Art deco

Any fan of the perennially popular ITV series Poirot knows that a huge part of its appeal is the physical look of the era it evokes: simple, elegant and sophisticated, it can be summed up in the two words “Art Deco”. The architecture, interior decor and period props in the show are emblematic of this 1930s style. Although Art Deco originated in France, the British have always loved it. And some have done very well out of it in terms of investment.

Phillip Jones’s semi-detached 1931 Art Deco house overlooking Cardigan Bay in Wales is furnished entirely in the style – everything from the furniture, rugs and lighting, through an array of objets d’art, down to the rare Shelley teacups and Chrysler Building ashtray. Over the past 15 years Jones has spent about £65,000 amassing his collection of some 500 Art Deco items, and by buying wisely he reckons its overall value has quadrupled.

Jones, 42, is an unlikely expert in art and design. He started his working life as a coal miner, before entering the car industry. Now he works for the Post Office in the morning and the Fire Brigade in the afternoon. But he claims always to have had an eye for quality and fine workmanship.

In the early 1990s he took an evening course in interior design, and this led to his passion for Art Deco. “I bought a book on Clarice Cliff, the famous British designer of art deco ceramics,” he explains, “and loved her bold, bright designs. So I looked for some of her work and in a Southampton antique shop I found a 1931 plate she designed in a fantasy-landscape pattern called Secrets. It cost me £85. Today it’s worth £350-£400.”

That was the start of his hunt for Art Deco treasures, and the first of his “good finds”. Later came more major purchases, such as the Epstein burr maple dining room suite, for which he paid £1,400 a decade ago and which is now valued at £7,000. “It’s both beautiful and functional, and such good quality that it’ll see us out.”

Another excellent investment was the bronze and ivory female figure designed by the renowned Austrian sculptor Josef Lorenzl and hand-painted by his in-house artist Crejo, which seven years ago cost Jones £2,500 (the most he ever paid for a single item) and is now worth about £6,000.

A 1932 English walnut-veneer circular cabinet which Jones bought at the same time for £250 is now valued at £1,200.

His favourite item is a large 1928 sculpture of a scantily-clad man, called The Bronze Age and designed by Dimitri Chiparus. It is made of spelter, a brass and zinc alloy. “Ten years ago I paid £800 for it in an antique shop and its value has doubled.”

Jones’s greatest coup so far was the onyx clock with a bronze and ivory figure of a woman on top, for which he paid £300 a year ago at a Cardiff antiques fair. “It was dirty and I didn’t know it was particularly valuable until I took it home and cleaned it up. Then I saw the Chiparus signature and foundry mark, and learned that it had been specially commissioned and is a unique piece. A few months later I sold it at auction for £15,000.”

The most valuable item he currently owns is the 1925 André Gilbert bronze and ivory female figure called Dance of the Harlequinade, acquired in a Welsh junk shop for £120 four years ago. It would now fetch £10,000-£15,000. He points out that only the best and rarest items have gone up so dramatically.

“Much of the furniture I bought was in a rough state, but I had learnt to restore furniture on my design course, and I’ve also learnt to rewire lights. This saved me a lot of money over the years.”

One “nightmarish” expense, however, is his home contents insurance. “We have to eat beans on toast all year round to pay for it,” quips Jones.

With his wife Carol he hunts for new pieces all over the country. “It’s addictive,” he remarks. He constantly upgrades his collection, selling off lesser items to acquire better ones. One day his daughter Evie (now two) will inherit the lot. “If she doesn’t like it, she can sell it off and buy a house or something.”

For now, he is happy just to enjoy his Art Deco habitat, with its beautiful lines, curves and fluting. “It was so ahead of its time, it still looks futuristic. People who visit can’t believe our things are 80 years old.”