Living room design in the English style: features, photos

The main task is to create an atmosphere of warmth and enveloping comfort in the living room, as opposed to the dampness that prevails outside the windows. And this problem is solved by the choice of finishing materials in warm shades, the selection of appropriate furniture, the use of textile elements, a large amount of natural wood, and, of course, the construction of a fireplace - the main semantic and compositional center of any living room in an English house, giving warmth and a precious feeling of home.

The main elements of the living room in the English style

A correct English interior is impossible without the following elements:

• Chesterfield sofa... The seat of the sofa is quilted with rhombuses, there are armrests, and their height is equal to the height of the back. Legs are low, as a rule, round in shape. In the classic version, the upholstery is brown, although other options are acceptable.
• Wood. All furniture in the living room should only be made of natural wood, be it a coffee table, wardrobe, chest of drawers or any other item.
• Fireplace. The living room in the English style necessarily has a fireplace. Its location depends on the shape and size of the room; it can be installed in the center, near a wall or even in a corner. There is only one necessary condition - a fireplace is made in a classic style.
• Floral pattern. A small floral pattern is one of the characteristic details of the style. They can be present on wallpaper, on curtains, in other elements of decoration.
• Bergere armchair. A real English chair is equipped with a high back, and, in addition, it has small "walls" and "ears" on the sides, as if surrounding the person sitting in it with warmth and comfort. This form of armchairs appeared in France, and received the name "bergère", but it became widespread in England, as it reliably protected from constant drafts.

The coffee table is sometimes replaced with a large pouf, which is located in the center of the living room.
The English style is wealth, restraint, oak in decoration, wooden wall panels, parquet, traditional elegant furniture with curved legs. Usually, beige shades, for example, ivory, are chosen as the main shades for the living room interior in the English style.

Style features

Creating an English style requires meticulousness in the selection of all elements, from finishing materials to accessories. The main criterion is quality, especially when choosing furniture.The design of the living room in the English style does not accept metal, large glass surfaces, and too dark colors.

After creating a project, the stage of choosing a finish for all surfaces begins, taking into account the appearance and quality of materials, as well as furniture, its quantity and quality. Along the way, you need to think over the details - textiles, additions, accessories and even small decorations that you will use to create an atmosphere of old England in your home.

Advice. When choosing materials for decoration, try to avoid bright contrasts, active colors, large drawings, ornaments. If you want to avoid monotony, opt for wallpaper with small flowers or stripes.

Style details

Color

Taking into account that there is never a lot of space, they try to use light shades as the main ones when decorating, helping to visually enlarge the room. Moreover, they must be warm, since the climate of England is rather harsh.

Natural tones are preferred: ocher, beige, brown, terracotta, gray, olive, cream, ivory. These shades are suitable as complementary colors such as gold, yellow, bronze.

Ornament

The favorite flower of English ladies and gentlemen is the rose, but they also warmly treat simple wildflowers. Wallpaper in a small floral pattern is a sign of style. In addition, simple stripe or checkered patterns are often used.

Floor

Living room floors in the English style are most often covered with inlaid parquet - an expensive, but practical and durable option. Parquet can be replaced with ceramic tiles imitating curly masonry. A large carpet must be placed on top of the parquet - this adds coziness to the damp atmosphere of an English house.

Walls

Old English houses often used fabric wallpaper, or panels covered with fabric in a small floral pattern. Sometimes, up to the middle of the height, the walls are covered with wooden panels, and above them with fabric panels. This is very practical, since it is the lower part of the walls that gets dirty more, and the tree is easier to care for than the fabric. Nowadays, textured wallpaper with curls, striped, or with a small ornament of flowers is used.

Ceiling

A wooden ceiling with heavy beams crossing it is one of the hallmarks of the style. In this case, the tree is not painted, but only covered with wax, oil or varnish.

Window

The interior of the living room in the English style is distinguished by large windows that can be rounded at the top. At the same time, the frames are rather narrow, and are divided into a large number of “squares” binding.

These windows are opened not by the swing method, but by the lift-and-slide method: the frame is lifted up and fixed in the raised position. The height of the window sill above the floor of such windows is, as a rule, much lower than that of European ones, and the window sill is often used as a bench, putting decorative pillows on it.

Furniture

All pieces of furniture - large, expensive, upholstered furniture - are pleasant to the touch. There is a lot of furniture, and sometimes it even seems that it is too much - it clutters up the space. It is preferable that the furniture is made of valuable wood species. The shape of the objects is simple, as a rule, rectangular, and only the legs are bent. This gives the furniture a charm and softens the severity of straight lines.

The design of the living room in the English style assumes upholstery with velvet, leather or damask - these are materials rich in texture, giving pleasant tactile sensations to those touching them. With a restrained overall design, furniture can be the main decorative element, in which case the color of the upholstery can be bright, and even have patterns. If the wallpaper has patterns, the upholstery is chosen in calmer tones, and without a pattern.

Every English living room certainly has, in addition to the obligatory sofa and armchairs, such pieces of furniture as a large bookcase and console tables, often made from precious wood.

Shine

Lighting schemes in style are complex, multi-level, with the obligatory use of floor lamps, various sconces and candlesticks. Large quantities of table lamps are welcome.

Fireplace

The central element of the living room in the English style is a fireplace. Materials for its construction can be any, but for decoration, either carved wood or marble is used. The picture is complemented by a large mirror above the fireplace portal in a rich bronze or gold-like frame.

Decor

England had vast colonies, which is reflected in its interiors. Since the time of her colonial power, it has been customary to display various "curiosities" taken from the subordinate territories in the living rooms. Sometimes there are even too many of them, but this is not considered a disadvantage.

Carpets, carved wood, tapestries, paintings in heavy frames are mandatory.Gilding is encouraged in frames, chandeliers, floor lamps and table lamps. The interior of the living room in the English style has been developing over the centuries and reflects the nation's love for the family and its commitment to family traditions, which is reflected, in particular, in the “portrait galleries” on the walls - these can be both paintings and family photographs.

Textile

The main textile elements of the decor are carpets and curtains. Carpets, as a rule, have a floral ornament, plum and cream shades are preferred. It is good if the central part of the carpet is lighter and the edging is darker.

Dense, heavy curtains are used for window decoration. There should be a lot of fabric, it will form beautiful folds. Lambrequins, draperies are welcome. Curtains are often decorated with fringes and tassels.