crazy 1920s.

The artists were inspired by speed, Cubism appeared and both in Architecture and Art, geometry and symmetry were established as fundamental values, something that in many cases  resulted in a return to the classic inspiration of Rome and Greece with its balance and  monumentality.

This is the architecture of the Bauhaus and Le Corbusier, the paintings of Tamara Lempicka, the furniture of Pedro Chinchilla and the jewellery of Van Cleef & Arpels.

The art-deco furniture handles are enhanced with straight and angular lines used on the 1920s style furniture that reminds us of the first New York luxury skyscrapers. Our handle and knob 7249 or the furniture handles 7208 blend in perfectly with one of these pieces of furniture.

In contrast to this, strictly speaking, the vintage style is not by any means “a style”, because  when we speak of vintage, especially decorative furniture and elements, we are referring to certain  creations that, being designed and made in decades gone by (always before the 90s), they are reintegrated into contemporary decoration for having endured the passing of the years with dignity and elegance (so to speak).

Our handles 6685 were designed at Navarro Azorín 40 years ago, but they are still being made today.

Although it might be confusing, given the fact that they look similar, the retro style consists in creating a similar look to that of the vintage style, although with newly designed and created objects that evoke the past. The retro style today is well-established in the world of furniture and decoration and it might possibly stay for a long time. A fantastic example is our SNICE handle.

At Navarro Azorín we have art-noveau, art-deco and retro handles and you will be delighted to know that we also have original designs that are made with the same mould, the same technique, material and manual finish as those used almost 50 years ago. In short, with the  Navarro Azorín catalogue you could successfully use one of our handles on any piece of furniture that has been designed in the last 130 years!

This is the advantage of being one of the family sagas with the longest traditions in making the hardware for furniture in the whole of Europe.