Today there is a wide variety of finishing materialsmaterials, furniture and accessories allows you to create almost any known interior style in your home. Each owner can choose the direction that will best fit into the concept of his vision of his own home. These can be both modern styles, distinguished by asceticism, and lush interiors that came into fashion during the Middle Ages.
The Empire style combines noble luxury andgrandeur with modern sophistication and beauty. But only one style of all known is capable of combining pretentiousness with its coldness and severity and sophistication with luxury and wealth. We are talking about the Empire style (or imperial style). At the beginning of the last century, the Empire style living room was a favorite room in Russian noble families. The combination of splendor, airiness and spaciousness (which distinguishes the Empire style) was to the taste of the Russian nobility and soon became traditional in creating interiors not only in city premises, but also in country estates.
Features of the style direction of empire
First of all, the Empire style is characterized byclassic rigor and sophistication. There is no place for cheap finishing materials and household items. As a rule, finishing should be done only with expensive and rich materials associated with luxury. These can be panels made of expensive wood species, luxurious wallpaper, parquet flooring, marble, granite, elite ceramic tiles, stucco, mosaics or Venetian plaster.
Figure 1.The Empire style includes majestic bas-reliefs, arches, columns, and decorative consoles. Bas-reliefs, arches, columns, and decorative consoles look harmonious in a room designed in this style. But unlike other styles, where the above-mentioned elements are used in the interior, here all compositions should be arranged strictly symmetrically, emphasizing the almost military severity of the Empire style (Fig. 1). The features of the living room in the Empire style should be laid down during the construction of the house or during a major renovation. This need is largely explained by the main characteristic of the Empire style - the unity of furniture, accessories in the interior and architectural forms. The premises should be spacious, and window and door openings should be enlarged, giving them the shape of arches tending to the ceiling. Often, to create interiors in the Empire style, it is necessary to increase the number of windows. The larger and wider they are, the airier and more spacious the living room looks, that is, its interior should correspond as much as possible to the chosen style direction. Monumental columns can be placed either along windows or walls, or in the central part of the room, visually dividing it into zones (Fig. 2). When placed along the walls, they can alternate with huge mirrors framed in expensive and massive frames.
Figure 2.The Empire style living room should have a lot of light, so it is necessary to install more windows. In addition, the Empire style living room should have attributes reminiscent of military affairs, so plaster sculptures, 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, images of eagles, military medallions and insignia are appropriate, adjacent to stylized roses, vases and lush trains. Natural stone tiles, which will be used to cover the walls, will help to maintain a rich and majestic look. If we talk about curtains, they should be distinguished not only by the weight and density of the fabrics, but also by an abundance of flounces, ruffles and grabs. The best material for curtains in the Empire style living room will be luxurious and expensive velvet. Return to the table of contents</a>
Color combinations inherent in empire
Like everything else in the living room,made in the Empire style, the colors of the decoration should be truly royal. These can be shades such as blue, blue, white, red, abundantly present in the decoration and household items. They should be diluted with noble and strict shades of green, purple, gold and silver. In a room in the Empire style, all the colors of the decoration should be in perfect harmony with the furniture and accessories. So, the best option would be to use curtains to match the color of the furniture upholstery. It is desirable to use light colors, restrained and elegant at the same time (Fig. 3). Return to the table of contents</a>
Furniture for rooms in imperial style
The interior of the living room in the empire style should beis made using massive upholstered furniture. The smaller the size of the living room, the less massive the furniture should be. But, regardless of the size, all the furniture should be arranged strictly symmetrically, with an orientation towards architectural forms.
Figure 3.The Empire style prefers light shades that harmonize with each other. If the space of the room allows, then the living room can have a sofa and armchairs, low tables, chairs, cabinets, sideboards and bookcases. All furniture should be made of expensive wood, mainly mahogany, covered with expensive fabrics or genuine leather. Furniture can also be made of dark-toned wood: teak, ebony or black wood. The combination of luxury and solemn gloom will perfectly emphasize the exquisite atmosphere in the living room of the Empire style. Since the Empire style involves the inclusion of military attributes, the legs of the furniture can be made in the form of the paws of a lion, sphinx, swan or eagle and covered with gilding. The lyre is considered a kind of symbol of the Empire style, so when decorating a room, it is appropriate to use chairs or armchairs with backs made in the form of this musical instrument. In addition, the Empire style includes motifs of the ancient Roman style, which can be seen in the smooth curves of upholstered furniture. At the same time, the furniture should have simple, strict, but at the same time expressive contours. If the upholstery is decorated with patterns, it should not look pretentious and overshadow the noble outlines of the furniture.
Figure 4.Gilded chandeliers, classic lampshades, antique clocks and vases will decorate the living room in the Empire style. A 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 look great in the interior of a spacious room. If the living room is not very large, then you can install a small sofa, a stylish coffee table with a glass top and a chest of drawers. When choosing wall decoration in light tones, the colors of the furniture upholstery can be dark blue, red, chestnut, burgundy or gold. Return to contents</a>
Features of accessories and decor
The main accent in the Empire style roomshould be made on accessories and decor. So, the stucco molding decorating the ceiling around the chandelier and in the corners looks great. The chandelier itself in the living room in 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 gilded lamps, classic sconces with lampshades, antique floor clocks and vases. These attributes will most effectively emphasize the beauty and luxury of the living room (Fig. 4). When planning to furnish a room in the imperial style, it is necessary to remember that the main condition of this style direction is space and airiness, so the empire style is unlikely to look good on an area of 10 m². This style is perfect for country cottages, mansions and summer cottages, providing an opportunity to recreate the traditional decoration of the houses of the Russian nobility and making the home not only exquisite, but also harmonious.
