The Edwardian era was influenced by diverse styles over a short period of time. Initially there was a return to classical elegance & simplicity. Art Nouveau, regarded as the first modern style of this era, sought its initial inspiration in the natural world, embracing plant forms and organic lines.

Art Deco emerged from the bleakness of the First World War, to provide a fresh new look that was more angular and streamlined, yet lavish and unashamedly contemporary. Initially Art Deco embraced simple and abstract motifs in elegant and exotic forms, this abstraction being well illustrated in the work and particularly the furniture of Charles Rennie Mackintosh.