How sometimes you want to travel around the world, like the heroes of Jules Verne. Feel the way of life and traditions of countries, explore the design features of other continents.
For this, it is not necessary to collect things for the year ahead and develop a plan. In this post, we will not explain what types of interior design are in different countries, but we will show what kind of house it is in the understanding of people from different parts of the world.
England
In addition to fogs, chilly rain and Sherlock Holmes, England is known for the measured life, calm reading, tea-drinking at 5 pm. The English style of behavior is reflected in the design. This country gave us two whole interior styles: Victorian and Steampunk.
Residents of foggy Albion do not put narrow frames in design – as a nation of travelers, they paid attention to the best things in each country and brought them to their interior. Therefore, English design is eclectic and eccentric.
For comfort in country houses, they use wooden furniture (like for example rustic kitchen table), cornices, solid wood floors, high skirting boards. Wall paneling and wood-trimmed ceilings are now rare, but smaller traditional accents are common in British homes – antique wooden chests, globes and Victorian shelving. There is little space for them in city apartments.
The peculiarity of the British is the love for details, reaching the extreme. The more vases, figurines, sets, paintings, books, photos – the better.
The furniture focuses only on natural materials and fabrics, restrained forms. The classic English interior uses sofas in colorful upholstery with a pile of pillows, armchairs and sun loungers upholstered in textiles or leather. Pop art and provocativeness are gaining in popularity in modern design. Furniture inherited by inheritance is pulled over with fabrics with fashionable prints (giant portraits, punk slogans, blots).
It is worth buying the famous Chesterfield sofa and a couple of coffee tables, sitting by the fireplace with a smoking pipe – and you can immediately pretend that you are a little bit English.
France
In contrast to the calm and measured English, the expressive French resort to the principle that what is chaotic is randomly thought out. It is not necessary to measure every piece of the interior with a ruler, a little negligence is permissible. In France, for the first time, such classic interior styles as Versailles and Rococo appeared. This country is also the birthplace of the popular Provence style today.
Lovers of croissants and baguettes do not recognize the display of sheer wealth in an apartment, they prefer things with history and natural materials. The standard set of spacious living rooms includes: a massive soft sofa, 2-3 armchairs, a couple of ottomans for feet, a coffee and coffee table, a bookcase, a chest of drawers. The furniture is located in the center of the room.
In the French interior, the following colors are used: white, pink, lilac, green.
French designers love to play with contrast and mix old and new furniture. Clothes with a story set the mood and style – they are often bought at the flea market. Chests of drawers, shelves, sideboards, sofas of different colors, styles and eras coexist in one apartment – the atmosphere is special.
India
When we talk about houses in India, we imagine fancy stucco, ivory gilded furniture, velvet sofas, a silk canopy bed on which the sultan sits with emeralds in his hands. This is not entirely true.
In India, attention is paid to the spiritual side of a person, therefore, religious objects form the basis of a decent life. The Indian religion preaches the domination of the soul over material goods, the joy of simple things, therefore, the interior combines asceticism, simplicity, brightness of colors. Preference is given to variegated and natural fabrics.
Furniture is chosen low and hand-made, preferably from teak, a strong local wood. Interior items should be combined in style, texture and color.
The Indian interior is full of symbolism: figurines of sacred animals and birds, figurines of Shiva, Buddha, carved boxes, bright poufs, multi-colored pillows, aroma candles.
The walls are usually bright – they are painted in golden, yellow, turquoise colors. But you can also use calm shades: sandy, light brown.
China
China is a special world, with its own philosophy in everyday life and in the interior. The Chinese pay special attention to the arrangement of furniture and decor. Therefore, until the designer of the Celestial Empire is convinced that the objects are in balance and harmony, the work is not finished.
Chinese design is based on the interaction of nature and energy – they are responsible for the atmosphere in the house.
The simpler and the smaller, the better – this is the principle Asian designers are guided by when filling the space with furniture. A widespread element of the interior – screens and partitions – help to rest.
The Chinese prefer dark woods or bamboo. They adhere to minimalism not only in the arrangement of furniture, but also in its size: low tables, bedside tables, miniature sofas.
In the Celestial Empire, the emphasis is on natural finishing materials. For walls – wood, bamboo wallpaper, decorative wooden lattices, beams. For the floor – large stone or ceramic tiles, massive parquet boards.
The Chinese do not limit themselves in colors – they use bold colors – red (a symbol of good luck), gold, yellow, brown with beige or milky white.
Japan
Due to the frequent earthquakes in Japan, a special vision of the home has been formed. For a long time, the houses of local residents were lightweight mobile structures, in fact, made of paper and bamboo. This trait can be seen in modern interiors as well. By the way, the style of minimalism is based on the peculiarities of Japanese interiors.
The main distinguishing feature of Japanese interiors is minimalism. In the house of a resident of the Land of the Rising Sun, you will not see a lot of furniture, only the most necessary: a place to sleep, cushions for sitting, a low table for tea drinking. Even when choosing a color scheme, they are limited to one or two calm shades. For example, white, gray, beige, pastel blue, or green.
The Japanese love open, airy spaces and prefer to use portable screens or lightweight partitions instead of walls. They strive to be closer to nature, therefore, when choosing finishes, furniture, and decor, they vote for natural materials: wood, stone, leather, linen fabrics and others.
Italy
Italians know how to live beautifully. If you look at their interiors, you will be completely convinced of this, because it was here that the Baroque and Renaissance styles were born.
Here bright and massive decor items inherited from ancient Rome by the peninsula are harmoniously combined with the simplicity of life in the bosom of nature. Italians love large windows, natural materials (wood, stone), soft and natural colors, as well as an abundance of plants in the house. It is customary to illuminate the room with ceiling chandeliers in the living room and dining room, for greater solemnity. The rest of the apartment is lit by sconces, floor lamps, lamps.
You can endlessly admire Italian furniture: an antique handmade table with Murano glass inserts, elegant wooden chairs, marble shelves, a vintage bookcase. The interiors of this sunny country literally breathe family traditions.
As many countries, traditions and customs, so many features in design. Each nation has its own idea of beauty, comfort and coziness at home. But one thing is for sure, if Phileas Fogg, created by Jules Verne, had stopped every time on the way, delving into the interior design of different countries, he would not have made it to the deadline.
Which country design would you like to implement at home?
