Living room in English style

English style is very popular in the design of offices, libraries and living rooms. He brings nobility, solidity and luxury to the house. Living room in the English style is suitable for conservatives, bibliophiles, adherents of family traditions and quiet cozy rest, as well as for avid travelers who like to bring from everywhere (and especially from exotic countries) various souvenirs. In such a living room it is comfortable and pleasant to spend time both alone with a book, and with close people over a cup of tea. However, people prone to minimalism, this style is not exactly suitable because of the abundance of furniture, which is designed to block the drafts.

fireplace in the interior of the living room in the English style

The fireplace, Chesterfield sofas and armchairs, a massive dining or working table and many small tea tables of very different shapes, large bookcases, fabrics in small flowers, natural dark wood – all this immediately reminds of England XVIII – XIX centuries. It was during this period that the style that we now call English was formed. Great influence on the English interior had a Georgian and Victorian era, as well as the English spirit of conquest, which made the English decorate their homes with lovely exotic souvenirs.

To design a living room in the English style, you need to imagine the nature and weather of England. It is necessary to think through all aspects of design, because everything has its own nuances.

sand color of the walls in the living room, decorated in English style

The components of the living room in the English style

Room and its decoration

1. For the English living room is suitable for a spacious room with high ceilings. In the event that space is still limited, you can and should use different ways of its visual expansion. This effect can be achieved through skillful play with color and light.
2. The doors here should be massive, wide and high. The material should be a natural tree.
3. English style is very light-loving. Since England is a country with a predominantly cloudy weather, the windows are made as large as possible to allow as much light as possible. The shape of the window is usually rectangular or arched. They are decorated with heavy curtains.
4. It is recommended to trim the ceiling to the color of the tree or white. It can be plaster, painting, finishing with wooden panels. They should not only be high (or seem so), but also elegant. Here, stucco and other decorative elements are often used.
5. Walls in the living room in the English style can be covered with textiles, painted, wallpapered or covered with wooden panels. The latter option is not suitable for small rooms, wooden panels will visually reduce the room. Use cloth – expensive, but the result can exceed expectations. Correctly selected textiles make the room luxurious and in English cozy. Tapestry or curtain fabric is suitable here.
6. It is recommended to decorate walls with a vegetative small pattern, but, depending on personal preferences, flowers of medium or even large size can be used. In these cases, the British prefer roses and heraldic lilies, and exotic birds often appear on flowering branches. Vertical lines and a cell are also popular. There should not be any variegation here. It is very interesting to see the alternation of wide and narrow vertical bands.
7. For the living room in the English style, another interesting variant of the wall decoration is distributed: the lower part of the wall is made out by wooden panels, and the upper part by wallpaper or cloth with a pattern. Places can appear stonework, if in a particular interior it will look.
8. It is advisable to use a wooden floor covering, it should be rich and luxurious rocks of dark wood. Light breeds also use, but less often. The floor covering is varnished or waxed to give a special shine.
9. You can also use a ceramic coating, then it is advisable to lay out an interesting geometric or floral pattern.
10. On the perimeter of the living room fixed contrast skirting.

carpet in a Scottish cage in the interior of the English living room

Shine

1. English living rooms, classrooms and a library like scattered and soft light.
2. It is recommended to use large, elegant, luxurious chandeliers, candle lamps, floor lamps, sconces, table lamps.
3. There must be a lot of light sources.

Classic chandelier with candlesticks perfectly fit in the classic interior of the English living room

Colour

1. The English people like to warm their living rooms. For this they use warm and rich noble shades. Beige, brown, mustard, honey, cream, maroon, terracotta, red, dark green, emerald, gold and bronze shades are very popular here.
2. The color background of the living room in the English style should not be conspicuous and ideally in harmony with the situation.

English living room in terracotta color

Furniture

1. Furniture does not have to be dark, although this practice is very popular. It can also be light. The main thing is that the furniture goes well with the design as a whole. Particularly beautiful is furniture from dark wood against a background of light walls, harmonizing with a dark floor covering.
2. The main component of the living room in the English style is the fireplace. It does not have to be big, it’s small. The main thing is decor. Modern designers come up with completely different ways of decorating it. It can be both wooden panels and masonry, ceramic tiles are also suitable. The fireplace is the central figure in the living room. If it is, all furniture should be turned towards it. Englishmen like to sit by the fireplace, because in England it is almost always cold and damp, that’s why the whole family gathers for tea drinking.
3. Near the fireplace should be a voltaire chair with ears, a sofa with a skirt or Chesterfield. Chairs “with ears” are not by chance become so popular in England. The whole thing is again in drafts.
4. Near the armchair there can be a banquet for feet and a tea table.
5. All furniture should be made of natural varieties of wood – a natural array or veneer. It is not painted, but, to give a special shine, cover with varnish or wax. All elements of furniture should be from expensive tree species: from stained oak, mahogany, walnut. Do not use plastic.
6. Furniture for the living room in the English style often choose antique, or especially it grow old.
7. From India, the British brought a bright upholstery for furniture and geometric patterns, which became traditional in the English interior. But this is an optional attribute. Leather furniture is also popular here.
8. Bookcases are required here. In this case, they can be either massive or built-in. High bookcases resting on the ceiling are an ideal option for English style.
9. Furniture should be a lot. Thus the British block the path of drafts. It should seem massive and heavy.
10. Despite the predominantly strict lines, the distinctive feature of the English style is furniture with curved legs in the form of an inverted comma.
11. Very elegant furniture fittings are used here. Sometimes it may seem even fanciful.

upholstered furniture in English style

Decor

1. The English living room is not only a place for solitude and reading, but, more so, it is a room for communication with family and friends. For its registration use family photos, which hang on the walls of silt and are placed on the shelves. A particularly popular place for photographs is the mantelpiece.
2. For the decor of the living room in large quantities use textiles.
3. For curtains, heavy fabrics with a floral or geometric pattern, such as satin, velvet, brocade, are suitable. Curtains of classical form or in baroque style are popular. They can be decorated with heavy twisted cords and pendants, lambrequins, exquisite cornices. Curtains must necessarily be in harmony with the sofa cushions. This harmony can be manifested in fringes, brushes, embroidery and other nuances.
4. Englishmen like carpets made from natural fabrics with high pile of dairy or cream shade. They do not occupy the entire area of ​​the room, most often they designate only a rest area. The pattern on the carpet can be either geometric or floral. Especially popular are large roses.
5. Oriental cultures brought to the English style exotic notes. Here you can find Indian pipes, oriental figurines, Chinese vases and caskets, porcelain figures, plaster sculptures and other elements in large quantities.
6. The walls are often decorated with paintings in an exquisite frame. Especially popular are landscapes and portraits.
7. In addition, on the walls can hang guns and other weapons.

decor elements in the English living room

Now popular is the mixture of English style with classical, Scandinavian, Baroque, Provence, there are confusions with even country style. This is very helpful in cases where you want to give room more lightness and brightness.

Living room in the English style – this is an indicator of the exquisite taste of the owners. It combines a reserved luxury, conservative classics and elements of exoticism. It was created for quiet, cozy family evenings.

 Photo gallery – living room in English style:

Author: Daria Degtyareva