The origin of this trend occurred in the Middle Ages, when England and other European countries ruled on all continents. The colonialists, bringing with them language and customs, also instilled in the people the familiar comfort. In the process of adaptation to tropical conditions, the design has changed. The result of this integration was an unusual and interesting style.
Modern Colonial Style
Original and unconventional, ethnic and impregnated with traditions, based on solid carved wooden and wicker furniture in combination with exotic decorative motifs, the colonial style in the interior is the result of the interpenetration of very different cultures. Synthesis of European traditions and practicality and eastern luxury and exotics is able to make a house in the colonial style a subject of admiration, even from the sophisticated public.
The main features of the style are:
- scope in all - high ceilings, wide windows, large spacious rooms;
- proximity to nature - natural wooden pieces of furniture and finishes, man-made carpets and mats in oriental style, an abundance of natural light;
- Use of colorful colors and shades - brown, burgundy, muted orange and yellow, red, green, black and white;
- the presence of ethnic accessories - bronze figurines, velvet pillows embroidered with patterns, floor lamps and shades of dense linen and silk, carved panels of dark wood;
- "Animal" motifs are the lions' paws instead of the traditional legs of furniture, the backs of armchairs decorated with elephants and other talismans and amulets that have a sacred meaning in the East;
- live vegetation - dolmas, ferns, bamboo, exotic flowers in large outdoor pots.
Living room in colonial style
Being the main and most spacious room of the house, the hall with great success accommodates all of the above design features. As a result, the colonial style in the interior of the living room is fully revealed. Calm and confidence, which breathes such an interior, has to communicate, adjusts to a friendly way and reveals the character of the owner of the house. Guests also have the opportunity to view unique souvenirs from distant exotic countries, unusual handicrafts.
For the embodiment of the colonial style in the interior of the room, it is preferable to use calm pastel colors, and to dilute the situation it is possible to supplement it with textured color - curtains and carpets. Very similar looks look at all the textile surfaces, including furniture upholstery. This unity of motives will help to cement the composition.
Colonial style in the interior of the bedroom
If you are a lover of adventure and a conqueror of various distant countries, a bedroom in a colonial style will definitely suit you. Necessarily a wide and chic bed will make rest and night sleep incredibly comfortable. Wood, as the main material, is suitable for the bedroom in the best way, being environmentally friendly and completely safe. You are free to choose pastel colors or authentic combinations of white and blue, red and gold for bedroom decoration. The main thing is that you feel comfortable in such an environment.
In addition to a massive wooden bed, another similar furniture must be present in the bedroom: a large three-winged wardrobe, a chest of drawers with many drawers, a chest, a carved dressing table. Light natural textiles, comfortable sitting area with armchair or sofa, high ceilings and lots of light will make the bedroom interior romantic and pleasant.
Cuisine in the Colonial Style
The main features of this cuisine are simplicity, conciseness and functionality. In the spacious room, you can place a chic kitchen set with an island in the middle, and hang kitchen utensils above it. If possible, it is desirable to equip the room with a large brick oven or at least its imitation. Such a detail will become the main highlight of the room.
Colonial interior in the kitchen is created with the help of light shades of brown in combination with beige and yellow. The complement is a dark tree and a natural stone. This interior looks noble, soothing, very home-like. Bright accents, he does not accept, everything here should be sustained in a calm and harmonious channel. The floor is made of practical stone or tile, the furniture facades are exclusively wooden, the table and chairs are massive and also wooden.
Anteroom in colonial style
As in other rooms, the colonial style in the interior of the hallway is characterized by a calm pastel color scheme, the presence of furniture from wood, rattan, bamboo, the presence of many exotic accessories such as decorative panels on the wall, African masks on the chest, chests and wicker baskets as storage. The role of the flooring is often played by ceramic granite tiles. To shade light walls, you can make the floor darker.
What distinguishes the American colonial style in the interior is a relative small amount of accessories and decor, a minimum of furniture and simplicity of decoration. As for color, natural coloring is also welcome here, different shades of the soil - brown, beige, green. On the wall in the hallway you can arrange a large mirror, or it can be a large mirror door of the closet.
Cabinet in colonial style
Embodying the English colonial style in his working room, one can safely use the heraldic symbols of Great Britain as one of the major maritime powers of the colonial era. Symbols can be placed over an armchair on a snow-white wall - such a cabinet will resemble the workplace of an important English official. Equally pompous will be similar use of the symbols of India and other powers.
Another variant of the study with the use of colonial style in its interior is a functional and laconic room where nothing distracts from work, and the style is reminiscent of a massive teak furniture with exquisite decor, plant motifs embodied in paintings, a table in the form of a classical colonial bureau. And for breaks in work and comfortable rest, be sure to take care of the presence of a soft sofa.
Colonial style in the bathroom
Embodying the colonial style in the interior of the house or apartment, you can not bypass such an important room as a bathroom. If it is combined, there should be no clear boundaries between the toilet and the bathroom - this is the peculiarity of the style. All transitions should be as smooth as possible. For a soft division of space, use columns, a multilevel ceiling and floor, niches, translucent screens and partitions.
The bathroom in the colonial style should be light and spacious, filled with all means for civilized care of the body. This includes a shower cabin, a wide bathtub, a wash basin, a set of shelves and cupboards for bathroom accessories, and mirrors, and high-quality lighting. In short, everything that will help you fully take care of yourself.
Colonial style - design features
Interior in a colonial style in an apartment is more difficult to embody than in a house. Yet for him a large space is required. However, if you treat the process with understanding and without fanaticism, you can very accurately and concisely determine the direction of design, even in a tiny "Khrushchev". The refusal of bulky ceiling beams, through the chur of massive furniture and huge floor pots with palms to the ceiling, will not diminish the color, if at the same time correctly identify the style with the help of characteristic shades, ornaments, accessories, textiles and lighting.
Colonial style wallpaper
Often used for painting walls and stucco, but as an alternative you can use wallpaper. It is desirable that they have a frequent and shallow relief, which would imitate bamboo shavings. As an option, wall paintings can be decorated with floral ornament, inherent in the style. If you try to embody the Spanish colonial style, the walls must "radiate" light and heat, that is, the wallpaper should be appropriate shades, while some bright blotches are allowed on them.
Colonial Furniture
In the selection of banquets, cabinets, beds, armchairs, chests of drawers and chairs in a colonial style, there are no restrictions on the specific appearance - all items can differ and, at times, even contrast with each other. For example, a sofa in a colonial style with a vintage pattern on the upholstery can coexist with leather chairs and a delicate wicker table. African stools can stand next to a Chinese tea table and a Chippindale-style sofa.
In the bedroom, instead of a cabinet, a wooden chest with copper hinges is often placed, and a mirror in a colonial style is hung on the wall in a gilded frame. For the manufacture of furniture were originally used dark wood species, which were mined in the jungle - wenge , mahogany. Rattan and bamboo were also often used. In modern times, these breeds are rare and very expensive, so often their imitation is used.
Curtains in colonial style
As for the design of windows, this issue was also directly related to the climate of the countries being mastered. The scorching sun, sudden storms and storms, a sharp change in temperatures led to the decision to use wooden shutters. For beauty, we used textile curtains. They were sewn from expensive fabrics - silk, velvet, the thinnest flax. In our latitudes, there is no need for wooden shutters, but to imitate the style and to make the apartment in the colonial style really was one, bamboo blinds , roller blinds, Roman curtains are actively used.
Fireplace in colonial style
The presence of the fireplace is relevant for a combined kitchen-living room. In this case, its design is very characteristic - the colonial style certainly involves various exotic attributes of local cultures: animal images, plant motifs, screens, etc. The fireplace embodies the wealth and financial stability of the owners. It can be surrounded by characteristic accessories - on the mantelpiece and next to it on the floor are installed various animal figures, masks, living vegetation. Finishing it by all means stone or brick - even if the fireplace is actually a dummy.
Chandeliers in the colonial style
With all the diversity of light sources, a central ceiling chandelier must necessarily be present in the colonial interior. It should be massive, visible from all points of the room. The base of it is often metal or wooden. In addition to it, will help to emphasize the colonial style of fixtures, unusual sconces and floor lamps with a touch of antiquity and ethnicity.
Paintings in the Colonial Style
Interior in a colonial style in an apartment or house to the brim is filled with ethnic subjects. The pictures in this case are an expression of all those new features brought by the country in which the colonies of the settlers turned out to be. In accordance with this, the motives and scenes of the images are different. The only important thing is that they must coincide with the rest of the interior composition.
The mixing of cultures and color of different countries in a single ensemble led to the emergence of a new independent way of decorating living space. Joint presence in one territory of objects of the philosophical East, African exotics and luxury of the European class makes the colonial style in the interior one of the most extraordinary and at the same time very popular and in demand.