Everything about antique style in the interior

For modern people, the antique setting with its spaciousness, abundance of light and architectural delights still remains incredibly attractive due to the harmony and ideal balance of decor and structural elements. The noble antique style meets all the requirements of aesthetic perception of a person and is considered the standard. If you are attracted to this direction, it is worth finding out everything about antique style in the interior.

For antiquity, any imitations of the classical architecture of the ancient Romans and Greeks are typical, but the direction is also characterized by the modeling of the same interior options and specific details that filled the interior spaces of the premises of that time. The antique style provides for impeccable proportionality, impeccable combination of decorative ornaments, a certain simplicity and severity with an overall sense of luxury.

In particular, among the Greeks, the inner chambers were extremely ascetic, they did not actually decorate the walls, except with laconic frescoes, which even now designers often recommend using if the atmosphere of antiquity is being recreated. At the same time, the location of residential and utility rooms has always been unique. Such a style solution has long been considered a classic, so it is required to cut off all unnecessary things that interfere with the feeling of sublimity and tranquility.

Consider the following main features of the antique style interior:

• maximum space and air volume due to high ceilings and large windows that can let in a lot of light; in this sense, private houses and apartments are more suitable for this direction than apartments;
• no excesses in the form of small decorative elements - beauty should be seen in individual jewelry, the amount of which is usually strictly metered;
• columns, porticoes and arches, frescoes and wall paintings are original, specific details of the style that make the image complete, but they need free space, and it is not enough in ordinary apartments; over a large area, these elements are also used to divide the room into functional areas.

It turns out that most of all antiquity is preferable in the design of the house, but if the apartment is large or open-plan, then it is also possible to create a classic design of antiquity in it. Of particular interest are the characteristics of the color palette of such an interior. These are neutral pastel colors - white, pink, yellowish, ivory combined with contrasting black, green, red, blue and terracotta colors.

In ancient times, houses of wealthy people and rulers were decorated with expensive materials such as granite, marble, bronze, natural ivory, and unique types of wood. In most cases, tiles of two colors were used for flooring, but a monochromatic natural stone coating was also in fashion.

Such canvases depicted war battles, animals and plants, landscapes, and reproduced mythological subjects. Some characteristic cladding nuances and decorative details are also appropriate for creating a modern interior in this style.

For walls, it is better to choose soft, warm plaster colors - ocher, peach, delicate beige, creamy, pinkish, caramel. With smooth staining, painting will become a stylish decoration of surfaces; pictures with gilded edging can be hung on walls with volumetric, embossed plaster. And also on the plastered walls, small bas-reliefs look spectacular. For decoration in the antique style, the use of stucco molding is allowed, the main thing is not to overdo it and distribute such elements evenly. Modern designers also use gold leaf in their antique designs, which helps to achieve the effect of aging on some surfaces.

In addition to plaster, wallpaper is quite suitable for wall decoration, in texture and colors close to plaster and natural stone. If the use of paint requires preliminary leveling of the bases, and it is relatively difficult to apply plaster on your own, wallpaper is the cheapest option, simple in the way of implementation. However, this type of design is not very resistant to moisture and other external influences.

In Greece, the floors were mostly mosaic, so no carpets were used. But the Romans gladly used carpets with interesting ornaments over monochrome floors. If the ancients laid the floors of their houses and villas with expensive natural stone, today a ceramic floor slab and porcelain stoneware imitating various natural materials are quite suitable for this. One of the current solutions is the floor covering, made in a two-color version, when the tiles are placed in a checkerboard pattern. Depending on the overall design, the floor can be made of light slabs of similar shades, for example, white and beige.

But you can also go the other way - choose polar colors or a material of warm shades with an insert of a mosaic image or a beautiful drawing in antique style. However, a carpet with a similar color can also act as a bright ornament. Another option is natural wood, laminate or parquet flooring, which will look no less noble with the right tone, suitable for the interior of the room.

Traditionally in Greece and Rome, ceilings were a structure of wooden beams forming small square sections and decorated with marble tiles or artistic painting. Thanks to modern technologies, this effect can be achieved by simulating any, even the most complex surface geometry using gypsum boards. A certain difficulty is the antique-style stretch ceiling. The easiest way is to paint, but then you have to abandon complex shapes. A notable detail in the decor of the ceilings is also a three-dimensional cornice with a pattern.

Furniture items in antique interiors must be brought in with care. First of all, all elements must have perfect geometry and simplicity at the same time. Of the materials, natural wood is most appropriate in combination with bronze and gilding. The shape is usually square, rectangular, tables can be round. It is important to pay special attention to the legs of furniture - in the form of paws of griffins and animals, curved, connected at the base. In living rooms and bedrooms, you can place long carved benches and banquets with handles and soft upholstery, armchairs with straight and embossed curved backs.

Tables for such rooms can combine wood and glass surfaces, but always with ornament or inlay. In various furniture designs, decorative ivory inserts, patterns using wood of a different species and color are allowed. For storing clothes, antique carved chests of drawers and beautiful decorative chests will be relevant.

Of course, all antique-style furniture is a decorative decoration of rooms, which is why its quantity is always limited. But sculpture is also an important element. Today these are stylized columns, bas-reliefs and stucco moldings, which are an organic addition to this style. The premises imitating Roman and Greek villas are also characterized by a variety of ceramics - beautiful dishes, clay vases, jugs, floor amphorae decorated with mythological paintings, intricate pots with living plants.

Various household items placed on compact one-legged tables look spectacular in such an environment, including small busts of famous figures of antiquity and miniature figurines made of bronze, plaster, ivory. Beautifully decorated fireplace with a mirror framed by plaster columns, paintings in luxurious frames, graceful wall chandeliers and torch lamps, gilded chandelier with crystal trimmings - inalienable attributes of the Roman hall, which can be successfully applied to modern dwellings in the same spirit. The availability of carpets depends on the chosen flooring and can be a striking touch that underlines its impeccability.

Each room in the antique style has its own role, for example, the living room is the center of a dwelling, similar to an atrium - an inner courtyard in which columns and sculptures are almost an indispensable element. Here, a seating area can be a space around an impromptu or real fireplace, surrounded by original-shaped armchairs and a couch with an inlaid headboard.

This accessory will add warmth to the home environment. But designers do not advise covering the floor if it is made of beautiful natural wood or has a spectacular mosaic on it. Large-scale frescoes and mosaics look organically in the living room, but if the presence of niches is initially conceived, the room will be perceived as more voluminous and lively, especially since any niche can also carry a semantic load - you can put a shelf with a beautiful figurine made of metal or plaster in it, hang a picture or create a luxurious bas-relief.

It is worth listening to the recommendations of professionals in relation to the design of other rooms.

• Antique bathroom - these are delicate light pastel colors combined with white shades. It is impossible to imagine this room without facing the floor with porcelain stoneware and wall images of mythical events of the past, without a large mirror decorated with stucco. In addition, you should think about purchasing a round bathtub and sink, and to them elegant bronze or gold faucets, and furnishing the room with fresh flowers in vases or pots. In the bathroom, as in the bedroom, it is allowed to place furniture on a podium, a kind of pedestal, which is so typical of antiquity.

• Bedroom - a place to relax, which does not require dimensional decorations and pieces of furniture. Columns are also undesirable, but at the head of the bed you can create semi-columns embedded in the surface of the walls to support the alcove arch.The designers believe that massive sculptures and a lot of furniture should not be installed in this area, since the main element of the bedroom is, first of all, the bed itself. Therefore, it is better to make sure that it looks harmonious, has a beautiful fabric upholstery and a soft headboard, possibly also with stucco decorations. A carved wooden chest of drawers, a side mirror, soft flooring in a neutral shade will complement the image of an antique bedroom. Light tulle curtains, gathered in beautiful folds, and candelabra with dim lights will complete the look.

• An antique kitchen should look harmonious and unobtrusive. It is better that all structures and elements are kept in the same tone, well lit. Of the decorations, plaster cornices and stucco moldings in the upper part of the walls, small bas-reliefs and mosaics in the dining area are allowed. A work apron can be made of materials that imitate any natural stone; a floor covering with an original pattern is recommended on the floor. The preferred colors are light and dark shades of brown and beige. A good design trick is a floor that contrasts with the floors in other rooms. Furniture - a kitchen set with carved facades and mirrored inserts, work surfaces - imitation of light marble.

Antique style is a self-sufficient direction in interior design. The biggest mistake is associated with its choice for small apartments, as well as oversaturation of space with decor elements and furniture. Here are some good examples in the design of rooms that you can take note of.

• The living room can be located in the bay window, it is a very convenient place to effectively arrange statues and columns. In this case, the entire living area is on a small pedestal. The combination of white with dark turquoise and gold is the perfect combination for a trend like antiquity.

• Study in this style, it perfectly combines the symbolism of the most famous ancient states and modern technology, without deteriorating in the least the general appearance.

• Bedroom in antique style in white and gold tones - a spacious, airy room with natural wood flooring and an antique pattern, a bas-relief and a luxurious mirror over a bleached oak chest of drawers. The columns are rather symbolic here, they do not create a strict atmosphere.

• In a large house, antique cuisine can be just chic., in this case, her working area is inside the portico with luxurious columns. The facades of the wardrobes are made in the same style with other elements of furniture and decorations, completing the majestic picture of the incredible beauty of a chandelier.

Despite the scale and a certain pomp, the antique style has emotional warmth, creates an organic space filled with tranquility and spiritualized sublimity. Choosing this direction for your home, you need, as they say, to match it both in character and in temperament.

For the antique style in the interior, see below.