Times of scarcity, when buying every itemfurniture or accessories for decorating an apartment was considered a great success, are long gone, and today everyone can arrange their home in full accordance with the desired style. Someone prefers minimalism, not cluttering the apartment with unnecessary details, and someone wants to create an original and individual interior in the house, replete with unusual elements and antiques.
Antiques are a great tool forcreating an antique style. For many decades, it has been used by both designers and apartment owners. Antiques are the most effective tool for creating an antique style. For several decades, it has been willingly used by both designers and apartment owners. But in order to correctly select the necessary interior items, it is necessary to consider which antique styles are used today for arranging modern homes.
Imitation of the Ancient Epochs
There are several old styles,which it is almost impossible to use original antique samples, which are usually a necessary component of such interiors. We are talking about ancient Greek, Egyptian and Roman styles. All the small quantities of antiques that were used in everyday life by people living in those distant times are museum exhibits.
Figure 1.The Egyptian style in the interior provides for the predominance of geometric shapes, as well as natural themes. To recreate these style solutions, furniture and accessories imitating rarities are used. In European countries, where ancient styles are quite a popular design trend, such things are quite common. What characterizes ancient styles? If we talk about Egypt, these are all sorts of geometrically correct figures with a predominance of cubic forms, smooth polished surfaces, numerous bas-reliefs with natural themes. In addition, the ancient Egyptian direction is characterized by papyri, mosaics, interior elements made of marble or inlaid with metals. Accessories with hieroglyphs and enamels will look great. Stylized vases, figurines and even palm trees in pots will help to recreate the spirit of the ancient country. An example of this interior looks like this (Fig. 1). When creating the ancient Greek style, it is necessary to use structurally simple, but ergonomic, very elegant furniture with many unusual decorations. As is known from the descriptions, the ancient Greeks used very beautiful furniture, which was often made of mahogany, had inlays and decoration with marble and gold. Despite the apparent simplicity of the designs, such elements give the interior sophistication and originality.
Figure 2. The Roman style uses rich paintings and accessories, various mosaics, plaster. The Greek style is also characterized by the following details:
- light fabrics of light tones;
- marble sculptures and statuettes;
- a lot of ceramic products with a stylized Greek pattern: vessels, vases and amphorae;
- floors of natural stone or its imitation;
- classical columns;
- bas-reliefs.
The ceiling in this interior can be decoratedfresco or tension structure with photo printing under fresco. The Roman antique style originates in Greece, so the influence of Hellenism is widely reflected here. Despite this, the Roman style direction is characterized by absolutely unique elements. For example, bronze furniture, which could only be used by the elite of society. Furniture made of wood, iron or marble will also look harmonious. To recreate the spirit of Ancient Rome, various mosaics, painted plaster, complex rich paintings and accessories inlaid with gold, silver and other metals are used. In order to characterize this style direction, you can use only 2 words - antiquity and brutality, where luxurious interior items are hidden behind the strong walls of the building (Fig. 2). Return to the table of contents</a>
Medieval style directions
The laconic and rough Romanesque style asno other can convey the spirit of the Middle Ages. When using this style direction of design, the premises are usually made in dark (red, brown, green and black) tones, but at the same time, gray and white finishing will also correspond to the style. A large number of straight lines (both horizontal and vertical), the presence of knightly attributes - torches, coats of arms, weapons are necessary. The walls can be decorated with geometric or plant patterns, decorative windows or frescoes. Single-color plaster is often used - beige or yellow-brown.
Figure 3.Wooden furniture decorated with rough carving and forged details will look great in the Romanesque style. The ceiling should look like a vault, and its color should completely match the color of the walls. To make the ceiling decorative, it can be decorated with a fresco or supported by roughly made props. The floor is faced with ceramic tiles imitating stone or natural stone. Furniture plays a huge role in recreating the medieval spirit. They, like everything in these rooms, should be massive and quite primitive. Wooden furniture decorated with rough carving and forged details will look great. It is undesirable to use any upholstered furniture, the only exception being a bed. An example of the Romanesque style is shown in Fig. 3. The Byzantine style is associated with luxury. This style continues the ancient Roman style, which determines the use of a large amount of textiles and woven upholstery in interior decoration. Ideally, the fabrics will be decorated with rich embroidery with geometric or floral patterns. Furniture inlaid with metals and paintings on religious themes will harmoniously fit into the design. The best colors for finishing rooms in the Byzantine style will be gold, red, yellow, indigo or purple. Return to contents</a>Baroque is the most striking stylistic trend of the Middle Ages
Figure 4.The main elements of the Baroque style are the use of expensive marble finishing for fireplaces and the use of removable covers for upholstered furniture. The same colors characterize another medieval style - Baroque, which includes many new interior elements that appeared at the end of the Renaissance. First of all, these are twisted legs decorating massive furniture, high backs that gave the chairs the appearance of a throne, armrests, rich and heavy curtains, chic tapestry. The main attributes of this ancient style are the use of expensive marble finishing for fireplaces and the use of removable covers for upholstered furniture. Usually, covers were made of light expensive natural fabrics - lace and silk. Furniture items should be made of expensive wood - cedar, mahogany or ebony. A little later, such elements as candelabra and floor clocks were included in the Baroque style. Together with them, the interior will be perfectly decorated with expensive furniture with many decorative elements: ligature, carving or ornaments. Recreating the Baroque style, it is necessary to remember that here the furniture should not be so much household items as collectibles, and accessories should create an original and lush decor. An example of Baroque is shown in Fig. 4. Return to the table of contents</a>
Chippendale Rococo is a style movement of the 18th century
Chippendale's Rococo design shouldmatch the walls in pastel colors, expensive decorative elements and ornaments. At the beginning of the 18th century, several more styles came into fashion, which can be considered old design styles. Almost all of them were created by immigrants from Foggy Albion. Thus, such an old style as Chippendale Rococo should be considered a purely English direction. The furniture maker managed to create an amazing combination of Gothic, classical Rococo and Chinese art. Basically, this style is characterized by expensive furniture with gilding, luxurious inlays, fine carving. The design in the spirit of Thomas Chippendale should match the walls in pastel colors, a large number of oriental textiles, expensive decorative elements and ornaments. Since Rococo is a ladies' boudoir style, pink tones, mirrors in luxurious frames, deep soft armchairs intended for lush women's clothing are welcome. Return to contents</a>
Features of the Georgian style
Georgian style in the interior includesfurniture made of mahogany. In addition, fans of everything English can arrange the interior in a purely English Georgian style. This trend was formed after it was successfully promoted by kings George I, George II and George III, taking as a basis the design developed by Queen Anne. This interior is impossible to imagine without furniture made of mahogany. Often, furniture details - legs or backs of chairs - are figures inspired by Celtic or medieval myths. For example, armchairs or chairs with legs in the form of a clawed paw holding a ball will harmoniously fit into the Georgian style. All furniture should be very comfortable and elegant, providing maximum comfort for those people who will use it. Also, the interior should have a large number of bronze decorative elements and sparkling varnish. The basis of the style is proportionality and restraint. Rich draperies or lush wall paintings will be superfluous here. You can use textile wallpaper with small or large floral patterns for wall decoration. But the Georgian style is most vividly characterized by decoration with wooden wall panels, which can be painted in gray, white, olive, brown, red, yellow or blue.
Furniture in the English style should beas comfortable and elegant as possible, providing convenience for those people who will use it. Cornices and borders made of stucco in the Greek or ancient Roman styles will help create an English modest design. If we talk about floors, they should be made of wood or stone. Initially, floors were covered with mats woven from reeds or straw, but later carpets came into fashion, which began to be laid in the central part of the rooms. At the same time, built-in wardrobes appeared: wall niches with shelves began to be closed with doors. Georgian style is the best solution for a small room that needs to be furnished modestly and unpretentiously, but with taste. Today, interior design can be done in almost any old style. All the mandatory elements that will characterize the era represented in your home can be supplemented with modern accessories that match the decor in meaning. The main thing here is think everything through carefully so that the decor does not interfere with the room's stylish and cozy appearance.
