Description of the classicism style in the interior:

Style classicism and neoclassicism are two different temporal and epochal periods of European culture. Taking into account the later period, neoclassicism uses cheaper items in decoration and furniture, this is determined by the transition from the “museum” handmade furniture of the Louis XVI era to the usual “conveyor” furniture.

However, they can still be combined under the general idea of returning to ancient motifs. It was from antiquity that architects and decorators drew ideas when creating their classicist masterpieces. The interior in the style of classicism is characterized by discreet decor and expensive high-quality materials (natural wood, stone, silk, etc.). The classic interior embodies regularity, strict symmetry, clarity of composition, clear subordination of parts, a calm rhythm of alternating windows, pilasters, columns.

The color scheme of the interior in the style of classicism is calm and noble tones, a combination of light pastel - cream, pale yellow, slightly greenish - walls with warm brown tones of noble parquet wood and furniture.

 

Classicism walls: Fabric wallpapers or other fabric imitations are often chosen. When painting walls, use soft tones. Also in the style of classicism, stucco molding, antique columns and semi-columns with straight lines are used. To decorate the wall, a fresco of an antique theme, or a landscape or portrait in the spirit of the 18th century, is suitable.

Ceiling in the style of classicism: In a classic interior, it is often white or soft cream / pastel. The image of classicism is complemented by stucco molding. Try to maintain clarity and antique rigor.

Classicism floor: Mostly parquet. For an interior in the style of classicism, artistic parquet with an abundance of used tree species is more suitable. In the bedroom and living room can be supplemented with carpet.

Furniture in the style of classicism: In the interior of classicism from an array of noble woods, solid and respectable, elegant, but not pretentious. The texture itself and the natural color of valuable wood species are used as a decorative design for a classic interior. Furniture in the style of classicism often finished with carved inserts of precious wood. Chairs and armchairs are upholstered in fabrics with floral patterns. The angle of the junction of the legs and the seat is cubic. The legs are straight, tapering downwards with flutes. The corners of the back are underlined. A popular classicism style color scheme: mahogany plus a light bronze finish.

Classicism decor items: Quite restrained, but at the same time expensive. Sculptural decor, frescoes, symmetrically arranged mirrors in expensive baguettes. Mandatory elements are cornices, curtains with lambrequins, complex-shaped curtains, as well as furniture covers. 

Chandeliers and lamps with crystal pendants and quite massive in execution. Porcelain, books, paintings, antiques are present in the classic interior. 

 

Pro Tips:

1. The classic style of interior design is relevant both in the design of private houses and apartments, and in public spaces. Large companies often emphasize the strong traditions and sustainability of their business with the help of classic interior design, because classicism is a style that has passed the centuries-old test of time.

A combination of monumentality with simplicity, but expressed not in lack of ideas, but in understandable and clear elements that leave no doubt about the grandeur of style. The classical style of the interior is designed for calm and respectable people who do not change the interior for the sake of fashion. Classicism style furniture is bought for a long time and, like a work of art, is inherited.

2. For a classic interior, a centric or ray composition is best suited, that is, all objects flow from one to another. For example, an entrance hall and a hall can be separated by a colonnade. Partitions in the classic style of the interior are rarely used. Columns can be finished with marble or granite.

3. Those who wish to reproduce the classicism style at home in strict accordance should take care of those things that will most clearly catch the eye against the background of the general style. Of course, we are talking about modern technology, which will have to be "hidden". A TV, for example, can be placed in a closed niche or behind closing doors in a closet. For the rest of the equipment and objects, retractable blocks and a lot of other techniques are suitable, including their antique decoration.

4. If you decide to make a bathroom in a classic interior, then decorate it in warm colors (beige, ivory). The pattern on the wall and floor should imitate marble. Taps and a mixer, choose gilded or bronze-plated, it is better to choose aged ones. If the area allows, use colonial elements as a reflection of antiquity, but they should not overlap the general background, turning everything into Greek and Roman baths.

5. The interior of classicism will be especially emphasized by grisaille - painting in gray-white tones, imitating a sculptural image. Use it on walls, murals or furniture. Grisaille, like nothing else, will reveal the subtle motif of antiquity.

<6. Speaking of neoclassicism, there will no longer be such prohibitions in terms of furniture and decoration, therefore, it is more often recreated in urban and suburban interiors. Ideal for cabinets. Strict, symmetrical lines, the absence of distracting elements, like nothing else, sets you in a working mood.

 

History of classicism style:

CLASSICISM (French classicisme, from Latin classicus - exemplary) is an artistic style and aesthetic trend in European art of the 17th - 19th centuries. In the middle of the 18th century, the reigning Rococo style was criticized for mannerisms, sensuality and complexity of composition. The influence of the rationalism of ideas first of all affected architecture. The attention of the architects of classicism was attracted by the rigor and calmness of ancient, mainly ordered Greek architecture.

The glut of late baroque and rococo "whipped cream" at that time began to accumulate in Europe. Baroque thinned into rococo, a predominantly chamber style with an emphasis on interior decoration and arts and crafts. For solving major urban problems, this aesthetics was of little use.

The growing interest in antiquity was facilitated by the discovery in 1755 of Pompeii with the richest artistic monuments, excavations in Herculaneum, the study of ancient architecture in southern Italy, on the basis of which new views on Greek architecture were formed. The new style - classicism became a natural result of the development of Renaissance architecture and its transformation in different cultural and historical conditions.

Interest in the art of ancient Greece and Rome manifested itself in the Renaissance, in the era of classicism we are witnessing, as it were, the second wave. At the beginning of the 17th century, young foreigners flocked to Rome to get acquainted with the heritage of antiquity and the Renaissance. A vivid example of this was the famous artists N. Poussin and K. Lorrain, who vividly describe the ancient world.

In the architecture of classicism, there was also an appeal to the forms of ancient architecture. In it, the architects saw the standard of harmony, simplicity, rigor, logical clarity and monumentality. The style clearly shows the clarity of the layout and volumetric form.

The order, in proportions and forms close to antiquity, became the basis of the architectural language of classicism. Classicism is characterized by symmetrical-axial compositions and restraint of decorative decoration.

In the period after the Napoleonic Wars, classicism had to get along with romantically colored eclecticism, in particular with the return of interest in the Middle Ages and the fashion for architectural neo-Gothic. In connection with the discoveries of Champollion, Egyptian motifs are gaining popularity. Interest in ancient Roman architecture is replaced by reverence for everything ancient Greek (“Neo-Greek”), which was especially pronounced in Germany and the United States.

Neoclassicism is a term used in Russian art criticism to refer to artistic phenomena of the last third of the 19th and 20th centuries, which are characterized by an appeal to the traditions of the art of antiquity, the art of the Renaissance or classicism (in music, also the Baroque era).

At the end of the 19th century, a new architectural style was formed, which in Russia is called "modern". But he could not satisfy the urgent need for a large monumental style. Neoclassicism appeared at the beginning of the century as an antithesis of the decorative redundancy of Art Nouveau. Reliance on the classics, the order system, observance of classical proportions, the desire for comfort and harmony. Characteristic ornaments: leaves, shells, architectural pediments, antique figures. The furniture is light, elegant and straight lines. 

Neoclassicism and the "neo-Russian style" first influenced the lexicon of modernity, and after 1910 pushed it into the background.