Imagine: a long-awaited moment - you are moving or decide to “refresh” the old interior, but instead of joy, you suddenly feel doubts: “I’ll decide to make changes, I’ll spend a lot of money and time, and in the end I’ll be disappointed, everything around will only get in the way and irritate,” “No way.” I don’t understand: do I really like this style, or does it just look cool in a fashion magazine/friends’ apartment?” Such thoughts often push us to act according to the old pattern, to choose the familiar and familiar. Or hope until the last moment that the issues will be resolved somehow on their own, along the way. As a result, the curtains don’t match the sofa, and the sofa doesn’t match your beloved cat.
To prevent this from happening, we have prepared small instructions. She will help answer your questions and find the very interior style in which you will feel as good and comfortable as possible.
Current interior styles
At various times, people sought to furnish their homes so that all furnishings, decor and decoration were in harmony with each other. Currently, there are a large number of design styles, each of which has its own characteristics. Among the most popular are: classic, Scandinavian, art deco, minimalism, hi-tech, loft, eclecticism, etc.
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Classic interiors are characterized by luxury and prosperity. People who want to emphasize their status tend to choose them. The advantage of the style is that it never loses its relevance. By introducing modern design elements into the interior, you can get neoclassicism.
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Scandinavian style has become increasingly popular in recent years. With its help, cozy interiors are created, characterized by functionality and spaciousness. To create a Scandinavian style, natural materials and neutral or light colors are used.
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Art Deco is distinguished by its laconicism and grace. This style allows you to create light, airy interiors with a lot of light and space. When creating such an interior, preference should be given to natural materials with different textures. A feature of the style is the use of mirrors, which visually enlarge the space.
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Minimalism is recommended for goal-oriented people who prefer simplicity and functionality. The interior uses a minimum of items. Each item has its own functionality. The furnishings are done in monochromatic colors; the interior is almost completely devoid of decorative elements.
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High-tech and loft are modern styles that are preferred by owners of city apartments. Directions appeared in the 20th century. High-tech is characterized by the use of metal and glass objects. The loft imitates a production space.
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Japanese style is characterized by a minimum of details and a lot of space. The space is divided into zones using light screens and partitions. This style is suitable for fans of Eastern philosophy. Every detail in it carries a certain meaning. For textiles, only natural fabrics, silk or linen are used.
Provence is suitable for decorating the rooms of girls or young women. It allows you to create romantic settings, creates a feeling of lightness and airiness. The interior uses light colors and floral motifs. The style is characterized by a large amount of decor, which is placed in a prominent place. These can be fresh or artificial flowers, vases, figurines, etc.
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Among the current styles can be noted Mediterranean. The leading colors in the decoration of the apartment can be olive or terracotta. The interior must have fresh flowers in large pots. The style is characterized by light, airy fabrics and light shades of furniture.
When decorating rooms in a boho style, preference is given to materials such as wood, glass, and natural stone. It is characterized by bright colors and unusual solutions. The direction is suitable for people with an extraordinary type of thinking.
Often, residents of megacities choose country style decoration for their apartments. It allows you to create a rustic atmosphere in your apartment, filled with warmth and comfort. The interior uses a lot of textiles, blankets and decorative pillows.
Eclecticism is a mixture of several styles. It is recommended for those who like several directions at once. However, creating such an interior for a beginner can be quite difficult, since mixing styles should result in a single harmonious picture.
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Free programs for interior design
You can make drawings using available software that can be found and downloaded on the Internet.
Sketchup
This program has 2 versions - paid and free. The first option has advanced functionality. In Sketchup you can design a high-quality 3D design with furniture, colors and layout.
The disadvantage of the program is a small number of objects available for work in demo mode without payment.
Sketchup's interface is intuitive. Once downloaded, you can quickly get started. It is possible to immediately sign the dimensions of the displayed elements.
Sweet Home 3D
A simple program will be useful for novice planners.
It won't help you create complex designs, but you can do small projects with this app. For example, see how a sofa will look next to a closet or which wall is best to place the TV on.
There is a version in Russian.
Ikea Home Planner
The program is suitable for those who decide to buy furniture at the Ikea store. It allows you to furnish the room with products from Dutch manufacturers.
You can choose sets from the catalog, taking into account the size and style. “Ikea” has an extensive list of furniture items, with which you can assemble a complete interior and calculate its cost.
Homestyler
A good program for planning and designing an apartment. You can turn to the “interior from scratch” function, or use ready-made projects and schemes from the catalog, which includes many global brands.
Planoplan
A tool for designing an interior with furniture that is available in stores. There are 3 ways to work in the program:
- paid version;
- demo:
- online service.
The advantages of the development are the presence of an interface in Russian.
As you work, you can come up with an interior yourself or choose ready-made options.
Interior design 3D
A program for three-dimensional images of furniture, color palettes and finishes. You can create your own layout by specifying the dimensions, or choose standard options, which are often added to the database.
You can take a virtual tour of the project. The plan is editable. Easy to save or print.
Planner 5D
A developing design program with a large catalog. The service was created in Russia, so you can easily learn and master its functions.
It is possible to use other people's projects and edit them at your own discretion.
The program has a mobile application.
Floorplan 3D
A tool for designers with which you can create the layout of an entire site. Floorplan 3D allows you to take into account a lot of details.
In addition to furniture, the catalog has a large selection of fences, paths, flower beds, and bushes. The picture looks realistic, and it is possible to virtually walk through the rooms and garden.
When developing your own design project, you need taste and skills in working with graphic programs. Load-bearing walls cannot be demolished. It is necessary to strictly adhere to the plan and not go beyond the chosen style.
Styles and character
An ideal interior is one in which the homeowner feels comfortable. Existing styles reflect certain personality traits. Therefore, designers recommend choosing a direction in accordance with your individual characteristics.
People who prefer solidity, tradition and luxury tend towards classicism. Those who want to emphasize their status choose art deco. Travelers often decorate an apartment in an ethno-style, where there is a place for every souvenir brought from their next trip.
Practical modern young people choose high-tech or minimalism, where every thing is functional. Romantic young girls prefer rustic styles. Creative people choose avant-garde, boho, pop art. Adherents of a healthy lifestyle often decorate their apartment in eco-style.
Ideas for inspiration
To decide on the choice of style, you should remember the interiors in which you felt comfortable. In this case, the matter may not be so much in the design itself, but in the selection of colors and textures of materials. Ideas for inspiration can be found in photos and magazine clippings. You should search for apartment interiors on the Internet, in print media, and save the pictures you like. When viewing images, it is necessary to analyze what unites them, what common features appear in each design.
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Often the interior design is chosen in accordance with the hobbies of the apartment owner. Those who collect unusual figurines can choose an ethno-style. For those who are interested in handicrafts, country and Provence, where much attention is paid to textiles, are well suited.
Chasing the muse
It's always better to start with inspiration! To decide on a style, color scheme, and find out how certain finishing materials look in the interior, you can scour the Internet and collect your own collection of references. Google to the rescue, as they say.
Start your search with specialized resources or personal websites of designers, feel free to put everything you like in the piggy bank, and then systematize it. In this way, you can not only decide on your “wants”, but also form your own interior taste and idea of your dream apartment.
Don't be afraid of fabulously expensive interiors with palace ceilings, industrial spaces of Western lofts and designer exclusives. It will not be possible to completely copy these interiors, but individual ideas, compositional solutions and the general mood can be adopted.
Visualize your apartment design project using 3-D planners such as Planoplan. On this platform you can create your own rendering of any room, choose colors, finishes, furniture and decor, choosing materials from the catalog.
Pictures are not always enough. Something is worth seeing in person, and sometimes even touching. For this purpose, you can go to a design bureau, a thematic exhibition or a finishing materials store.
Listen to yourself
When choosing a specific interior design direction, you should focus on your lifestyle and habits. Purposeful young people often prefer to decorate their premises in a minimalist or high-tech style. In such an environment there are no unnecessary details that distract attention.
Those who value comfort and luxury should pay attention to the classics. Interiors in the Baroque style will emphasize the status of the owners of the premises. However, they should not be chosen by those who do not like cleaning. A large number of carved elements and parts often accumulate dust, which is quite difficult to remove.
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Lovers of cozy, simple interiors should look at the finishing features in the shabby chic or Provence style. They use light pastel colors, antique furniture and floral motifs. Rustic styles are perfect for both country houses and modern apartments. With their help, a warm and cozy atmosphere is created where you can relax and escape from the bustle of the city. Shabby chic is suitable for decorating a woman's bedroom. Men will also feel comfortable in a Provence style interior.
Creative individuals often choose avant-garde or boho. These bright styles well reflect the inner world of a person who thinks outside the box. Avant-garde is often contrasted with classics. It allows you to show individuality and is recommended for those who are not afraid of bold decisions. It is characterized by unusual shapes, abstraction, and bright colors.
Look into your wardrobe to choose your color scheme
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In fact, you have already made your choice. Open your closet and look at your wardrobe.
Do you wear plain clothes with bright accessories? Go for a monochromatic basic interior with color accents - patterned pillows, table lamps and other details.
Crazy for a romantic look? Are ruffles and flowers your everything? Light wood, light walls, and floral patterns will decorate the house. If you don’t have things in a predatory red color in your closet, then a Ferrari-colored kitchen is most likely not for you.
Consider the budget
When choosing the style of a room, it is important to consider the budget that you plan to spend on renovations. Some interiors require certain expenses, which is not acceptable for everyone. Eco-style involves the use of only natural materials in decoration and furnishings. Classic interiors include only high-quality expensive furniture. Despite the high cost, such furnishings always remain relevant and do not lose their original appearance for a long time.
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If the budget does not include large expenses, then you should pay attention to more democratic modern styles. However, designers often make do with simple solutions. For example, expensive parquet can be replaced with wooden floors, and wood furniture can be replaced with high-quality MDF. It should be borne in mind that natural materials will last much longer than their counterparts.
How to come up with an apartment design? Stage No. 1.
“Coming up with” an interior design begins first of all with the function of the room. It would be more correct to think about beauty and design itself after the 1st stage.
Stage 1 can be divided into sub-stages:
- First we think about convenience and functionality
- Then we create a layout
We are thinking about those. assignment for yourself
To do this, look at your lifestyle from the outside and think about the following questions:
- Do you have children or pets? Possibly planned?
- How many people live in the house/will live in the future?
- What hobbies should have a place in your home (reading, sports, etc.)?
- How much space do you need to allocate for storing things?
The last point is especially important, since your future convenience will depend on its careful study. Someone has roller skates, a bicycle, fishing rods (and you never know who has any hobbies!) - there should be a place for all these things, they should not be “shoved” somehow in a beautiful interior - after all, this will no longer be create beauty.
Ideally, I would recommend reviewing all your closets and noting what is currently stored and where, identifying all the pros and cons of such storage, and also providing for a reserve of free space. Next, think through cabinets, bedside tables, mezzanines, stands, shelves - everything for storing things.
The choice of style will depend on the answers to all these questions. For example, the Japanese style is not suitable for those who have small children, due to the angularity of its shape.
We create a planning solution
Zoning and arrangement of furniture form the basis for creating a design project.
Therefore, you need to create a plan for your apartment with furniture arranged (planning solution). What is needed for this
:
- Think through all the functionality: what furniture and interior items you need. You and I have already sorted this out when we were thinking through the technical specifications for ourselves.
- Zone the space. Again, if you have seen yourself from the outside, coming up with a layout will no longer be a big problem.
To make the task easier, you can draw a plan of the apartment (room), cut out all the furniture to scale and rotate it on the plan. If you love technological progress, you can build a plan and even make 3D visualization in free and fairly simple interior design programs, which I have already written about.
