Today, a wide variety of finishingmaterials, furniture and accessories allows you to create almost any famous interior style in your home. Each owner can choose the direction that best fits into the concept of his vision of his home. This can be both modern styles, distinguished by asceticism, and lush interiors that have become fashionable during the Middle Ages. 
The style of Empire combines noble luxury andmajesty with modern sophistication and beauty. But only one style of all known is able to combine pretentiousness with its coldness and severity and sophistication with luxury and wealth. It's about empire (or imperial style). At the beginning of the last century, the Empire-style living room was a favorite place in Russian noble families. The combination of splendor, airiness and spaciousness (what distinguishes empire) had to taste Russian nobility and soon became traditional when creating interiors not only in urban areas, but also in country estates.
Features of the style direction of empire
First of all, the style of Empireclassical rigor and sophistication. There is no place for cheap finishing materials and household items. As a rule, finishing should be done only by expensive and rich materials associated with luxury. This can be a panel of expensive wood, chic wallpaper, parquet, marble, granite, elite ceramic tiles, stucco molding, mosaic or Venetian plaster. 
Picture 1. The Empire style includes majestic bas-reliefs, arches, columns, as well as decorative consoles. Relief, bas-reliefs, arches, columns and decorative consoles look harmonious in the room executed in this style solution. But unlike other styles, where the above elements are used in the interior, here all the compositions should be placed strictly symmetrically, emphasizing the almost military severity of the Empire style (Fig. 1). Features of the living room in the imperial style should be laid already during the construction of the house or during major repairs. This need is largely due to the main characteristic of the Empire - the unity of furniture, accessories in the interior and architectural forms. The premises should be spacious, and the window and door openings must be enlarged, giving them the shape of arches tending to the ceiling. Often, to create interiors in the Empire style, you need to increase the number of windows. The larger and wider, the airy and spacious the living room looks, that is, its interior should correspond to the chosen style. Monumental columns can be located both along the windows or walls, and in the central part of the room, visually dividing it into zones (Fig. 2). When placed along walls they can alternate with huge mirrors framed in expensive and massive frames. 
Figure 2. In the Empire style living room should be a lot of light, so you need to install more windows. In addition, in the drawing room of the imperial style there must be attributes reminding of military affairs, so the sculptures from gypsum, images of lions and griffins, military emblems and coats of arms will harmoniously fit into the interior. In the patterns of furniture upholstery, curtains and draperies are appropriate images of eagles, military medallions and insignia, adjacent to stylized roses, vases and lush trains. Support a rich and majestic view of tiles of natural stone, which will be faced with walls. If we talk about curtains, then they should differ not only in the weight and density of the fabrics, but also in the abundance of flounces, ruches and picks. The best material for curtains in the living room in Empire style will be luxurious and expensive velvet. Back to contents</a>
Color combinations inherent in empire
Like everything in the living room,executed in the imperial style, the colors of decoration must be truly royal. It can be shades such as blue, blue, white, red, in abundance present in the decoration and household items. They should be diluted with noble and strict shades of green, purple, gold and silver. In an Empire-style room, all the colors of the decoration should ideally blend in with the furniture and accessories. So, the best option will be the use of curtains under the color of the upholstery. It is desirable to use light colors, restrained and elegant at the same time (Fig. 3). Back to contents</a>
Furniture for rooms in imperial style
Interior of the living room in the imperial style should beis made using massive upholstered furniture. The smaller the size of the living room, the less massive there should be pieces of furniture. But, regardless of size, all furniture should be placed strictly symmetrically, with orientation to architectural forms. 
Figure 3. The Empire style prefers light shades that harmonize with each other. If space allows space, the living room can be equipped with a sofa and armchairs, low tables, chairs, cabinets, sideboards and bookcases. All furniture should be made of expensive wood, mostly from mahogany, covered with expensive fabrics or genuine leather. Also, furniture can be made from wood of gloomy tones: teak, ebony or ebony. The combination of luxury and solemn gloom will perfectly emphasize the refined atmosphere in the living room of the imperial style. Since the style of Empire includes the inclusion of military paraphernalia, furniture legs can be made in the form of a paw of a lion, a sphinx, a swan or an eagle and covered with gilding. Lyra is considered a symbol of the Empire style, so when designing a room it is appropriate to use chairs or chairs with backs made in the form of this musical instrument. In addition, the style of Empire includes the motives of the ancient Roman style, which can be traced in the smooth curves of soft furniture. At the same time, furniture should have simple, strict, but at the same time expressive contours. If the upholstery is decorated with patterns, then it should not look fanciful and eclipse the noble outlines of furniture items. 
Figure 4. Gold-plated chandeliers, classic lampshades, antique watches and a vase decorate the living room in Empire style. In the interior of a spacious room look great round table with expensive silver or gold inlays and chairs with carved legs, as well as armchairs with figured armrests, display cases for dishes or jewelry. If the living room is not large, it can be equipped with a small sofa, a stylish coffee table with a glass top and a chest of drawers. When choosing the finish of walls in light colors, upholstery colors of furniture can be dark blue, red, chestnut, burgundy or golden. Back to contents</a>
Features of accessories and decor
The main emphasis in the Empire-style room should bebe made for accessories and decor. So, it looks great stucco decorating the ceiling around the chandelier and the corners. The chandelier in the living room of the imperial style should have a very rich look. It is better if it is made of high-quality crystal. In addition, the interior of the living room is difficult to imagine without bronze or gilt lamps, classic sconces with lampshades, antique floor clocks and vases. These attributes maximally emphasize the beauty and luxury of the living room (Fig. 4). When planning to equip a room in an imperial style, it is necessary to remember that the main condition of this style direction is space and airiness, so the Empire on a 10m² square is unlikely to look good. This style is perfect for country cottages, mansions and villas, providing an opportunity to recreate the traditional decoration of the houses of the Russian nobility and making the dwelling not only exquisite, but also harmonious.
