The new apartment is a grandiose event for any family, because there are so many interesting things ahead: choosing a design solution for the space, filling it with stylish furniture, searching for interesting decor items, breathtaking discussions of the future decoration of the house. The newest trends in interior design demonstrate a departure from the minimalism reproduced in recent years, a return to the creation of warm, comfortable interiors filled with the necessary style elements painted with modernity.
| Style options | European Classics | European modernity |
| Distinctive features | Large windows with glazing, use of arched pommel with fan-shaped binding Classic flooring (parquet, parquet board) | Large window openings, single glass
Application of floor tiles, porcelain tiles in living rooms |
| Features of decoration, accessories | Filling the room with adhering, coffee tables Curtains on the cornice, hanging on both sides of the window Multifilament chandeliers of complex design | Limitation of the number of small items of furniture Roman curtains or the absence of curtains Single-lamp ceiling lights |
One of the main characteristics of the design of apartments in the European style is dullness.
Dense, velvety finishing materials and fabrics are used. Muted gloss is permissible in a limited volume:
- metal accessories for doors, windows (latches, handles, hinges);
- Curtain holders, cornices, plumb bows for Roman curtains;
- details of lighting devices;
- accessories, decorative objects (vases, candlesticks, fireplace sets, framing of paintings).
Stylish color scheme: avoiding bright tones
In European classics, the use of a limited set of light tones is not a flaw, but a virtue. A huge number of shades of varying degrees of saturation create a rich palette of color decoration of the interior. Preference is given to pastel, bleached variants, color accents are made muffled. Instead of pure, screaming colors, a more restrained gamma is used.
Against the backdrop of light walls in upholstered furniture upholstery and fabric décor, old-brick, matte-chocolate, dark green, gray-blue, warm dark gray, and other complex color combinations sound with success.
When decorating the interior in European style, discard the dark door leaves, narrow skirtings in the color of the floor. Here reigns white. Preferred doors and portals of any shades of whiteness: creamy, snowy, the color of the whitewashed tree.
Interior finish: just at first sight
The standard finishing technique in European design is plastering of walls with subsequent painting.
Any defect in the performance of the plastering work will be clearly visible after painting, especially when the electric light is turned on. Therefore, the quality of plastering should be checked very carefully. A building light can come to the aid: when the angle of illumination is changed, its beam will highlight all the shortcomings.
As the flooring materials of the main space, parquet, parquet board and laminate are used. In auxiliary rooms (bathroom, laundry room, pantry), more suitable for the characteristics of ceramic tiles, granite, natural stone.
The finishing of the walls of rooms with high humidity involves the use of tiles, dyeing with moisture-resistant paints, or the connection of these materials (places with a spray of water near the bathroom, a washbasin, the walls of the shower compartment are laid out with tiles, the rest of the space is painted).
Furniture in European style: the main criterion is convenience
When creating a European interior, you need to combine different pieces of furniture, as the use of full-fledged headsets is not welcome. But a careful selection of furniture can create the effect of a habitable, cozy space.
A distinctive feature of the furniture filling the house is the convenience. This is the most important criterion that is followed when choosing. Sofas, tables, chairs should not only decorate the room, fit into the projected color scheme, but also create an atmosphere of complete comfort. Therefore, it is so important not just to stop on the picture you like in the catalog, but physically to test how comfortable it is to sit on chairs, whether it is easy to climb from a low sofa, whether the body feels relaxed on the couch.
Practically the obligatory accent is the presence in the rooms of armchairs on legs. It can be as variants with high quilted backs, curved armrests, and more modern, rectilinear or rounded forms.
Thoughtful lighting: we include different scenarios
The use of several groups of luminaires allows us to demonstrate in the European style all the necessary light spectrum: day, evening, parade, working lights. Sometimes a linear illumination is projected behind the ceiling cornices, but more often light points are used:
- upper chandelier;
- sconces, accenting certain zones of the room;
- floor lamps for reading, creating the necessary illumination around the sofa groups or armchairs;
- table lamps with large lampshades.
Decorative lighting fixtures themselves are elements of decoration. They create a soft, subdued light, echoing with the reflection of a living fire in the fireplace, make the atmosphere of the room more cozy. Fireplace lighting in the evening, when all other light sources are extinguished, gives an oscillating gleam of reddish shades, adds to the mystery's interior. At that moment, the reflection of the flames from the metal accessories of the room becomes especially interesting. Extremely spectacular is the location of the fireplace in the bedroom, thanks to the warmth and soft light private space turns into an even more private.
Interior accessories and architectural details
As a decor in the European style there are:
- pictures (possibly a single or symmetrical arrangement of objects);
- lamps, floor lamps with voluminous shades;
- floor and table vases with fresh flowers, indoor plants or wood installations;
- decorative cushions (comfortable component of armchairs, sofa groups).
In the project, special attention should be paid to the following points:
- Dimensions of doors: it is desirable to make custom-made non-standard long doors, or double swing doors;
- High skirting boards with profiling: the size range fits into the gap of 10-25 cm, is tied to the overall height of the room (the higher the ceiling is lifted, the wider the plinth is selected);
- Extruded window openings: often framed with figured platbands, which gives the landscape outside the window as a picture in the frame;
- The length of the curtains: soft folds (the fabric even lies on the floor) additionally emphasize the height of the room.
The classical European style uses ceiling cornices, echoing with skirting. The modern direction allows the joint of the ceiling and walls without additional decoration, the main thing is that it was executed perfectly.
European lounge: a warm classic, created to communicate
The living room, like the main room in the house, more than other rooms meets the principles of European-style design. It is not colored by age details like a child, does not carry notes of intimacy, like a bedroom, should not be practical in cleaning, like a bathroom. But it is in this room that the purity of style manifests itself: decoration, pieces of furniture, accessories are selected very accurately. As a result, you get a bright free space, offering the inhabitants of the house maximum comfort.
In the center of the living room there is a coffee table, which surrounds the sofa groups, armchairs and padded stools on three sides. The fourth side is given to the dominant vertical element: a fireplace, television equipment, a collection of paintings, i.e. visual accent of the whole composition. Upholstered furniture is free with respect to walls and windows, ensuring a person unimpeded movement. The arrangement of armchairs often has a diagonal character.
Elegant bedroom for a good rest
The European style is great for creating a relaxed, relaxing space, which is the bedroom. Here, all design techniques are appropriate:
- calm colors;
- parquet flooring;
- volume quilted upholstery of a headboard of a bed, armchairs, a bedside bench, a toilet puffet;
- carpet handmade, highlighting the center of the room;
- furniture made of noble wood;
- Silk ceiling, giving a muted-romantic light.
Inside the bedroom, nothing should interfere with proper rest, so decorative accents (mirrors, vases, framed photos) are used in doses.
Elements of classics in the kitchen: we prepare and eat in a European way
European style implies a large kitchen space. It can be
- separate extensive kitchen;
- combined kitchen-dining room;
- kitchen, combined with the living room.
The latter option will create an interior in European style in a studio or one-room apartment, where walls are demolished between different rooms.
If the kitchen area is very small (appendix), but adjacent to a large dining room, then you can refuse to decorate the kitchen in a general context, using a more concise design. Pay tribute to the chosen interior direction will succeed, creating an image of a place for family meals.
European style of cuisine emphasize:
- a dining room, where half-armchairs are used instead of stiff chairs;
- kitchen set of restrained shades with paneled or flat facades;
- Roman curtains, matched to the upholstery of furniture;
- A high-end chandelier placed over the dining table.
Bathroom from which you do not feel like going out
The European-style bathroom is not a utility room with a limited amount of decor, the finishes of which are given a minimum of funds. It is a corner of relaxation full of mild warmth. A spacious bathroom allows you to plan an ensemble placement from a ceiling chandelier and matching sconces near the mirror, and a light floor covering pushes the boundaries of the room. Wall decoration is possible on the principle of "top-bottom" - combining the laying of wall tiles and painting. On a similar background, sanitary devices of restrained, streamlined configurations look more advantageous. The joint of various finishing wall materials is decorated with a figured tiled frieze. An interesting technique is the coloring of vertical surfaces with a color different from that of the tile, which makes the bathroom less conservative.
Children's room: we combine age and style
The complexity of the design of space for small family members in the European style is that the age characteristics of children mean a bright room for games, and the chosen design is peace and comfort. Therefore, it is better to use only certain elements of the style:
- Calm colors of decoration materials;
- The floor covering is lighter than the floor of the main house space;
- Wide skirting boards;
- The combination of traditional and Roman curtains of more vivid shades;
- Chests of drawers.
If the child is intended for teenagers, the items of furniture "as in adults" (a mirror in a frame frame, a desk, glazed racks, a chair with a quilted back) will make a saturated life measured, help balance the splash of energy.
The old story in the new reading
Having given preference to European design, after repair, the owner of the apartment will receive not a mossy classic, but a fresh look at traditional things. A voluminous bright room, which has a rest, can become a magnet, thanks to which all members of the family after a working day tend to get home as soon as possible. The apartment, finished in the chosen style, is ready to open its doors hospitably to the welcome visitors and envelop the cloud of calm comfort of those who live inside its walls.
