Interior in English Style

This direction is most likely characterized by logical integrity and nobility combined with respectability and restraint. The foundation of the style consists of rich, solid, high-quality furniture made from natural noble wood species, a beautiful elegant fireplace, expensive drapery, refined decor, golden notes in room decoration; a combination of European direction with Eastern: harmonious minimalism on one side, ethnic motifs of India, China, the Middle East - on the other.

History of Origin

The style absorbed elements of Eastern stylistic direction and all varieties of classicism, adhering to the characteristics of life and lifestyle of English bohemians with an imperial British component at each historical period. The origins of the rise of English style lie in the colonial era of the empire's flourishing at the turn of the XVII-XVIII centuries. Interiors during Queen Victoria's time received the name Victorian style. Georgian style was popular during the reign of King George.

The symbiosis became a characteristic feature for all English direction in design: fundamental, beautifully decorated fireplace, luxurious furniture, expensive room finishing, decoration with precious items often brought from colonies - gold, silver, redwood, ivory, velvet, brocade, an abundance of artifact folios in studies and workrooms. All this received the name - colonial glamour. And today, English style leans towards antique furniture and libraries, refined tableware and elegant decor.

Second life and relevance to cottages in Victorian style were given by the appearance of the style shabby chic, which translates as "shabby chic". It is characterized by the presence of not new or artificially aged items in the interior.

Features of English Classicism in Modern Interior

English style in interior is relevant for cottages with large areas, city apartments in new residential complexes with studio possibilities.

This style is preferred by collectors: here it is easy and logically to place collecting items - dishes, antique furniture, paintings, antique books, cold weapons, hunting trophies, figurines... Collections of small items can be placed on the fireplace shelf, in showcases of various types characteristic of the style.

Lovers of libraries will also find their advantages in it. A staircase to a wooden cabinet up to the ceiling with shelves for books - an indispensable attribute of English style in interior design. Storage spaces for books are equipped with solid tables, comfortable armchairs, elegant artificial light sources - floor lamps, wall sconces, table lamps.

Appreciators of classical style will find new opportunities for themselves: refined simplicity, rich quality, harmony in proportions and symmetry - all of this can affect the preference for future design.

Collectors of antique furniture and modern carpentry works created "for centuries", adherents of rich fabrics in finishing and decoration will find their advantages and positive moments in the English stylistic solution.

The style did not overlook owners of small rooms and apartments. British style in interior traditionally leans towards small spaces: they are easier to heat in the damp weather typical of foggy Albion. Therefore, principles of finishing, planning, color palette selection and furniture arrangement have been developed for small rooms.

Photo: Hall of a country house in English style

Design: Alesia Sahno and Nina Davydova, studio Sempre Arte

Photo: Living room in Victorian style

Photo: Office with elements of English style

Design: Maria Ivanova

Photo: Classic English style in light tones

Photo: Style elements from foggy Albion in a small living room of a city apartment

Design: Natalia Sorokina

English Style in Interior

Designers note a number of fundamental approaches to designing interiors in English style:

• room finishing is done using natural materials or modern high-quality analogs: wood, stone, marble;

• room layout includes thoughtful arrangement of furniture;

• the room space undergoes clear and logical zoning;

• large windows with glazing or arched constructions are selected;

• ceilings are preferably wooden, decorated with solid beams;

• glass inserts and window fragments are organically perceived with stained glass components;

• the main rooms of the house or large apartment are planned with fireplace installation - a library with extended functional capabilities, living room, bedroom;

• the window sills are chosen low and wide with the use of pillows as decoration and seating places;

• lighting should be arranged slightly dimmed with the application of various artificial light sources: chandeliers, wall sconces, table lamps, floor lamps;

• drapery is made using natural dense fabrics: with Scottish plaid, stripes, small pattern;

• decoration includes paintings, mirrors, figurines, vases, family and scenic photographs in elegant frames, "heavy" curtains with the use of valances, tassels and fringes;

• the color palette of the style "loves" restraint, leans towards dark tones, prefers natural shades: ochre, brown, red, terracotta, green; does not "resist" light tones of cream, beige, yellow, gold and bronze motifs.

Living Room

According to genre law - voluminous, spacious enough for image needs. Walls are decorated with wooden panels and light wallpapers, possibly with a non-intrusive pattern. The ceiling is adorned with a crystal chandelier and cornice. Furniture made of natural wood includes: a large rounded table serving as dining furniture, with chairs in expensive upholstery, comfortable armchairs with high backs, sofas with solid armrests, cabinets with bent legs. Artificially aged carved furniture is possible. A fireplace is usually placed in the center of the room. It serves as a kind of starting point in zoning the entire space. Decorative accessories are paintings, prints, weapons on walls, trophies from hunting games.

Kitchen

The Victorian style also allocates substantial space to the kitchen with solid furniture made of natural materials. Handles for it are selected metal, oval, slightly flattened in shape. The countertop of the kitchen unit is usually wooden or, for practical reasons, made of stone. A table with chairs are traditionally arranged in the center of the hall. Numerous cupboards, shelves with drawers are placed on the walls. Decorative elements are woven baskets. They can be used to store not only things but also food.

Design: Svetlana Yurkova

Combined Kitchen-Living Room

This studio variant is subject to clear zoning of space. Each zone is decorated according to the principles of layout of that or another adjacent room. The application of British style in interior design of a combined space is most in demand in city apartments.

Bedroom

This room has changed little since the Victorian period. There is a high bed of substantial size made of natural wood with a canopy and quilted coverlet, "framed" by a bench and bedside tables. A high mirror cabinet, an abundance of textiles of various directions, decoration of walls with paintings of portraits and landscapes - underline "commitment" to the style. The feeling of "stylistic completeness" will be supplemented by a combination in wall finishing of wood and wallpapers, light, warm, deep tones in color solutions, moldings and decorative cornices, contrasting baseboards, frieze under cornice. Harmony will be added by floors made of carefully processed wooden planks or parquet flooring with a natural wood pattern.

Bathroom

Design of the bathroom in Victorian style provides for a dark bathtub on legs with antique mixers made of copper and brass, but chrome sanitary fixtures are also possible. English style in bathroom interior provides for installation of a chandelier. It can quite well be crystal and decorated with stylized candlesticks. Wall sconces are chosen in harmony with the ceiling light fixture.

Both heavy curtains and semi-transparent curtains are present in the decoration. In modern versions, Roman blinds and blinds are not excluded. Ethnic motifs are expressed in curtains with fringes and tassels.

The floor of the bathroom is covered with ceramic tiles with insertions with a bright pattern, possibly in Eastern style.

Design: Lidia Pfiffer and Olga Fradina

Renovation in English Style

The ceiling in the interior of a Victorian cottage in British style can be painted with light tones or whitewashed. Decorative elements are carved cornices around the perimeter of the room. They are made in harmony with the ceiling or walls depending on the design, a variant of gold leaf painting is also possible. This is the most common type of finishing. If there is a desire and opportunity to strictly follow the style, attention should be paid to wooden boards and beams, baseboards and decorative plaster details, multi-level structures.

On the floor in historical interiors, artistic parquet, stone tiles, carefully processed boards are applied. Modernity has brought some adjustments - the use of parquet boards, high-quality laminate (for living room, bedroom, hallway), ceramic tiles (for kitchen, bathroom, hallway). Carpets in Eastern style are traditionally laid in the living room and bedroom.

Wall decoration in the manner of the style of foggy Albion implies a three-level execution: from floor to about 75 cm height - wooden varnished or painted in harmony with the interior of the room panels; wallpapers in a large stripe or with a non-intrusive plant pattern; around the perimeter of the ceiling, carved cornice made of wood or plasterwork. Modernity has also not remained indifferent to modernizing the English style: stucco, water-emulsion paint, paper wallpapers with Scottish grid and floral prints are widely used.

Doors and Windows

Doors are selected, taking into account the main design and the direction of the style:

• they are large and solid made of solid oak or beech;

• they use solid moldings around the perimeter and bulky mullions;

• double doors with wide stiles and caps are possible;

• painting in light tones in harmony with the overall interior is allowed;

• glass inserts can be used.

Windows in the interior of British style have their distinctive characteristics:

• narrow, elongated upward form;

• historically made of wood and single-pane glass;

• decorated with muntins (square patterns), glued on both sides of the glass;

• vertical sliding construction without hinges consists of two panels: one fixed, the other drops or rises;

• modern windows in English style are adapted for Russian frosts and more robust in construction.

Design: studio Crisparchitects

Color Palette

The most common colors in finishing and decoration - golden, bronze, burgundy, dark gray, brown, beige, cream, terracotta, chocolate, ochre. Rich warm tones emphasize comfortable aesthetics and aristocracy. Style canons allow light interiors: white, beige, light gray. Upholstery of furniture harmonizes with wall finishing.

Lighting

Soft light, accentuated in each zone of the interior, use of possibilities of large chandeliers with crystal and glass suspensions, floor lamps, pendant wall sconces, table lamps - all this will find its place in a Victorian cottage.

Furniture Selection

The main rule is that solid, load-bearing furniture that can last for centuries, expensive and substantial in size characterizes the style that came from foggy Albion. In manufacturing, oak, strong expensive wood such as redwood or budget-friendly walnut is used. Upholstery should have a respectable appearance with great pretensions to beauty. The chosen furniture can be both antique and modern in design.

Decoration

In the decoration of a Victorian cottage, "participants" are heavy fabrics, velvet, tapestries, damasks, brocade, cotton in stripes or plaid. Patterns are combined throughout the decorated space.

Decorative items: large mirrors in carved, volumetric frames, all kinds of collections displayed for public viewing, antique folios, porcelain tableware behind glass, paintings in rich frames, family portraits and photographs in frames, candlesticks and vases. An indispensable attribute of the English setting is a fireplace. Shelves on it serve as an excellent place to arrange decorative elements.

English Style in Interior of a Small Apartment

A small apartment also has the opportunity to use features of an interior in English style. Elements such as wooden furniture, family relics installed on elegant wooden shelves, compact mirrors with artistic framing, crystal and fine beautiful textiles in decoration, black-and-white tiles in finishing, antique-style lamps, elements of various technical devices with gilding, an extensive library on special shelves will make a definite hint at following the chosen style.

English Style in Interior

On the cover design project by Irina Kosterina.