Features of the Empire style in the interior

Decor in style empire in the interior of the rooms it looks spectacular, luxurious and presentable. Many owners of modern apartments and houses with high ceilings and spacious rooms want to know what it is. After all, any little thing, up to the choice of a table for the kitchen, is very important in this case. The design features in the imperial style, its characteristic features should be considered in more detail before using in decorating the interior space.

The Empire style in interior design began to be used during the imperial reign of Napoleon Bonaparte in France... Initially, the style came from classicism, adopting its main features, but later acquired its own characteristics and characteristics. The very word empire means "empire". This style in the interior is really famous for its scale, luxury, pomp.

In Russia, the Empire style came into vogue after the war of 1812, but remained at the peak of popularity for a relatively short time, about 30 years... It is interesting that it was during this period of history that it was divided into Moscow and St. Petersburg. The first option is most often perceived as an example of the Russian imperial style, rather cold, with strict lines and special splendor. Speaking about the modern Empire style, one can most often consider its Petersburg traditions, in which scale and luxury are mixed with elements of late classicism. In Soviet times, in the 30-50s of the XX century, the so-called Stalinist version of this style came into vogue.

The main characteristic of the Empire style in interior design and architecture looks like mixing the aesthetics of the Roman Empire, Ancient Greece and Egypt. Decor elements such as columns, pilasters, porticoes, bas-reliefs, stucco moldings mixed with military-themed wall decorations - shields, coats of arms, armor, blades are actively used in the setting.

Among the characteristic features of the Empire style are the following.

1. The symmetry of the elements in the design of the space. Paired items are used here both in decor and in furnishings.
2. Refinement and consistency in a single stylistic solution.
3. Splendor, solemnity. The living room, bedroom, kitchen look as if they are ready to receive the highest guests.
4. Monumentality. In such a space, it is impossible to do an easy rearrangement. Every detail is carefully planned from the start to take its place.
5. A wealth of decorative items. The design of the premises contains many details that form a special chic characteristic of the Empire style.
6. Harmonious interweaving of elements, characteristic of antiquity and Ancient Egypt.
7. Massive, solid furniture. Preference is given to wood of red or dark tones, richly decorated with carvings.
8. The centric construction of the composition. Decor is used on the floor and ceiling, allowing you to correctly place accents. It can be a stucco molding, an original ornament in the laying of parquet. Furniture is also placed on a centric or ray principle, depending on the purpose of the room.
9. Large-format mirrors and paintings in massive frames. The baguette is necessarily decorated with gilding, covered with carvings.
10. Heavy and dense draperies, canopies, canopies. Bows, brushes and other elements are used for decoration.

Imperial pomp requires space. The Empire style is best in harmony with architectural elements corresponding to its scale. Large window openings, high multi-tiered ceilings, double swing doors, podiums - this is what is simply necessary for the full-scale implementation of projects.

When embodying the Empire style in a modern interior at all it is not necessary to adhere to the historical accuracy of the situation... Instead of antiques, you can use modern, but made in accordance with the basic canons. Paintings, statues, gilded elements must be in keeping with imperial luxury. The only thing left for the designer is to achieve a visual recreation of the chosen style in the French, Moscow, St. Petersburg traditions or in the spirit of the Stalinist Empire style.

The imperial style in interior design involves the use of rather limited range of colors and shades. The interior should have shades of precious metals - gold, silver, bronze. They accentuate imperial luxury and create a special impression of the indoor setting. In addition to the dominant tones, there are background tones that allow you to elegantly frame the shine of gold or the coldness of silver. Among them are the following.

• White... A clean noble tone that gives the heavy empire a feeling of lightness and free space. The combination of white and gold colors is most often found in ceilings, wall ornaments and staircases.

• Scarlet... An imperial-style red should be rich and luxurious and eye-catching. It is used carefully, mainly in the design of textile interior elements. Red curtains, carpets, upholstery of upholstered furniture allow you to correctly place accents without overloading the space with details.

• Blue... Considered a secondary color. It can be seen in boudoirs, hallways, kitchen spaces and corridors.

• Turquoise... A color suitable for the modern traditions of the imperial style is more characteristic of its Petersburg direction. It is appropriate to decorate the bedroom, dining room, boudoir in turquoise tones.

• Green... It should not dominate, but it can be present in the form of furniture upholstery, draperies, curtains and canopies. Such decoration is not used for the front rooms of the house, but it is quite appropriate in the office or personal apartments.

• Bordeaux... The deep color of noble French wine is used to create reception rooms, offices, premises for business dinners. The shade emphasizes the solemnity of the setting, goes well with natural wood.

The main range of shades is rather laconic. This is largely due to the fact that the Empire style was originally built on the idea of ​​patriotism and imperial triumph. The 3 colors that make up the French flag were taken as a basis: white, blue, red. Later, there were more color options. Today there are even pastel colors in interiors that make the space more comfortable for life.

It is worth strictly following certain rules when finishing. Whether it is a country mansion or an interior in an apartment, a town house, a cottage - the main design recommendations will be the same. Preference should be given to natural materials. The quality requirements are really high. An interior door made of solid pine would be inappropriate here, but an oak one, decorated with carvings, is fully consistent with imperial trends. In addition to valuable wood species, the use of marble, travertine and other types of natural stone is encouraged in the Empire style. In the decoration of protruding elements, gilding, bronze, silver, and crystal are widely used.

The classic version of wall upholstery for the Empire style is considered the use of luxurious fabrics - brocade, silk... Current trends are offering more affordable solutions. Textile or textured wallpaperimitating the interlacing of threads will harmoniously fit into the design.

You can achieve a reliable transfer of the Empire style in the interior using the following techniques.

1. Thoroughly plaster the walls, then cover with matt paint. Suitable shades are white, beige, sand, olive, pale peach.
2. Select separate zones on the surface of the walls with protruding elements. It is important to follow the principles of symmetry. Overhead half-columns, stucco molding are suitable for zoning.
3. Decorate each area with murals or stencils.
4. Place mirrors that visually expand the space.
5. Paint all protruding elements with gold color. Stucco moldings, borders, frames should be refined and refined.

Empire-style wall surfaces can decorate with picturesque canvases in carved, richly decorated frames... Acceptable and use of photos - ceremonial portraits in the spirit of the era, stylized in antiquity. You can print them on tapestries to get rid of the overly modern design.

It is not customary to hide floor coverings in an Empire style interior entirely under carpets. They themselves are of great value, they are a complete work of art. Most often, the floor is decorated with expensive parquet with a complex mosaic pattern. Tiles made of natural stone and marble are also considered appropriate. When creating Empire-style floors, you should avoid monotony in the decor. In such interiors, artistic parquet is used, which makes it possible to form a complex ornament on the surface.

Empire-style ceiling decoration suggests conciseness and rigor in the choice of colors. Most often, traditional dyeing in white, ivory shades is used. Empire style requires a large area of ​​ceilings, wall heights. The following techniques are traditionally used in decoration:

• staining with matte compounds;
• application of overhead stucco molding;
• zoning with the allocation of the central area;
• the use of large chandeliers and other lighting fixtures;
• multi-tiered.

Ceiling in the Empire style is one of the foundations of the style, determines the splendor and solemnity of the atmosphere. It is customary to decorate it richly and pompously, adding rosettes and other architectural details.

Finding furniture in the Empire style is quite simple, if you rely on the basic principles. The table, chest of drawers, sofas should be made in the traditions of antiquity. Legs in the form of paws of lions, griffins and other mythical creatures, carved floral ornaments will be appropriate here. All furnishings should be made from solid wood of the same species, without heterogeneity in the pattern. For the empire style smooth lines without sharp corners are characteristic, upholstered furniture must be supplied with cushions and armrests in the form of rollers.

Mandatory furnishings include the following.

• Triple glazed wardrobes with arched vaults, a wide central part and narrow sides. They are placed parallel or opposite each other, always adhering to the principles of symmetry.

• Low tables on 1 massive leg. They are used for playing chess, serving coffee, reading newspapers and magazines.

• Musical instruments. It can be an antique harp, a cabinet grand piano, a harpsichord.

• Oval or round dining table on 1 or 2 massive legs.

• Massive chairs and armchairs from natural wood of valuable species. A soft upholstery with a tightening is required to give more splendor to the shapes of the seats and backs.

• Sofas, most often three-seater, with lush pillows and carved armrests, gilding. They can be paired with a couch, a footrest in the form of a bench.

• Four-poster beds with a lush headboard in textile upholstery.

Depending on the purpose for which the room is intended, the list of furniture can be expanded. A massive carved work desk, cabinets and bureaus for storing documents are installed in the office. In the bedroom, bedside tables will be appropriate. If there is a boudoir area, a dressing table and mirrors are placed here.

The Empire style is characterized by an abundance of decorative elements. Textiles are presented in the form of carpets with concentric or geometric patterns - natural materials, silk or wool are welcome. Curtains are chosen from dense brocade, other heavy, well-draped fabrics. In colors, preference is given to a combination of white and gold, burgundy, blue and green tones are allowed, but not in ceremonial rooms.

They are widely used in interior decoration auxiliary furnishings... It uses antique-style floor vases, sculptures and figurines placed on special shelves or niches. Columns can also be called a decorative element. They are often used to frame the space of the walls, decorate the podiums. Large chiming and pendulum clocks, paintings on the walls, orange trees in tubs will help create the right atmosphere.

Don't assume the imperial style is rife with trinkets. Instead of pastoral ceramics, heraldic elements, weapons, and other attributes symbolizing imperial valor are used here.

The choice of lighting fixtures is very important for creating interiors in the spirit of French imperial luxury. In each room, the central element of the decor is a ceiling chandelier - luxurious, multi-tiered, with dozens of lamps. The shape of each lamp resembles a torch or candle - with a drop-shaped glass shade, a high base and a bowl.

The second tier of lighting is represented by spot lighting along the perimeter of the ceiling. It is necessary if the room has a large area and a complex layout. If ceiling lighting is not used, the room can be decorated with wall torch lights. They are placed in the upper third of the entire volume of the room. The lower tier of lighting is formed by table and floor lamps. They have lush trapezoidal lampshades, upholstered in satin or decorated with gilding.

In the interior of a modern apartment it is not at all necessary to strictly adhere to all the canons of the Empire style. It is enough to follow the basic traditions, using neutral colors of walls and ceilings in combination with stucco decoration and lighting fixtures. In this case, both the kitchen and the bathroom or the bedroom will look quite relevant, but with elements of imperial chic.

When decorating different rooms, you can adhere to the following recommendations.

• Combine kitchen and living room... Columns and bar counters with a massive base, modillons, and marble top are used as zoning elements.

• Empire style cabinet requires a particularly careful approach to the selection of furniture. Here the furnishings will be more strict and ascetic. You can install a couch, a massive comfortable chair. The color scheme is coffee or blue.

• Display cabinets are used in the kitchendemonstrating ceremonial sets. Closed cabinets with milky white glazing and gold monograms.The central element of the room is a block of stove and hood with an oven. The floor in wet rooms is made of marble. Can be installed in the center "island".

• There should be plenty of light in the dining room. Arched windows, niches are welcome here. The table is positioned so that the front chandelier is above it. Chairs with armrests and high backs are more like chairs, have curved legs in the form of animal paws.

• The bedroom uses the principles of zoning characteristic of the Empire style. The bed is placed in a niche or on a podium, under a canopy. The windows are draped with multi-layered curtains. The furniture is arranged symmetrically. Preference is given to a combination of shades of ivory and gold, with the inclusion of turquoise or olive tones.

In a country house, it is easy to bring to life even the most ambitious ideas in the Empire style. Here, with a sufficient height of the ceilings, the palace pomp will be very appropriate. It is good if the colonnade is planned during the design, the balustrades of the stairs are used, ledges and niches in the walls are formed.

The aesthetics of the Empire style still attracts attention today with its solidity, scale and splendor. It can be implemented in the design of a house or apartment in different ways. The most interesting solutions are worth considering in more detail.

• A striking example of the use of wine-red accents in the empire space. The bright upholstery of sofas and walls is complemented by a snow-white ceiling and columns, delicate beige and golden tones in the floor decoration.

• The lightness and splendor of the imperial style is best revealed in the space of country houses with galleries, walkways, high ceilings. In this case, instead of the excessive shine of gilding, the laconicism of the embossed decor is used. White matte stucco molding serves as the best interior decoration.

• Cabinet in the spirit of the Napoleonic era looks discreet, but strict and luxurious. The central element of the composition is a desk, behind which is a glazed cabinet. Twin round visitor armchairs with leather upholstery are in harmony with the overall color scheme of the interior.

• A striking example of the design of a living room with a dining area in the Empire style... The abundance of gold finishing details is emphasized by the delicate color of the walls and the glazing of the cabinets. Large paintings avoid the feeling of emptiness and fill the space. Paired graceful vases, candlesticks look appropriate, enliven the atmosphere.