European style in the interior: description and photo examples

A new apartment is a great event for any family, because there are so many interesting things ahead: choosing a design solution for the space, filling it with stylish furniture, searching for interesting decorative items, breathtaking discussions about the future decoration of the house. The latest trends in interior design demonstrate a move away from the minimalism that has been popularized in recent years, and a return to the creation of warm, comfortable interiors filled with the necessary style elements, colored with modernity.

Features and options of the European style

European style in the interior is a modern interpretation of traditional style options. The absence of strict requirements for the obligatory copying of finishing techniques of historical styles easily fits this trend into modern life, makes it in demand among customers, and allows designers to design cozy, elegant spaces filled with air and light. Conventionally, European style can be divided into classic and modern.

One of the main characteristics of European-style apartment design is matte finish.

Dense, velvety finishing materials and fabrics are used. Muted shine is acceptable to a limited extent:

• metal fittings for doors and windows (latches, handles, hinges);
• curtain holders, cornices, plumb lines for Roman blinds;
• lighting fixture parts;
• accessories, decorative objects (vases, candlesticks, fireplace sets, picture framing).

The main features of the French style in interior design

Each interior decor implies the presence of details and elements that are unique to this style. On the Internet you can find a lot of photo and video materials with original options for decorating a kitchen in the French style. Despite the fact that they may differ greatly from each other, their main features will remain unchanged.

A muted color palette is one of the foundations of the French style in the kitchen interior

Smooth curved lines fill the kitchen with lightness

French style involves the maximum use of natural materials

What is characteristic of the style of this sensual and romantic country? In general, the French interior is characterized by:

Muted color palette. Only pastel colors are used in interior design. The most common are almost all shades of white, soft coffee tones, as well as light green and pastel blue shades. Even the colors used as contrast are made in a muted pastel palette.

For French decor, use pastel colors: beige, white, light yellow

• Smooth lines. A French-style kitchen is the epitome of elegance, so furniture and accessories with soft, smooth curves are chosen to decorate it.
• Natural materials. When decorating the kitchen, it is advisable to use natural finishing materials: wood, stone, tiles or their very high-quality modern imitation.

If finishing from natural materials is not available, use high-quality imitation

• Unity of walls and ceiling. The design of the walls and ceiling of the kitchen should not differ much in color and texture. Ideally, they should form a harmonious ensemble with each other.
• Light draperies. The use of natural light fabrics for curtains, tablecloths and furniture upholstery is one of the most important conditions for achieving the French style. Light, flowing draperies made of silk and linen are welcome in window decoration.

The color of the walls, ceiling and floor should be harmoniously combined with each other

By using a light palette you can visually expand the space

In general, the French style of cuisine can be divided into several areas:

Palace style. A refined interior, best suited for old-style houses or large mansions. It combines high ceilings, natural wood, huge windows and an abundance of expensive decor.

Palace interior - an option for lovers of exquisite luxury

French cafe. A very original interior option, perfect for rooms with a small area, as it allows for the most functional use of space.

The simplicity of the “French cafe” style can decorate a small kitchen

Provence. Perfect for both interior design of country houses and small apartments.

Provence will help recreate the atmosphere of a country house in France

Don’t forget that when choosing a specific kitchen interior design, you need to harmoniously combine it with the design of other rooms in the house. For example, if you choose a palace interior for a French-style kitchen, then the hallway and living room are decorated accordingly.

Stylish color scheme: avoiding bright colors

In European classics, the use of a limited set of light colors is not a flaw, but an advantage. A huge number of shades of varying degrees of saturation create a rich palette of interior colors. Preference is given to pastel, whitewashed options, color accents are muted. Instead of pure, flashy colors, a more restrained range is used.

Against the background of light walls, upholstered furniture and fabric decor successfully sound old brick, matte chocolate, dark green, gray-blue, warm dark gray, and other complex color combinations.

When decorating an interior in a European style, avoid dark door panels and narrow baseboards that match the color of the floor. White reigns here. Doors and portals of any shade of white are preferred: creamy, snowy, bleached wood.

Eurostyle concept

In modern European style, the idea of ​​simplicity and lightness prevails. It does not encourage one to boast of wealth and sophistication, does not evoke feelings of pride, and does not become a reason to prove something. He does not encourage you to think about arrangement “for centuries”, but simply to enjoy every moment. This is not only the layout of rooms and decor, but also a completely different approach to life.

Global and European trends welcome a reassessment of values, a shift in emphasis and a rethinking of the concept of “luxury”. According to trendsetters, with the high pace and transience of modern life, the interior should emphasize the value of the moment “here and now”, and not “back to the past”.

This is precisely what is reflected in the European style: it does not have the features of pomposity and monumentality. On the contrary, it contributes to the organization of living and most useful housing.

Interior decoration: simple at first glance

The standard finishing technique in European design is plastering the walls followed by painting.

Any defect during plastering work will become clearly visible after painting, especially when the electric light is turned on. Therefore, the quality of plastering should be checked very carefully. A construction lantern can come to the rescue: when the lighting angle changes, its beam will highlight all the imperfections.

Parquet, parquet boards, and laminate are used as floor finishing materials for the main space. In auxiliary rooms (bathroom, laundry room, pantry), ceramic tiles, porcelain stoneware, and natural stone that are more suitable in terms of characteristics are used.

Decorating the walls of rooms with high humidity involves the use of tiles, painting with moisture-resistant paints, or a combination of these materials (places with splashes of water near the bathroom, washbasin, shower compartment walls are tiled, the rest of the space is painted).

European-style furniture: the main criterion is convenience

When creating a European interior, it is necessary to combine different pieces of furniture, since the use of full-fledged sets is not encouraged. But careful selection of furniture can create the effect of a lived-in, cozy space.

A distinctive feature of the furniture filling the house is convenience. This is the most important criterion followed when choosing. Sofas, tables, chairs should not only decorate the room, fit into the designed color scheme, but also create an atmosphere of complete comfort. That’s why it’s so important not to just stop at the picture you like in the catalogue, but to physically test how comfortable it is to sit on chairs, whether it’s easy to get up from a low sofa, whether your body feels relaxed on the couch.

An almost obligatory accent is the presence of chairs on legs in the rooms. These can be either options with high quilted backs, curved armrests, or more modern, linear or rounded shapes.

Zoning of premises

Despite the fact that minimalism in the interior is characterized by zoning of rooms, some spaces may well be multifunctional. For example, a minimalist living room can be combined with a bedroom.

Of course, this requires properly selected multifunctional furniture. By decorating the space with the right objects and being guided by the basic principles of minimalism, you can ensure that the room can match the atmosphere of the living room at one time and provide healthy rest and sleep at another.

Thus, modern minimalism in the interior is a unique style in which there is nothing superfluous, only the necessary details are used, which, in turn, play a significant role in the overall picture of the space. A minimalist interior should not be divorced from the world, it combines with it, smoothly flows into it.

Color solutions are usually based on contrast. But different shades and tones of the same color can be used. Bright spaces, smooth, clear lines, a minimum of details are a good solution. That is why more and more people are choosing the minimalist style, because it combines uniqueness, reliability and functionality.

Thoughtful lighting: we include different scenarios

The use of several groups of lamps allows you to demonstrate in the European style the entire necessary light range: daytime, evening, ceremonial, work lighting. Sometimes linear lighting is designed behind the ceiling cornices, but much more often light points are used:

• top chandelier;
• sconces that accent certain areas of the room;
• floor lamps for reading, creating the necessary lighting intensity near sofa groups or armchairs;
• table lamps with large lampshades.

Decorative lampshades of lighting fixtures are themselves elements of decoration. They create a soft, subdued light that echoes the glow of a live fire in the fireplace, making the atmosphere of the room more comfortable. Fireplace lighting in the evening, when all other light sources are extinguished, gives a fluctuating glow of reddish shades, adding mystery to the interior. At this moment, the reflection of the flames from the metal accessories of the room becomes especially interesting. The placement of a fireplace in the bedroom is extremely effective; thanks to the warmth and soft light, the private space turns into even more private.

Fireplace

This item has not lost its relevance in European interiors, although it no longer serves as a room heating function. Fireplaces are installed to maintain a cozy atmosphere in the house. They allow you to diversify the interior and satisfy the aesthetic tastes of the home owners.

Real fireplaces are installed only in private homes, since their installation requires the construction of a chimney and the construction of a stable foundation for the product itself. This must be taken into account at the design stage of the house.

Now there are many types of fireplaces that can be installed in apartment buildings. Glass and steel products of unusual geometric shapes, bio-fireplaces, which are built not only into walls, but also into furniture. These products are safe and easy to use. Modern technologies make it possible to reliably reproduce the entire fireplace heating cycle (flame, smoldering coals). In the interior of the room, such products look stylish and attractive.

Interior accessories and architectural details

European-style decor includes:

1. paintings (possibly single or symmetrical arrangement of objects);
2. lamps, floor lamps with volumetric shades;
3. floor and table vases with fresh flowers, indoor plants or wood installations;
4. decorative pillows (a comfortable component of armchairs and sofa groups).

In the project, special attention should be paid to the following points:

• Door dimensions: it is desirable to manufacture custom-made elongated doors or double swing doors;
• High plinths with profiling: the size range fits into the range of 10-25 cm, tied to the overall height of the room (the higher the ceiling is raised, the wider the plinth is selected);
• Elongated window openings: often framed with figured platbands, which presents the landscape outside the window as a picture in a frame;
• The length of the curtains: soft folds (the fabric even lies on the floor) additionally emphasize the height of the room.

The classic European style uses ceiling cornices that echo the baseboards. The modern direction allows the junction of the ceiling and walls without additional design, the main thing is that it is executed perfectly.

European living room: warm classic, created for communication

The living room, as the main room in the house, more than other rooms meets the principles of European style design. It is not painted with age-appropriate details like a child’s room, it does not carry notes of intimacy like a bedroom, and it should not be practical to clean like a bathroom. But it is in this room that the purity of style is manifested: decoration, furniture, and accessories are selected very precisely. The result is a bright, open space that offers the occupants of the home maximum comfort.

In the center of the living room there is a coffee table, which is surrounded on three sides by sofa groups, armchairs, and side ottomans. The fourth side is given to the dominant vertical element: a fireplace, television equipment, a collection of paintings, i.e. visual accent of the entire composition. Upholstered furniture stands freely relative to walls and windows, providing a person with unhindered movement. The arrangement of the seats is often diagonal.

Decor elements

The main design rule is to observe minimalism and restraint, elegance and discreetness.

Overloading rooms with numerous decorative elements is not necessary or even appropriate.

To decorate a room, you can use ordinary items: stands, lamps, holders, paintings, etc.

Elegant bedroom for complete relaxation

European style is great for creating a relaxed, relaxing space, which is the bedroom. All design techniques are appropriate here:

• calm colors;
• parquet flooring;
• voluminous quilted upholstery of the headboard, armchairs, bedside bench, toilet ottoman;
• a handmade rug highlighting the center of the room;
• furniture made of wood of noble shapes;
• silk lampshades giving a subdued romantic light.

Inside the bedroom, nothing should interfere with proper rest, so decorative accents (mirrors, vases, framed photographs) are used in doses.

Elements of classics in the kitchen space: cooking and eating in a European way

European style implies a large kitchen space. It could be

1. separate spacious kitchen;
2. combined kitchen-dining room;
3. kitchen combined with living room.

The latter option will allow you to create a European-style interior in a studio or one-room apartment, where the walls between different rooms have been demolished.

If the kitchen area is very small (appendix), but adjacent to a voluminous dining room, then you can abandon the design of the kitchen in the general context, using a more laconic design. It will be possible to do justice to the chosen interior direction by creating the image of a place for family meals.

European style of cuisine is emphasized by:

• dining group, where half-chairs are used instead of hard chairs;
• kitchen set in discreet colors with paneled or flat facades;
• Roman blinds, matched to the tone of the furniture upholstery;
• a full chandelier placed above the dining table.

Character traits

A conversation about the European style in the design of apartments and other dwellings should begin with the fact that it is very flexible. This design format has undergone a significant transformation over the past decades; any of its variations can be taken as a basis. There are no strict requirements, for example, regarding the amount of decor used.

And yet there are typical features of modern European-style cottage projects that are implemented in most cases, namely:

• open plan layout (up to and including studio apartments);
• maximum expansion of space - both visual and technical means (including through the installation of large panoramic windows);
• the opposite trend that has emerged in recent years is a rollback towards greater privacy and enclosed space;
• increased comfort (again, customizable to individual requirements);
• minimalistic design;
• restraint and composure (refusal to flashy colors);
• lightness and freshness filling the space.

But we must understand that it is impossible to characterize the interior in isolation from the appearance of the home and its structure, because they are absolutely clearly connected, purely logically. A European-style private country house is usually created from wooden materials. They are practical, environmentally friendly, and provide a comfortable indoor environment. For the most part, one-story buildings with a flat roof are used - the race of pathos, which forced the construction of two-story and three-story houses, does not fit into the European style, and modern technologies make it possible to ensure reliable operation of a flat roof in all weather conditions.

Within the limits of what has been described, you can even undertake rather radical experiments. But in any case, the design must be carefully thought out - otherwise this is no longer a European approach. It is quite possible to take Spanish or French, German or Northern European, Italian or even Balkan flavor as a basis.

It is worth paying attention to the following characteristic points:

combining kitchens with dining rooms, dining rooms with living rooms, halls with living rooms; visual zoning of the interior; clear functionality of all items; using only environmentally friendly solutions; the critical importance of proper lighting.

A bathroom you don't want to leave

A European-style bathroom is not a utilitarian room with a limited amount of decor, the finishing of which requires a minimum of funds. This is a corner of relaxation full of soft warmth. A voluminous bathroom allows you to plan the placement of an ensemble of a ceiling chandelier and matching sconces near the mirror, and a light floor covering expands the boundaries of the room. Wall decoration is possible according to the “top-bottom” principle - a combination of laying wall tiles and painting. Against such a background, plumbing fixtures with discreet, streamlined configurations look more advantageous. The junction of different finishing wall materials is decorated with a figured tiled frieze. An interesting technique is to paint vertical surfaces with a color different from the main tone of the tiles, which makes the bathroom less conservative.

Children's room: combining age and style

The difficulty of designing a space for small family members in a European style is that the age characteristics of children mean a bright room for games, and the chosen design means calm and comfort. Therefore, it is better to use only individual style elements:

• Calm colors of finishing materials;
• The flooring is lighter than the floor of the main home space;
• Wide baseboards;
• A combination of traditional and Roman blinds in brighter shades;
• Dressers with legs.

If the children's room is intended for teenagers, then furnishings “like those of adults” (a mirror in a baguette frame, a desk, glazed shelving, an armchair with a quilted back) will make a busy life measured and help balance the outburst of energy.

Old story in a new reading

Having given preference to European design, after the renovation the apartment owner will not have the use of mossy classics, but a fresh look at traditional things. A voluminous, bright room conducive to relaxation can become a magnet, thanks to which all family members strive to get home as soon as possible after a working day. An apartment, decorated in the chosen style, is ready to hospitably open its doors to welcome visitors and envelop those who live inside its walls in a cloud of calm comfort.