Marquetry Elevator Doors, Chrysler Building, New York (1928–30)
One of the famous elevator doors of the Chrysler Building in New York, inlaid with a stylized lotus-like design in contrasting woods.
Design characteristics
The Chrysler Building's elevator doors are some of the most photographed examples of Art Deco design. Each door is inlaid with a fan of stylized plant forms in several woods, rising from a base to a peak, framed in metal. They show how a flat door can become a work of art through veneer and inlay alone. The same approach can be used for a pantry door, a pair of closet doors or a statement cabinet.
Classification
- Style
- Art Deco
- Category
- Interior Doors
- Material
- Exotic veneer
- Motifs
- Marquetry, Stylized lotus
- Photograph
- 2016
- Photographer
- SiefkinDR
- Evidence
- Photograph of a documented interior or object
- Source
- Wikimedia Commons
Architectural context
Stepped geometry, fluting and figured veneers. Europe and the United States · c. 1920–1940.
