Spain - a country of bullfighting and captivating dark-haired beauties, dancing flamenco, surviving difficult times in the past. It rose to unprecedented heights and just as quickly fell down to the feet of the Moorish conquerors. Typical for the south of Europe, the Spanish style has undergone changes along with the state. If initially the local interiors did not differ much from the design of houses in neighboring countries, then after the wars, unusual elements appeared in them, which later became the calling card of the direction.

• Pros and Cons of Style
• Features and characteristics of the Spanish style
• Color palette in the interior
• Materials and methods of finishing
• Light and Lighting
• Traditional Spanish furniture - what it is
• Decorative items and accessories
• Spanish-style cuisine
• Bedroom in Spanish style
• Living room in Spanish style
• Bathroom in Spanish style
• Conclusion

Pros and Cons of Style

The direction in many ways is like a colonial style. The latter is a successful "mixture" of Spanish culture and the customs of the natives, in whose territories the colonizers settled. The advantages of the direction include:

• Brightness of colors and freshness of the palette. In Spanish, southern interiors use soft, warm shades and very colorful accent colors.
• The arrival of a large amount of light due to wide windows. Spanish rooms literally bathe in the sun. Unlike Berbers, who hide from the luminary in chambers cooled by ceramic tiles, these Southerners are not afraid to overheat.
• Unconventionality, unconventionality of the situation.

       

There are no significant shortcomings in the direction. From relative minuses note:

• The high probability of fast satiety is too bright and dynamic.
• Style is contraindicated for people with Nordic characters, since the passion of the Spaniards, which is reflected in stylistic features, will not give comfort to unemotional owners with a cold mind.

Before choosing this particular stylistic solution for decoration of interior compositions, it is possible to plunge headlong into a typical situation for Spain. For these purposes, it is not necessary to go on a trip, the local themed bars or restaurants will do.

See also: Bathroom in a classic style: interior design

       

Features and characteristics of the Spanish style

The Spanish style is classified into two types:

1. Classical. In this manner, decorated the decoration of houses around the end of the second half of the XIX century.
2. Modern. Over the last hundred years, the style has suffered a small "grinding" of time to adapt to modern realities. The final version was great.

Traditional Spanish style has similar features with the usual classics: expensive materials, darker shades, an abundance of decor, luxury in every detail. In the modern version, certain elements that can cause inconvenience do not apply. For example, archways without doors. Also, in the modern adaptation, various benefits of technical progress are added, without which no interior can manage. In the Spanish environment, combinations of light background tones and bright accents are used.

       

It is necessary to have massive furniture made of dark wood and forged items. Decorative details are grouped in separate sections of the room. If a "rustic" version of the Spanish style is used, then it is necessary to have handmade textiles (mats, pillowcases). On the ceiling, traditionally left a series of wooden beams, which alternate with plastered areas. If there are no such structures in the apartment, they can be added as decorations for greater similarity to Castilian houses.

Designers recommend to make out in the Spanish style all the rooms. This tip concerns small cottages and one-bedroom apartments. But in spacious country houses with many rooms you can experiment with a combined ethnic design, where the Spanish will only be part of a complex, stylistic picture.

       

Each room can symbolize a separate country. In the bathroom there will be a Japanese style, the bedroom will be decorated with notes of Italy, and the Spanish direction will transform the living room.

Color palette in the interior

The base color in the Spanish interior is brown. Its shades can be used not only in the decoration of walls and floors, but also the surfaces of furniture, textiles, decor. Among the most relevant tones note: the color of mahogany, classic light walnut, beige, terracotta, coffee with milk. In a duet with a brown for the background finish is also used white. Usually it appears in plastered walls.

The accent areas are designed mainly in natural shades: red, coral, pink, fuchsia, olive, mustard, yellow, orange, lilac. Slightly less often use blue, blue and purple. These shades are more suited to the modern adaptation of the Spanish direction.

Materials and methods of finishing

To get a design interior in the Spanish style, you have to spend. This direction tends to natural materials, so you can not save. The walls are traditionally decorated with simple plaster of white, pearl, beige color. The ceiling with wooden beams is made with the same material. In modern apartments there are variants where the relief Venetian plaster is used, but for the classical style this decision is not typical.

See also: Constructivism in the interior +50 photo style

As for the floor, in ordinary rooms it is covered with a parquet board, but in the kitchen you can use not only ceramic tiles, but even bricks. The latter option is knocked out of the usual ways of decorating. Brick instead of flooring really looks nontrivial and original. Great for this option for those kitchens that go directly to the back yard. In landscape design, you can use the same brick when decorating tracks that "tie" the interior of the room to the exterior design.

       

By the way, the owners of country houses should pay attention to the Spanish style in the exterior and landscape design. Incredibly comfortable back yards with terraces, arched vaults, thickets of flowery-fragrant greens will be a real decoration of the land.

Light and Lighting

The Spanish interiors are characterized by the use of low-hanging chandeliers. And the plafonds can have different shapes and be made of different materials, but the "low landing" is typical for everyone. Perhaps this tradition is associated with high ceilings, which used to decorate typical Spanish houses. Instead of chandeliers then candlesticks were used, which gave little light. Apparently, to adjust and increase the brightness, chandeliers and dropped.

       

Additional lighting is mainly provided by floor and desk lamps and floor lamps. On the wall, the sconce of a modern man is seldom hung. If the need for such decoration arose, then the surface is decorated with an original lamp that mimics the candlestick. Then it will be possible to achieve similarity with the classical Spanish interiors of the Middle Ages (especially if the walls are painted green, yellow or dark brown). In modern adaptations often use decorative lighting around the perimeter of the room or along niches, shelves.

Traditional Spanish furniture - what it is

In Spain, heavy, bulky furniture made from natural wood is used. No MDF, chipboard, chipboard and other compressed substitutes and imitations, only an array of wood. The facades of cabinets are only slightly decorated with carving, without excess. The legs of sofas, armchairs, chairs also have graceful shapes and a neat relief. Soft surfaces are covered with covers or coverlets of dark tones with a restrained pattern. Beds, fireplace mantels, decorative details of shelves and storage systems are decorated with forged elements. The rustic apartments use wicker chairs and chairs. In the Spanish style, they pour in organically.

Decorative items and accessories

As already mentioned above, the spanish decor does not tolerate an abundance of decor. First of all, you need to pick up textiles. Preference is given to natural, pleasant to the touch fabrics: linen, cotton, wool. The floors are covered with rugs with a complex, colorful pattern. In rural interiors use homespun paths. Windows are blinded by curtains rarely. Typically, they use the Spanish version of the "Roman" model with imitation of bamboo modules. If the windows are large, as in the country houses of Spain, then they do not need to be closed at all. The walls are hung with paintings, and the shelves are made souvenirs and products made of wood, ceramics, clay. These can be vases, caskets, candlesticks, plates, wicker baskets, flowerpots.

       

Read also: French style in the interior of the apartment

Spanish-style cuisine

Spanish cuisine is finished with ceramic tiles or bricks in combination with plain plaster. The set can be chosen not only in traditional brown tones, but also in green and olive colors. The furniture is necessarily made of wood. For Spanish cuisines is typical use of island planning. In the center of the room (closer to the stove) they put a large, extended table that can serve as a workplace for the hostess, a dining table and even a bar counter. On the ceiling, traditionally decorated with beams, hang a group of similar chandeliers over each functional area. Decorate the kitchenette with brass or copper kettles, ladles, bowls. A basket with fresh fruit is always on the table. Open shelves filled with plates and cups, and the set of pans can be placed directly on the front panel of the hood.

       

Bedroom in Spanish style

The Spanish bedroom is minimal in detail. A large, wide bed, decorated with forged elements. It is covered with a monochromatic brown, red or yellow veil. A colorful note is the pillow. Walls with a "bare" plaster decorate with classic paintings. On both sides of the bed set two symmetrical tables of solid wood of dark color. Next under one of the free walls put a dressing table of the same material and a chair with a straight back. The ceiling is also covered with white plaster, which alternates with wooden beams. Completes the interior of the ascetic bedroom a pair of mirrors of rectangular shape in the strict frames on the walls.

       

Living room in Spanish style

In the living room there is a traditional furniture set: a sofa, a coffee table, a pair of armchairs. An organic addition to the furnishings will be a fireplace, without which no home of the hidalgo has ever been. The table is made of wood, the furniture is covered with bright or dark shades. The walls are decorated with large paintings (if the room is spacious), mirrors in the frames of wrought iron, and the surface is decorated with floor lamps with "magnificent" shades, vases with flowers. The floor must be covered with a rug.

       

Bathroom in Spanish style

The walls and the bathroom floor in the Spanish style are tiled. And it is acceptable to combine two types of patterns and one basic color (usually white). Shower is rarely used. It is better to use a traditional white bath. The decor elements are made of brass (a mixer, soap dish, holders for towels and cups for toothbrushes). Although this is not rational, but the bathroom is also installed in wooden furniture. To protect it from constant exposure to moisture, the surface must be treated with a special compound.

       

By the way, the basket for dirty laundry can be transformed with a special spray, simulating metal. The shell is chosen either classic white, or a bill of stone.

Conclusion

The Spanish style in the interior reflects the uneasy nature of this temperamental people. In it hospitality, cordiality, passion is looked through, but also impetuosity, frivolity. It's amazing how much the house conveys the character of the person who lives in it. Spanish interiors are ideal for decorating southern apartments, because it is in the "native" climate that style features blossom like lantana.