Gothic style is sublime and light. Such an interior is suitable for romantic people who love philosophy and who have enough bright colors outside the walls of the house. Gothic does not tolerate fuss. Therefore, such an interior is not suitable for a family in which there are children. But if you decide to decorate your interior in the Gothic style, you will definitely not regret it. Read about how to make a successful room design.
general characteristics
Gothic style is a vertical line enclosed in a huge room. Everything should strive upward and create a soaring effect. Also, all interior details are inextricably linked. Natural materials emphasize the heaviness of the bottom and airiness of the top. This should be manifested in everything: in architecture, windows, furniture and decor. The composition of the room develops vertically and this is how the view of a person entering a room should slide.
You need to understand that not every interior can be made Gothic. Small typical apartments cannot be transformed even due to masterful visual effects. But large rooms are easily transformed. If you want to make the interior in the Gothic style, despite the limited space, you need to take the most characteristic details and fit them into the room.
What kind of people will suit the gothic interior?
Do you like the style, but are you worried that after some time it will be able to strain you? Yes, Gothic houses have this tendency. The fact is that not all people are comfortable in large rooms. It is one thing when you are having a festive reception in a huge living room, and it is quite another when you are reading a book in this room in the evening. Many argue that the walls of a small room can crush. So, the opposite effect produces a large room.
Are you afraid that the dark color palette will affect your mood? Nothing like this will happen, of course, if you are a normal and balanced person. Contrary to popular belief, the Gothic interior is a gray room with colored splashes, and not a room completely decorated in black.
Who will be comfortable living in a room decorated in a Gothic style? Outgoing people who believe that their house is a fortress. Balanced people with a calm and domineering disposition will be able to organically complement their interior.
Walls
Have you decided to design your apartment in the Gothic style? Then you need to pay attention to the design of the walls. Simple wallpaper is not enough. Walls in the 12th century were plain. So you need to adhere to this standard. What color to choose? Gray, brown, terracotta or anthracite is perfect. Milk, beige or white can also be used, but only if you want to make a room more like a temple than a living room. Although such a reception with light walls will look good in the living room or dining room.
To imitate the old interior, you need to use the right materials. Of course, laying the walls with marble will be very laborious and financially expensive, so you should pay attention to the tiles and relief plaster. Do not write off wooden panels. They will be very appropriate to look like decorative wall decoration.
Ceiling
Gothic style in the interior is determined by stucco molding. It helps make the room taller and richer. But since the walls in the Gothic castles were rather ascetic, the whole decoration was transferred to the ceiling. An intricate bas-relief can be set up around the perimeter of the room, the theme for which is to choose a floral or animalistic motif. But remember that gothic patterns are completely uncharacteristic. Therefore, it should not be used in ceiling finishes.
If you want to make your room more spacious, you should resort to illusory tricks. For example, paint the ceiling. You need to do this in the grisaille technique. The artist can depict you not only volumetric painting, but also visually modify the rectangular ceiling into the dome. But remember that most of the visual effect that the painting will produce depends on the lighting.
Floor
If there is stucco molding on the ceiling, what can be done on the opposite side of the room? Gothic style in the interior is determined by the floor. It should be wooden, and typed according to the mosaic principle. In olden times, bizarre patterns were laid out from various species of wood. Rich people used stone as flooring. What is the difference? The stone looks richer, but such a floor covering cools the already cold floors. Therefore, if you want to make the room warm and cozy, give preference to wooden panels. You can use parquet boards.
In a Gothic room, a carpet must lie on the floor. It should be a logical complement to the interior, and not the compositional center that always stands out from the dark room. To repeat the stylistic decision of an era that sympathizes with you, you should purchase those carpets that have a low pile covering.
Stained glass
The interior of the Gothic style in the photo you can see above. Probably, even a person who is not at all versed in art will be able to realize that stained glass is an integral part of the style. Elongated lancet windows, tall and thin, enclosed by bars, remind of the times of knights and princesses. But to repeat the complex shape of the window openings in a typical apartment will be impossible. Stained glass can save the situation.
You can make a window to order. His frame will be rectangular, but the stained glass is embedded in another frame, which in shape will resemble an arch. If you have large windows, you can afford to lay out an intricate pattern of glass. If the window is small, you should confine yourself to simple, randomly welded together colored glasses. Most importantly, remember that stained glass is a characteristic feature of the Gothic style. If you can’t fit it into the window, mount such a composition into the wall.
Materials
Gothic style in interior design will help to create natural materials. It can be different types of wood or stone. If your budget is very limited, it’s not necessary to use everything in kind. For example, a stone coating you can easily simulate with ceramic tiles. It will be quite appropriate to look both in the bathroom and in the kitchen.
If you are considering wall decor, give preference to plaster, but alabaster is required on the ceiling decor. An integral element of the Gothic style is stained glass. It can be used not only in window stained-glass windows, but also in elements of interior doors. You can use the painting. To do this, you will need paints, preferably pastel colors.
Furniture
And what, first of all, creates an interior? That's right, furniture. Filling a room plays an important role. To emphasize the Gothic style, you must choose something heavy and airy at the same time. Furniture of that time was made of natural wood and mainly oak. Massive from below, it was carved from above. Due to this contrast, the furniture seemed much taller than it actually was. Although the size of some things was also impressive.
What should be purchased to decorate the interior of a modern apartment? Prefer cabinet wooden furniture. Tables and benches should have high carved backs. The same goes for beds. Upholstery was not yet invented at that time, so keep this fact in mind. The room should also have a carved cabinet and a table. Particular attention should be paid to mirrors. They should reflect in full growth their owners.
Tapestries
Woven paintings are not in fashion today. But they are a feature of the Gothic style. Tapestries adorned all rooms and at times decorated the entire wall from floor to ceiling. There were also small works. Paintings in Gothic times were not very popular. But, of course, if they sympathize with you, you can decorate your walls with them. It should be understood that before the tapestries were hung on the walls in order to insulate the room. Today, decorative woven carpets do not have such a task. But in order to accurately recreate the interior of the Gothic castle, the tapestries should still be hung.
Curtains
The photo of the Gothic style is given above. As you can see, curtains in such an interior play an important role. But they never crawled to the fore. Curtains, like tapestries, were designed to insulate the room. Tall windows were well-blown, and to protect the guests and inhabitants of the castle from drafts, tailors sewed curtains from dense light-absorbing material. When all the windows were closed, the room turned into a separate world. Guests could not see what was happening outside the window. But this was not important, because the room was huge, and no one had the feeling of an enclosed space.
In modern realities, you can hang not only dense curtains, but also transparent tulle. The main thing is that the translucent mesh material does not interfere with the light filling the room.
Decor
The modern interior in the Gothic style should be filled with various interesting trinkets. They can be made of various materials and may not carry any utilitarian purpose. For example, you can decorate the room with knightly armor or swords. Of course, you do not need to arrange an exhibition of weapons, yet you are not trying to recreate the Middle Ages.
Ceramic vases are suitable for decorating shelves. Their shape should be a smooth continuation of the interior. You should choose something elongated and graceful. To give the interior a touch of antiquity, you can use various forged items. For example, buy a flower stand or decorative candle holders. As for the figurines, something symbolic should be acquired. People during the Gothic era attached great importance to the church and everything connected with it. Of course, it’s not worth decorating the room with a crucifix, it can scare away your unbelieving guests.
Color spectrum
As already mentioned above, Gothic is not only black tones. If you like bright colors and shades, of course, this style will not suit you. But you can withstand the interior in gray. And such a design of the premises is the most versatile, as bright accents can be added to the basic color room. What should they be? Muffled noble.
For fabric finishes, use velvet in red, sapphire and emerald colors. If you need to make some kind of light accent, give preference to a milky or sandy shade. But would such a low-color room be too boring? No. Window stained glass should give brightness, or rather, the light passing through them. Bright highlights will walk around the room. But such reflections will not interfere with your work, since dark surfaces absorb light well. If you want to mix gothic with a modern touch, play in contrasts. Decorate the room in black and white, and then make bright accents.
Lighting
Light plays an important role in the Gothic interior. It should be a lot. Moreover, it is desirable that in the daytime the room was lit naturally. Of course, not everyone has the opportunity to expand window openings. Therefore, try to give the light a maximum of opportunities to illuminate the room. Here you can come up with a lot of different tricks. First, hang thin tulles or refuse them altogether. Secondly, free the room. The more furniture in the room, the more it seems cluttered and darker. Well, one more tip - hang mirrors. They will illuminate the room with reflected light.
But what about the electric light? In ancient times, rooms were lit by candles. Therefore, you can purchase chandeliers like those used in Gothic castles. It should be a forged structure with an abundance of glass parts. The main light source should be in the middle of the room. And on the sides of the room can be lit by a kind of sconces that will be made in the same style as the chandelier.
If you love romance, do not neglect the candles. They will be able to bring comfort to any room and help attendees present to a more confidential conversation.