Classic poster art: 20 ideas for a timeless interior

2.

The main families of classic posters at Brunelia

The main families are gramophones and jukeboxes, car scenes featuring a 1950s convertible, portraits of women in the style of that decade, and posters with a sense of humor, like funny restroom signs.

3.

Mixing several styles on one wall

A gramophone, a car scene and a mid-century portrait can sit side by side on the same wall if they share a similar color palette and the same type of frame.

4.

Where to hang a classic poster

An office or a hallway is a good fit for this type of poster day to day. In a living room, it works best if the rest of the room stays understated, so the poster can be the star of the space. A3 suits most walls; for a gallery wall mixing several styles, A4 makes multi-poster compositions easier.

5.

Keep exploring

The Art Deco style guide.

• illustrated posters
• Art Deco posters

6.

More than gramophones and jukeboxes

Beyond the pieces above, the radio, rotary phone, typewriter and wall clock are another group of everyday objects, each with its own poster: the wooden radio with a couple dancing in front of it, the red rotary phone on an entryway table, the black typewriter under its desk lamp and the sunburst wall clock. That's 4 subjects, each with a different mood.

Sports and action, a more physical register

Boxing and skateboarding add a more physical register, apart from the objects and portraits already mentioned: on one side, the boxer training at the punching bag and the champions’ fight in a red and black ring; on the other, the skater mid-jump over a bowl, under a palm tree.

Science fiction and heroic jobs, a more imaginative register

The poster of the comic book superhero on a red and yellow background and the one of the giant robot on a nighttime avenue lean toward the imaginary, while the poster of the red fire truck with an extension ladder remains rooted in a real profession: 3 subjects that repeat neither the objects, nor the cars, nor the portraits already covered.

Mix up your subjects instead of repeating the same object

For a classic-style wall that doesn’t show the same type of subject twice, try combining an object (radio, phone, typewriter) with an action scene (boxing, skateboarding) or an imaginative subject (superhero, robot). It adds variety without breaking the look.

Choosing subjects to suit the room

An office or a hallway is a good fit for classic objects (radio, typewriter, clock), as mentioned earlier. Sports or science-fiction subjects, which are more graphic and more colorful, work better in a teenager’s bedroom or a play area than in an understated living room.