When the classic interior of the reception room with a Victorian slant of decoration, where twilight, bulky draperies and frilly forms reigned, was replaced by a living room in the Art Nouveau style, it became a breath of fresh air for everyone - both ordinary people and designers.
The idea of a new direction - to get rid of the heaps of unnecessary objects and let the sunlight in the windows, to work with natural materials so as not to mask, but to emphasize their natural structure - was incredibly impressive and was truly revolutionary in those distant years. The fashion wheel has taken another turn, and modern interiors have returned to their peak of popularity. But what are they like today? What principles drive today's design professionals?
New in decoration
"Wallpaper in the living room in the style of modern modern will not be nonsense"
Reproducing such a large-scale style as modern on your own, especially if this is your first self-performed repair, is quite difficult. You will not be able to get by with standard materials, techniques and familiar means. One run to the building materials supermarket will not solve all the issues either. Since no one took away your right to choose, you can go two ways - hire a professional designer or adapt the style to the present. In the latter case, you will not only reduce the amount of work for yourself, but also save significantly.
Walls
Walls living room in modern style can be finished in several options. Let's see if they need painting, paint or wallpaper, and what color schemes will fully meet the stylistic requirements.
The easiest way to decorate wall surfaces is with muted green, beige tones or make them pure white. The conciseness of the style allows you to stop there, but if you have the desire and the opportunity to add a few specific accents to the decor, then you should not neglect this. Invite an artist and let an ornamental painting appear around the perimeter of the room. You can simplify the task and independently, using stucco, decorate the walls under the ceiling.
There is an option when the painted walls are complemented by wooden moldings. The latter are convex compositions of plant and other suitable subjects. The method is expensive, since the moldings for modernity will have to be made to order, however, with them the interior of the living room will be the most authentic.
Wallpaper in the living room in modern modern style will not be nonsense either. The only thing you should not do is to paste over all surfaces with the same type of pattern. Break the wall into vertical stripes that can be arranged asymmetrically. In such a mosaic pasting of walls, all the same moldings or wide borders can participate.
And yet, in this style it is customary to clearly distinguish between the planes of the ceiling, walls and floor. High skirting boards, borders and wallpaper strips help to do this. But this approach will be justified only in spacious rooms; in small rooms, where the ceilings already hang over the floor, you should not compress the space even more. Here it would be more correct to use painting or stucco, which should be matched in a tone identical to the color of the ceiling, and at the same time stand out against the background of the wall.
floors
For the living room, however, as for other rooms decorated in the Art Nouveau style, there is an unspoken rule for flooring. The material for their design must certainly be in tune with the wood from which the furnishings are made, so there are not so many options:
- Parquet.
- Marble.
Art Nouveau was the first style of living room design, which provides for the zoning of the room with the help of floors. The main element in this was the bizarre joints of finishing materials, striking with the irregularity of their forms, or characteristic patterns applied directly to the coating.
In the case when the floors of the living room are planned to be carpeted, it is better to give preference to light-colored textiles that have a symmetrical ornament, and it would be more correct not to cover the entire floor, but to use small rugs in the right areas.
Ceiling
This surface in the living room, interpreted in the Art Nouveau style, like the others, does not go unnoticed by artists. It is also covered with elements characteristic of the style, only it looks somewhat more modest. In modernity, they never equip multi-tiered structures that adorn art deco so much, but on modern ceilings there is always an original painting and even whole paintings can appear. Wooden floors, which resemble the interweaving of tree branches, are also appropriate here.
back to index ↑Living room zoning
The Art Nouveau style is distinguished by its functionality, therefore it allows you to dispose of the living room areas as the imagination of its creators suggests. It is very convenient when the space can be divided into zones without twisting your brains in search of the perfect solution. What areas should be in your living room, you decide for yourself, but most often everything is limited to a standard set, which includes:
- Rest zone.
- Dining area.
- The working part, which is a kind of office.
- Place to store things.
In a small apartment, it may be necessary to find a place in the living room, made in modern style, for a sleeping corner or a play space for children if they do not have a separate room for this..
You can divide the space in different ways. In modernity, all methods are good. Nothing will be superfluous here. you can put partitions from the popular and easy-to-work drywall, although some of the designers prefer to use more massive and durable structures in this decor. Curtains made of light fabrics and all kinds of screens will perfectly cope with the role of delimiting space. A common technique is the use of platforms-stages on the floor or differences in ceiling height. You can select zones with specific lighting. Partitions can serve as high racks and bookcases. In a universal modern style, the living room can become a functional assortment, combining several rooms at once on its area, and note that the attractiveness of the interior will not suffer at all.
back to index ↑Art Nouveau living room: lighting nuances
"The level of background lighting in an Art Nouveau living room should be such that there are no deep shadows in the corners of the room"
Modern is practical, but demanding in lighting. Here it is very important to emphasize the stylistic orientation of the interior, and for this you need to correctly place the light sources. The living room must be equipped with functional central lighting and decorative. The first is divided into main and additional. Background and target lamps are involved in the main system.
Background lighting includes:
- Spotlights.
- Hanging lamps.
- Wall sconces.
- Floor lamps.
Target lighting should provide a straight, bright, glare-free light that is comfortable to carry out certain tasks, such as cooking, sewing, reading, writing. Target lighting involves only directional lighting structures.
The level of background lighting in the Art Nouveau living room should be such that there are no deep shadows in the corners of the room. In order for the atmosphere to turn out to be really comfortable and to please with coziness, it must contain at least three sources of light radiation with different flux intensities. They should be located on their own, different from each other, levels. You can use light to try to increase the space. To do this, the devices must be positioned in such a way that the light pouring from them is reflected from the gloss of nearby surfaces or is soft and diffused.
Modern lamps are not just functional devices. They are also part of the decor, so you should pay attention to the elegance of their forms. Chandeliers will be good, filling the space of the room with a dull light due to the presence of shades made of fabric or frosted glass. Local lights are no exception. They should please the decorativeness of their forms. Look for items in your living room that are also made in modern style, such as stained glass. Forged models with floral motifs and other options are suitable.
If it is planned to use stained-glass windows in the interior, then they should not have sharp contrasting combinations, and their pattern should be abstract.
back to index ↑Modern furniture
Art Nouveau is famous for skillfully selected furniture elements. Everything that appears in the setting - tables, chests of drawers, chairs - must certainly stand on ornately curved legs, shine with elegant fittings. If this is cabinet furniture, then it must additionally have inclusions of colored or frosted glazing, and satin or silk upholstery must be present on a soft sofa or chairs.
Modern furniture in the living room should not affect the functionality of the space.. You can arrange all the items you bought in the way that suits you, without adhering to any norms. What else should be present in such an environment is a huge mirror enclosed in a forged frame.
What materials can modern furniture be made of? Of course, from natural. It is good if the wood elements have dark shades. The disadvantage of this luxurious furniture with smoothly curved lines of silhouettes is that it is not always comfortable, since in its manufacture the main emphasis is on the elegance of forms, and not on the comfort of operation.
back to index ↑Textile
The modern setting is always artistic and even bohemian. Fabrics are also involved in creating the image, which, like no other material, can demonstrate the mood of the design. They, in tandem with ornaments, should look flowing, light, elegant.In them, it is not so much the color that matters, but the texture. In the living room, furnished in a magnificent Art Nouveau style, loose translucent fabrics are welcome, the surface of which is able to play with highlights and reflect light. From upholstery materials, the advantage will be behind a delicate floral pattern, a cage and a modest polka dot.
back to index ↑Main stylistic features
At the end of the conversation about the beauty of the Art Nouveau style, I would like to once again focus on its main characteristics.
First of all, this is the presence of podiums and steps in the interiors, which may not appear in the decor as zoning elements at all.
The living room is always bright lighting, covering all corners of the room.
The tone of the walls is calm, in muted colors. Often bright blotches appear on their background, in the form of wallpaper inserts. The floors are covered with light-colored parquet, which adds volume and light to the space. The room is furnished with highly aesthetic furniture.
As for the technical equipment, it is also up to date in modernity. There is a place for both a plasma panel and a home theater, but accessories in the decor are present in a minimal amount. Indoor plants can be considered the best decoration of style.
Conclusion
Living room in Art Nouveau style is a harmonious tandem of simplicity and luxury. This design attracts with its modernity and courage to combine the incongruous. But no matter what is mixed there, in such an environment it is always comfortable for everyone, because for all its contradictions, the modern living room is stunningly elegant!
back to index ↑Photo gallery - modern living room: