Description of the Gothic style in the interior:

Gothic style or gothic - the crown of the Middle Ages, bright colors, gilding, shining stained glass windows, a symphony of light, stone and glass. 

The Gothic style in the interior characterizes the final stage in the development of medieval art in Western Europe. Gothic-style interiors are distinguished by grandeur and elegance. The main features of interior design in the Gothic style include the upward trend, pointedness, lightness, expressiveness, the desire for excessive decorativeness.

Gothic-style walls: To finish the basement of the walls and the fireplace area in the Gothic style, samples are used that imitate smooth cobblestone, expressive wild stone, rough limestone. The necessary "castle" effect is also created by door portals and window openings framed with artificial stone. 

The most popular in Gothic is the combination of carved wooden elements (inserts, borders, door and window openings, etc.) against the background of a plain stone wall (the effect of plaster, less often wallpaper under a stone wall). From wood, oak, walnut, spruce, pine, larch, European cedar, juniper are more often used.

Gothic style ceiling: Creating the effect of a stone ceiling in any way possible. Gothic style in the interior welcomes the use of stucco. Figured stucco was sometimes painted and covered with gilding. If possible, creating the effect of a vault will be a special touch (with a ceiling above 5m). Also in Gothic, wooden ceilings, beam construction or with open decorated rafters are used. Possible decorative painting on the ceiling.

Gothic style floor: Mostly imitation of stone, marble, due to ceramics or parquet is used. Try to convey the feeling of the castle. The most suitable parquet floor is a large-format solid wood floorboard, an aged floorboard in dark tones. There are also carpets on the floor.

Gothic style furniture: Furniture in the Gothic style using velvet, carvings, turned legs and elongated planes. Tall double-leaf cabinets with four, six or nine panels, as well as cupboards with high legs, high backs of chairs and beds, imitating the architectural details of fortified castles and churches, and, of course, chests.

Gothic is also famous for chests that were covered with leather, rich metal (iron and bronze) fittings were used, often placed one on top of the other, while decorating the entire structure with lancet vaults. A table with a deep drawer and a strongly protruding top. Canopy bed on a large wooden frame. Separately, you can highlight the dressuar (painted cupboard).

Gothic decor items: Use tile mosaic, majolica. Gothic paintings are rarely used to decorate rooms; easel painting is typical of the era. In the Gothic style of the interior, candles, sculptures and crosses will look appropriate. The book miniature is used abundantly. A pleasant addition to the Gothic interior will be the presence of stone and wood carvings, ceramics and glassware. Focus on metal forged products (chandeliers, lamps, individual decorative elements).

 

Pro Tips:

1. It is rather problematic to reproduce in its purest form the Gothic style of the interior in a modern room. The reason for this is the oppressive atmosphere (if you are not an ardent fan of the Gothic) and the need for a high room to fully convey the atmosphere.

More often, individual elements of the Gothic style are used, both in the interior design of country houses and in the interior design of apartments. Lancet stained-glass windows, forged spiral staircases - all this is in perfect harmony with the decorative design made of artificial stone.

2. "Gothic roses", colorful stained-glass windows, painted sculpture - all this speaks of the special role of color in the Middle Ages. In the interior design of the Gothic style, rich reds, blues, yellows, browns, as well as gold and silver threads were used. For contrasting details, purple, ruby, blue-black, carnation-pink, green shades were used. An interesting impression arises from the use of contrasting colors and textures. Do not be afraid to highlight elements with saturated colors, the main thing is not to deviate from the general style.

3. To enhance the "castle" effect of the Gothic, use stained-glass windows on blank walls with internal illumination. A trick is common, when a part of the wall with “losses” exposes the “ancient” masonry.

4. In the center of the interior in the Gothic style, it is good to place a richly decorated fireplace or tiled stove with architectural details directed upwards.

5. Use in Gothic everything that reminds of knightly times: sparkling or, on the contrary, armor covered with a noble patina, stylized ancient coats of arms, forged candelabra. It is important not to overdo it here, remember that this is an addition, and not the basis of the Gothic style.

6. Weaving and embroidery are crafts that were especially developed during the Middle Ages. Pay close attention to them. Fancy oriental carpets and canopies over beds made of thick curtain fabric, preferably embroidered, curtains with knightly symbols, coats of arms, as well as fabric tapestries (tapestry) will find their place in the Gothic style in the interior.

 

History of the Gothic style:

GOTHIC (from Italian gotico - unusual, barbaric) - a period in the development of medieval art, which replaced the Romanesque style, gradually replacing it. Gothic originated in the 12th century in the north of France in the historical region of Ile-de-France, in the 13th century it spread to the territory of modern Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Spain, and England.

In Italy, the Gothic style penetrated later, with great difficulty and already modified "Italian Gothic". At the end of the 14th century, international Gothic embraced Europe. Gothic penetrated into the countries of Eastern Europe later and lasted there a little longer - until the 16th century. The Gothic style in architecture is distinguished by three stages of development: early, mature (high gothic) and late.

Gothic is characterized by arches with pointed tops, narrow and high towers and columns, a richly decorated facade with carved details (wimpergi, tympanums, archivolts) and multi-colored stained-glass lancet windows. All style elements emphasize the vertical. Gothic also covered sculpture, painting, book miniature, costume, ornament, etc. Sculpture played a huge role in creating the image of a Gothic cathedral. In France, she designed mainly its outer walls. Tens of thousands of sculptures, from plinth to pinnacles, inhabit the mature Gothic cathedral.

Gothic furniture is simple and heavy in the truest sense of the word. For the first time, clothes and household items are being stored in closets, instead of the usual chest. Thus, by the end of the Middle Ages, prototypes of the main modern pieces of furniture appeared: a wardrobe, a bed, an armchair.

Dressoir - a cupboard, a piece of late Gothic furniture, often covered with painting. One of the most common methods for making furniture was frame-panel knitting. As a material in the north and west of Europe, mainly local wood species were used - oak, walnut, and in the south (Tyrol) and east - spruce and pine, as well as larch, European cedar, juniper

In essence, the Gothic style, like the Romanesque, is in the service of the church, it manifested itself in the architecture of temples, cathedrals, churches, monasteries. Also known are the buildings of houses in the Gothic style, mainly for public purposes.

Famous monuments of Gothic architecture are:

• Cathedral of Notre Dame, 1163 - XIV century.

• Cologne Cathedral, 1248 - 19th century

• Chartres Cathedral, XII-XIV centuries.

• Reims Cathedral, 1211-1330, (French kings were crowned in it).

• Westminster Abbey (most of the English kings were crowned in it), XII-XIV centuries.

• Lincoln Cathedral, late 11th century

• Milan Cathedral, 1386-19th century

• St. Vitus Cathedral (1344-1929)

• Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary in Moscow others.

The term "Neo-Gothic" refers to buildings and works of art created during the eclectic period (mid-19th century) and later, but containing the character of the Gothic. At the end of the 14th century, Europe was embraced by international gothic, which was brighter in terms of color. With the advent of the Renaissance north and west of the Alps at the beginning of the 16th century, the Gothic style lost its significance.