European style in interior design can be different. But common features, such as wooden furniture with curved lines, an abundance of moldings and stucco, pastel colors and a love of ornate decor, are preserved in each project. Therefore, one glance at the photo can always say that this is a reference European interior.
Most often, European style refers to options such as neoclassical, classic, Parisian, art nouveau and art deco, as well as their modern combinations. In this article, you will learn a lot about European interiors of various types using the projects of Russian and foreign designers as an example. We will tell you what trends and trends are now at the peak of popularity, show photos of European interiors and note how the interiors of apartments in Europe differ from those that copy this style in United States.
Contents
Aristocracy and sophistication of European design
European interior design is based on the principles of symmetry, elegance and restraint. Here you will not find bright accents, eye-catching design solutions and chaotic decor. The main characteristics of this style are modesty and accuracy.
Among the finishing materials, natural parquet and engineered board, porcelain stoneware for different types of marble, gypsum stucco molding, plaster for painting are popular. At the same time, most often in the interior there are built-in wooden furniture, high skirting boards, wide architraves for doors. Rarely can be found in the decoration of pseudo-columns, bas-reliefs, rosettes and medallions, which are more characteristic of the classical style.
Advice! Furniture in the European interior is always wooden. But the shade can be different: from mahogany in art nouveau to black wenge in art deco, as well as all classic wood shades in neoclassic. By the way, the latter can be gilded or patinated. It is best to buy European-style furniture in sets to avoid an overly eclectic collection of shades.
The color scheme of apartment interiors in Europe is most often pastel: gray-blue, beige-yellow, beige-brown. You can see an abundance of white decor and sometimes completely white walls. And the floor and furniture are most often wooden and dark. But due to the lack of natural light in the design of apartments in Russia, the color scheme requires more bright accents. Therefore, it is quite possible to add a couple of accents in a shade of fuchsia to the pink-beige interior.
Decorative objects such as paintings, sculptures, vases, boxes, beautiful curtains and candelabra are a very important part of European interior design. Uniform illumination of the room, without accents, is carried out with the help of chandeliers, sconces, floor lamps and table lamps.
The European style of the apartment can be called restrained and elegant. It is ideal for both families with young children and elderly couples. Psychologists say that the abundance of wood and pleasant pastel colors have a positive effect on the microclimate in the house and, in particular, on the early development of babies.
The best European luxury interiors usually include elements of Art Deco and Art Nouveau styles: glamorous gilding, mirrored furniture, ornate caramel ornaments. European interiors with an eclectic mix are more common in large apartment projects, where there is more room for experimentation.
European apartment interior: kitchen and dining room
The European interior of the apartment is especially pronounced in the design of the kitchen. With carved wooden sets, platbands, complex panels, it acquires exclusively aristocratic features. Such kitchens are usually massive: they are wider, deeper and higher than standard modern ones.
The interiors of European houses differ from Russian ones due to a different architecture. But the authentic European design of an apartment can be copied by adding pseudo-architectural structural elements. To compensate for the utilitarianism of Russian houses, we recommend using moldings, stucco moldings, skirting boards, framing arched passages, deglazing on screens and windows, complementing the interior with built-in furniture and zoning partitions. And redevelopment will help a lot in this matter, which will make the interior more unique.
The best European interiors usually use not only traditional ideas, but also the latest trends. For example, in the kitchen it can be corian, encaustic tiles, zellige or an abundance of open shelves. Also, a European-style interior can include contemporary or art deco design elements when it comes to decor. This is because golden geometric lamps and crystal chandeliers are now used in absolutely any style.
The best European bedroom interiors
The interiors of apartments in Europe boast charming bedrooms with luxurious beds and quality textiles. To copy this image, you must first raise the budget for furniture. Here you will need a chic (and high!) bed with velvet (velor, flock) upholstery, as well as a high expensive mattress. This will be the basis of the desired atmosphere. Further, at least 25% of the budget should be allocated to textiles. Curtains, carpets and rugs, throw pillows, ottomans and upholstery of other furniture usually seem like an extra expense, but not in European interior design.
Modern European interiors are especially beautiful because they do not have the disadvantages that were present in this style a century ago. For example, marble floors are now heated here, built-in lighting reduces the number of gray areas, and murals are now available on photo wallpapers and cost at least 100 times cheaper than the exclusive work of artists in the chateau.
Interior design in Europe has its own trends and trends for 2024, especially when it comes to bedrooms. First of all, it is worth highlighting the love for textile headboards, photo wallpapers with floral prints, built-in wooden wardrobes and cabinets. Also, do not lose sight of the passion for boudoir areas, semi-armchairs and soft ottomans, libraries and floor lamps.
On our photos of beautiful European bedroom interiors, you can note the main finishing trends: parquet or engineered board, moldings for painting, high skirting boards, sockets for lamps, sometimes medallions above the bed or door
In general, we can say that renovating an apartment in a European style will always please the eye. This is a timeless design that will never go out of style. And changing decorative accents in this style from time to time is as easy as shelling pears – with the help of decor or textiles.
European style bathroom design
The interiors of beautiful European houses boast luxurious and bright bathrooms. Marbled porcelain stoneware is very popular here, as well as any glossy white tile, for example, a wild boar. Ceramics usually contain decorative elements, panels, frescoes, mosaic niches, original cornices.
The color scheme is chosen as light as possible: white-blue, sandy-light yellow, white-pink. Many interiors, imitating Parisian apartments, play on the contrast of white and black in proportions of 9 to 1 or 5 to 1. This is especially popular in the Art Deco style.
In general, the European bathroom interior can be called refined and neat. White sanitary ware pairs beautifully with light-colored tiles, gold or copper fittings, and plumbing fixtures. At the same time, bathroom furniture is most often wooden: original wood or pastel shades.
Conclusion
The European design of an apartment, as we said at the very beginning of the article, can be very different. From Parisian Art Deco to Czech Art Nouveau, from French Provence to Dutch 50 Shades of Grey… If you want to decorate your apartment in a European style, you may be fascinated by the abundance of shades and themes you can afford. But interior designers will give you one universal piece of advice: choose the city of your dreams in Europe where you would like to live, and start assembling your interior, focusing on its atmosphere, using the main trends in interior design and architecture. This way you will avoid confusion in trends and find exactly what you need.
