Palace style in the interior

Palace style impresses with its luxury, wealth and splendor. This area is not combined with budget repairs. If the owner plans to embody the palace decoration elements in the interior, then it will have to invest a lot in this. The decoration will be striking in scope and pomp, replete with elaborate details. Palace style organically looks in the interiors of mansions, cottages, country estates. It is more difficult to embody it in the decoration of a city apartment, since the lack of space was unknown to crowned persons. Let's talk about the features characteristic of the palace style and options for its implementation.

About the style

Palace style is the direction that was used to design the residences of kings and nobles in Europe of the XVII-XVIII centuries. It marked the beginning of Empire, Baroque, Rococo and perpetuated itself in classicism. The appearance of the direction came at the end of one of the greatest epochs in the cultural history of Europeans - the Renaissance. The founder of the palace style is considered King Louis XIV. A supporter of absolute monarchy and an adherent of the divine nature of royal power, he did not consider the state money that was spent on the design of his luxurious apartments. Louis sincerely believed that the state and the king - a single whole, and a man with "blue blood" requires special comfort. And it is worth noting that bad taste here and did not smell: all the interiors were organic, ornate, but there was a balance in the decoration. Louis settled on the French throne for a long time - almost 72 years. During this time, the king surrounded himself with luxury and erected more than one summer palace, where he was removed from the retinue of his entourage during the rest of the rich metropolitan life. The setting included stucco, gilding, inlay with expensive stones, luxurious fabrics, carvings, expensive paintings and tapestries, rare species of wood in the furniture, polished stone in the decoration. Palace style was manifested not only in the interior, he found a place for himself in architecture, eventually giving rise to the imperial direction (empire). Outside, the palaces were decorated with numerous decorative elements that were in harmony with fancy topiary on open lawns, winter gardens (with citrus trees) and "green" labyrinths in which the nobility indulged in children's games. Over time, this rich style acquired more and more bizarre forms. Aesthetic balance began to get lost in excessiveness and satiety, until it turned into baroque.

Palace style is suitable for wealthy people who want to emphasize their interior status and position in society. The direction is difficult to implement independently. Those who can afford big expenses are unlikely to begin to plaster the walls in their own mansion, having gotten their ears dirty in putty and paint. A wealthy person will hire a professional designer, so the article is more of an introductory nature. It is easy to get tired of the palace style, especially in modern realities, when minimalism is considered the crown of design ideas. The direction is its complete opposite, maximalism in its pure form. The palace style is remembered, it is imprinted in the consciousness of the average man, as something surprising, akin to a museum exhibit. You want to admire the expensive setting, but living in it is very difficult. If you want to impress your guests during ceremonial receptions, it is probably better not to find a direction for interior decoration.

Features and characteristics

For palace style, the following characteristics are characteristic:

• Refusal of the combined premises. According to the laws of the palace style, each room is designed for specific purposes and cannot be mixed with each other. An exception can only be a living room combined with a dining room.
• Palace style is not suitable for small spaces. Rooms should have large areas with high ceilings, wide window and door openings.
• In authentic palaces, there must be stairs, a suite and galleries decorated with portraits.
• The abundance of light. Large spaces require the use of not only massive ceiling chandeliers, but also floor, table lamps and wall lamps.
• The use of paintings (mainly portraits and scenes from the life of the nobility) and the use of artistic painting.
• Fretwork It decorates ceilings, walls, pedestals, mantels. Fretwork gives the room finesse, generosity and special elegance.
• Heavy, overall furniture, made of solid wood. Its surfaces are decorated with carvings, inlaid with stones.

It is also worth considering that modern household appliances will have to be carefully masked, since it does not fit into the interiors of palaces at all.

Color spectrum

The color scheme of the palace style is always based on white and brown, more precisely, its “golden” variation. Dilute furnishings with soft, pastel tones: yellow, gray, peach, pink, turquoise, blue, terracotta, walnut, olive, viridian, wheat, jade. Spots of royal blue, wine red, and dark chocolate are used in accent zones.

Finishing: methods and materials

For decoration use only expensive, natural materials: stone, wood, textiles. To stylize a room with simple plaster, it will not work. Fabulous interiors will require large investments. Of course, you can use artificial counterparts, but then the situation will largely resemble the modern classical. Crowned persons did not tolerate imitations and fakes. It is also worth considering that in the interiors there are many beautiful and sculptural elements. If the figurines can be purchased in regular stores, then you will have to invite a professional artist or sculptor to paint the walls or design them with the help of bas-reliefs or high-reliefs. It is possible to draw a simple ornament using templates, but it will be difficult to master the exquisite scenes depicting a multitude of people or divine beings.

Walls

For wall decoration recommend to resort to decorative painting. Her drawing should be a continuation of the ceiling stucco and gently outline large elements: paintings, mirrors, sconces. You can also use expensive fabric wallpaper with ornate patterns on a smooth, silk surface. It is worth considering that such a coating is considered a great "dust collector", so it will have to be vacuumed regularly. However, the wallpaper is suitable only for small rooms (nursery, bedroom, study). In the dining room, living room or spacious hall, the walls are decorated with painted or wooden inserts, which alternate with pilasters or columns, are finished with textured Venetian plaster and decorated with mirrored panels consisting of diamond-shaped fragments.

In the wall painting the best option would be a floral motif. Floral ornament perfectly with the dark wood furnishings and light stucco on the ceiling.

Floor

In authentic interiors, the floor is faced with stone. Polished marble or granite with a complex pattern will last more than a dozen years and stand the test of ballroom dancing. However, in modern palace interiors are increasingly using self-leveling floor. For durability, it is not inferior to stone, and any image can be applied to the surface at the request of the customer. Sometimes the floors are covered with expensive piece parquet, fragments of which again fold into the original pattern. The center of the image coincides with the middle of the room.

Ceiling

The ceiling space is abundantly decorated with stucco, caissons, decorative painting, rosettes, cornices, moldings and individual fragments of floristic ornaments. To finish the surface choose white plaster. It is on a light background that numerous decorative elements will stand out. If gilded parts are used in the decoration of the walls, then the same coating adorns the surface of the stucco fragments of the ceiling. Tension cloth is used only in modern variations of style. For authentic furnishings coverage is not suitable at all. Although the canvas has a nice glossy shine and can reproduce any pattern you like. Gypsum stucco can be made by yourself, if you stock up with molds - special forms for casting individual fragments.

Lighting - choose lights

Large spaces require abundant lighting. The light will play and repeatedly reflected in the mirror surfaces and gilded elements, settled in a small scattering of overflows on the silk and velvet folds of textiles. Since the windows are curtained with thick curtains, there is little natural light in the rooms. It is more than compensated by multi-tiered pendant chandeliers of crystal, decorated with pendants. This material creates a fascinating atmosphere, since the light of the lamps is repeatedly reflected and refracted by fine details. Even in modestly furnished rooms chandeliers made of crystal bring notes of solemnity and luxury. If the room is large (dining room, living room), then around the entire perimeter it is decorated with the same wall sconces imitating candlesticks. In truly huge rooms, several massive chandeliers are suspended from the ceiling equally spaced from each other, maintaining symmetry. On the surface of pedestals, desks, dressing tables, tables, they are set up by lamps or candlesticks.

Choice of furniture

Furniture choose massive of precious woods. Some elements are made of natural stone (tabletop). Upholstered furniture upholstered with jacquard, silk, velvet, velor. The last two types of textiles allow you to make any shade deep and rich. Upholstery fettered "carriage" tie. The facades of cabinets, chest of drawers, bedside tables abundantly decorated with carvings, friezes, inlaid with stones. It is advisable to use antique furniture, which lived to this day in excellent condition. Alternatively, you can resort to one of the techniques for the artificial aging of wooden surfaces. Fittings (handles, latches) are decorated with gold leaf.

Accessories, textiles and room décor

The walls are decorated with paintings in frames of gilded baguette. You can make old images using craquelure technique. No less luxurious framing decorates mirrors. The interior is decorated with stucco, bas-reliefs, tapestries, panels or frescoes. Doors and windows are decorated with stained glass inserts. In spacious rooms, they only emphasize the elegance of design, and in small rooms (corridor or hallway) will become a stylistic center. Curtains of expensive, dense fabrics (brocade, velvet) are decorated with lambrequins and garters with tassels. And curtain not only window, but also doorways. Lamps on wooden legs with carved elements, small sculptures, jewelry boxes inlaid with precious stones, rare porcelain vases are placed on the tables.

Examples of interior design

Each room of the palace lives its own life. The interior of any room is a complete version that does not need neighbors. This should be taken into account, as usually the design of rooms in the same house is connected with each other. The decoration of the premises strictly corresponds to their functional purpose.

Bedroom interior

The rooms of crowned persons, as a rule, consisted of two rooms. In one the bedroom itself was located, and in the second - a boudoir or a place for receiving guests. Yes, in those days, kings and queens did not consider it a shameful to hold audiences in dressing gowns and slippers. The spacious bed is decorated with a canopy of lightweight fabric. The bed is covered with a veil of deep chocolate or turquoise color. From above stack groups of pillows in silk pillowcases with ruffles. The back of the bed is decorated with a "carriage" tie. Walls paste over with wall-paper with flower drawing. The accent surface at the head of the bed can be decorated with painting. On either side of the royal bed, paired sconces are fixed on the walls. Bedside tables made of solid wood on twisted legs, generously decorated with gold leaf on the handles and facades. Boudoir zone is fenced off with a screen of delicate silk with floral ornaments. Here they put a table with a mirror and numerous caskets with decorations, hairpins, pins, and hairbrushes. Do not forget about indoor plants. It is advisable to revive the interior with the help of bouquets of roses, asters or chrysanthemums.

A stylish addition will be the lamps in the form of antique candelabra, but equipped with modern light bulbs.

Living room interior

Mandatory attribute of the living room in the palace style is the fireplace. It is decorated with stone and miniature columns. On the mantelpiece put vases of flowers, clocks, candlesticks, sculpture. The walls are decorated with painted inserts in combination with stucco, vignettes and decorative pilasters. The furniture set consists of an ottoman and a pair of massive armchairs, which are lavishly decorated with carvings. The upholstery of the upholstered furniture is decorated with the same carriage stitch. Behind backs cover velor or velvet. A furniture set surrounds a low coffee table on twisted gilded legs. His countertop, made of marble, is crowned with a bowl of fruit or a vase of flowers. On the walls hung paintings, frescoes, mirrors. The floor is trimmed with parquet floor or fragments of marble. The junction of the wall and ceiling is decorated with fillet, moldings, cornices. Thick curtains with lambrequins frame the windows.

In the living room, a white piano with a bouquet of scarlet roses will become a stylish interior element. In the heyday of monarchy, playing music was considered commonplace for the nobility.

Kitchen interier

In the palaces of the kitchen were considered office space, which the presence of the crowned heads did not illuminate. Now in this room most of the time is spent not only by the hostess of the house, but also almost all family members during the "tea" gatherings. For the decoration of the walls they choose a nice mustard color or a neutral gray color. The ceiling is plastered and decorated with traditional stucco for a couple with a fillet. In the center there is a massive crystal chandelier. Kitchen set choose a light, milky tint, the facades of which are richly decorated with stucco elements. On the upper edge of the border is a relief pattern, covered with gilding. The floor is chosen either in bulk, or from a ceramic tile of brown shades imitating marble or granite. The area above the stove is decorated with a fake fireplace portal, which has several open shelves for storing spices and small utensils. If the kitchen also combines a dining area (which is undesirable), then the dining table with a massive stone-topped countertop is complemented by a group of wood chairs. Their legs are decorated with carving, and their backs and seats are padded, decorated with a “carriage” tie. Windows curtain with light curtains with lambrequins.

Bathroom interior

The palace-style bathroom disposes of prolonged bathing in the foamy liquid with uneven candlelight. For decoration use ceramic tiles, the surface of which is decorated with unobtrusive floral ornaments. Compact shower in the palace interior does not fit. We'll have to opt for the "rare" bath with twisted legs and sides of different heights. Plumbing choose with luxurious gilding. Snow-white sink to the full depth goes into the nightstand. From furniture, you can use high narrow cabinets with a number of sliding shelves. Their facades are necessarily decorated with stucco elements covered with gilding. The mirror is decorated with a wrought-iron frame and the same curlicues that smoothly pass into the holders for the lamps. Near the bath put a miniature low couch.

Interior hallway

In the hallway put a console table made of wood dark brown. Above it, they hang a mirror in a baguette frame with gilding. On the tabletop put a vase of Chinese porcelain with a bouquet of fresh flowers. Doorways are decorated with carved platbands. Some passages to the rooms are decorated with arched vaults. The ceiling is decorated with stucco moldings. For pereobuvaniya put a couch with low armrests. The floor is trimmed with natural stone, which does not know wear. From the ceiling hangs a multi-tiered chandelier worthy of ballrooms. Complement the interior with groups of paintings and decorative paintings on the walls.

Conclusion

Palace style preceded the classical direction. It took on many of the features of royal interiors, but in lighter forms. Palace style existed for several centuries. Even after a while, he continues to live in monuments of architecture and design. You can look at the surviving examples of Russian palace luxury and wealth in St. Petersburg in Marble, Winter, Tauride, Mariinsky or the Summer Palace of Peter I. Versailles can be considered the most striking example of style in its historic homeland. One of the main residences of the French kings, the beauty of the interior decoration, it can only argue with the Louvre and the Tuileries. Unfortunately, the last palace was destroyed by the French Communards. For a long time, the ashes of the backbone of the building was a "thorn" in the center of Paris, until Parliament decided to tear down the ruins.