5 Solid Examples of Iconic Retro Style De Stijl & Neoplasticism in Modern Interior Design – PadStyle | Interior Design Blog | Modern Furniture

Dutch abstract artists, Theo Van Doesburg and Piet Mondrian, are considered to be the founders of De Stijl & Neoplasticism. In 1917, this iconic art movement started through their abstract paintings.

Nowadays, mid-century modern reproductions and contemporary interiors along with many furnishings and home decor is in the likeness of this famous art movement. Good design never truly goes out of style, does it? For those who are unfamiliar with De Stijl / Neoplasticism, this style is rooted in precise geometric forms, primarily straight lines, squares and rectangles. Although, they do venture into diagonals on occasion.

The color palette is often primary colors, red, blue and yellow, sometimes with black and white. However, this was mainly a product of Mondrian’s most famous artwork. Doesburg ventured into the diagonals, as well as experimented with more colors and shapes. Doesburg was the first to use primary colors in this block-style form.

In some circles, the name of this art style, De Stijl and Neoplasticism, are used interchangeably. For our sake, we are going to use De Stijl to encompass both styles because of its additive quality to the art form.

Comparison between Mondrian and van Doesburg — Founders of De Stijl and Neoplasticism – Theo Van Doesburg and Piet Mondrian artwork

Let’s take a look at 5 solid examples of De Stijl and Neoplasticism found in modern interior design, furniture, and home decor:

De Stijl Accent Walls with Geometric Fixtures and Frames – The perfect set of walls hitting all the right angles. Viewed from one or several corridors and different rooms. Outlined bold black and straight-lined geometric fixtures framing the landscape into rectangular, square solid shapes. The actual interior of your home can transform into a De Stijl style painting.

Mondrian Inspired Interior With Modern Geometric Accents — De Stijl Accent Walls and geometric fixtures found in modern interior design kitchen

De Stijl Architectural Color Highlights with Thick Geometric Lines – Varying sizes of chunks of rectangular and square shapes. Precise spacing with primary color and neutral color separation. Stacking effect on floors of building.

Schroeder House in Utrecht — De Stijl architectural house with chunks of geometric shapes, bold lines, primary colors and precise stacked spacing

De Stijl Bookcase with Varying Size Geometric Shapes – Straight solid lines with functional spaces for placing books, collectibles and other decor. Different sizes of geometric squares and rectangles sharing the same walls in a collective, cohesive rectangular form.

De Stijl bookcase / shelving unit varying geometric shapes sharing cohesive form with individual spaces – Redemption Shelf

Primary Color De Stijl Lounge Chair with Rectangular Form and Varying Geometric Shapes – Block style tufting upholstery in primary yellow color. Square and rectangular shapes come together to form one cohesive design. Its pedestal round base ventures into the more experimental realms of De Stijl style, although *keep in mind* unusual for this type of pure style.

De Stijl style lounge armchair in primary yellow color with block tufting and bold geometric square shape – Milo Lounge Chair

Rectangular De Stijl Wall Clock with Primary Colors and Clearly Defined Lines – Moving ticker in black and yellow changes position adding different angles to rectangular design. Primary colors, red, blue and yellow, with main neutral colors white and black. Clearly defined lines like cutting out a chunk of a Doesburg or Mondrian painting to hang on your wall.

De Stijl wall clock with clear defined lines, primary colors, geometric rectangular shapes with changing ticker alters look into various angles – De Stijl Wall Clock

Not all De Stijl modern design inspiration needs to have every element of this iconic art style. It would be overkill if each one replicated the same classic De Stijl paintings over and over again. Hopefully, these 5 solid examples have shown you the myriad of possibilities to incorporating this famous retro art style into your interior (and exterior!) motif.