An elegant living room in the English style, as if descending from the pages of books about Sherlock Holmes is an ideal place for evening gatherings for dinner or traditional for foggy albion. This style with complete confidence can be called classic – but not museum, since it is cozy, comfortable and truly “living”.
English living room – setting the foundation of the foundation
Create a real English interior with our own hands
The English style can be divided into two branches:
Georgian;
Victorian.
Both of these interior “genres” were called by the names of the English rulers, who were headed by the British Empire during their occurrence. The first of them was formed in the era of the reign of the four kings called by the dahlia (almost the entire 18th century), and the second – during the rule of the famous Queen Victoria (the whole second half of the 19th century).
Despite all the similarity of these styles, there is a noticeable difference between them. But for starters, we will talk about what in common of these two areas of interior fashion. Firstly, an abundance of wooden details. Furniture, wall decoration, floor, and sometimes even the ceiling – all this was made of wood. Another common detail of the Victorian and late Georgian style is the abundance of all kinds of accessories, ranging from small figurines and ending with paintings in heavy wooden gilded frames. The abundance of fabrics is also characteristic of both styles, but the color scheme still slightly varies. Well, and, of course, a fireplace, without which not a single living room of subjects of the British crown was complete – after all, as we recall, England is famous for its dank weather and incessant rains.
Now about the color scheme. If you want to create in your living room the sensation of the era of the reign of numerous dahlias or, on the contrary, to recreate the spirit of the houses built at the time of Victoria rule, pay attention to the color. In the first case, use light shades of yellow, green and red colors. In the second, on the contrary, focus on burgundy and dark green (remember the traditional Scottish cage).
In the Georgian era, all the furniture was placed near the walls, while during the reign of the Queen it was often put forward to the middle of the room. Therefore, if you certainly want to focus on one of them, do not miss this important detail.
How does the creation of the interior begin?
We adopt some elements of the British kingdom
However, today with confidence we can say that modern English style is a mixture of the eras of four queens and one queen. We will leave gradations to art historians and try to create the perfect design of the English room in the modern reading of this classic “foggy” genre.
So, finishing. On the floor, as we have already said, there must certainly be a tree (however, the laminate will also fit completely) – a parquet or a parquet board imitating it. As a rule, its color should be dark, repeating the colors of real wood of valuable species. However, even the British themselves sometimes went to the trick and covered the floors from an ordinary tree with decorative stain, successfully achieving the desired effect.
The traditional wall design for Britain has a fairly complex scheme. The lower part of the walls is occupied by wooden panels of dark or light wood with skirting boards and basements, the middle – wallpaper or fabric and upper – wide cornice. As in the case of the floor, they are “masked” under expensive woods. As for the drawing, for the living room it is worth choosing wallpaper with heraldic lilies, roses or decorated with stripes. You can add a little Scotland to the interior, having designed the walls with wallpaper in a cell traditional for this part of Great Britain. The ceiling should not be white – at that time it was usually painted in light beige tones. In general, it is better to choose the tones of the decoration of the room based on its natural light – the better it is, the darker the walls and floor can be.
Arrangement of furniture
The first thing that comes to mind at the mention of the English interior is wooden furniture in the style of “Chippendale”. It is characterized by a large amount of the most diverse decor – Chinese and neo -Gothic motifs, gilding and carved details. Of course, the real furniture of that era is a pleasure, frankly, not cheap, but modern technologies allow you to successfully imitate it. A characteristic feature of the “Chippendale” furniture – the legs imitating the paw of the Chinese dragon holding the pearl.
As well as wooden pieces of furniture in the style of Chippendale, classic sofas and chairs called Chesterfield, an unchanging attribute of the English interior. These are soft, skin, whose backs are fastened and decorated with leather buttons. A group of two chairs and a Chesterfield sofa will successfully fit into the space near the fireplace. Between them it is worth placing a wooden tea or coffee table – you can even with glass inserts. A dining group made in the same style, consisting of a massive table and chairs with soft upholstery, will make a furniture composition of a complete and related.
By the way, the fireplace does not have to be real (and it is hardly possible in urban conditions). Even the British themselves have long replaced it with an artificial focus, which, however, can be distinguished from the present only with a very close consideration. Above the fireplace – instead of the traditional picture for the British style, you can arrange a modern plasma TV. However, in order not to go completely against traditions, it can be designed in a heavy gilded frame.
The rest of the furniture should in no case be disconnected with the basics of the room. Especially well emphasizes his carved bureau in the same style of Chippendale – an excellent replacement for modern desktops made from sheets of chipboard. It’s good if there is also a buffet in such a living room, behind which the British loved to expose precious family porcelain. Book cabinets must certainly “live” not only in the office, but also in the living room. Take care of the roots of your books – they should never be bright and paper, otherwise it will look very inappropriate. Do not forget about another important interior detail – doors that should also harmoniously fit into the room.
Decor of the living room
It is the accessories that largely make the hall in the English style. Especially when it comes to the maximum approximation of the interior to Victorian, rather than to the Georgian era. Firstly, carpets. The traditional living room of a resident of Britain invariably decorates carpets made of natural materials. Drawings on them are quite traditional – these are either oriental motifs or roses so beloved by true Englishmen.
Carpets and decor of textiles – covered, upholstery of furniture, drapery of doors and fireplaces, tablecloths and tablecloths echoes the pattern. By the way, it is precisely the Victorian style that is characterized by a large amount of textiles, while the “St. Georians” in this regard are much more restrained. But they are characterized by a large abundance of mirrors that reflect daylight, which during the reign of Victoria used much more moderate.
As for the lighting, sconces, lamps and chandeliers imitating candelabra or oil lights, characteristic of the late Victorian era, will be most appropriate. However, real candelabra will also be useful here – they can be used as decor items. In general, accessories in the English interior are selected according to the principle of “the more, the better”. As a wall decor, in addition to numerous paintings, you can use various hunting paraphernalia or, best of all, its imitation.
And finally, curtains. For sewing them, as a rule, they use brocade, silk, velvet or tapestry. There must certainly be there lambrequins and pickups, but the tulle in this case is not at all required.
