Translated from Latin, “classic” means sample. In the language of designers, a classic style is a type of interior design using time-tested decorative elements. It is chosen by conservative people who value the convenience and comfort of personal space.
A classic-style hallway combines luxury with elegant sophistication.
Features
A classic hallway is very easy to recognize by the presence of a number of characteristic features:
- expensive furniture, elegant mirrors and accessories;
- the use of artistic forging, wood carving, natural materials;
- subdued interior colors;
- verified geometric lines.
Despite such a variety of design techniques, the main design principle is moderation. An excessive accumulation of things will turn the entrance area into a museum of antiquity.
The features of the style direction are demonstrated by a photo of a classic hallway.
Style Features
Classic is, first of all, rigor: compositional, linear, color. They dilute it with the help of details, texture, and accessories.
Other characteristic features of this style:
- The color palette is natural, as if faded in the sun.
- Natural materials.
- Integrity of the composition.
- Straight lines, clear shapes, symmetry.
- Carving, inlay, columns, stucco and other types of decor.
- Multi-level lighting system.
However, when undertaking a renovation, you must not forget that the main goal is to create the most convenient and comfortable environment. The hallway area is usually small, so it is quite appropriate to neglect individual items.
Furniture and accessories
Furniture should be made from natural raw materials. The shade is selected depending on the covering of the walls and floor. If the hallway is made in light colors, then cabinets, chests of drawers and furniture in the colors “walnut”, “cherry” or “oak” will be a good purchase.
Conversely, light-colored furniture should not blend in with the wallpaper. The acceptable difference between them fits into several tones.
Classic furniture includes the following furnishings:
- wardrobe with hinged doors. The doors can be inlaid with carvings, gilded, bronze handles, glass display cases or stained glass;
- forged hangers and mirror frames. Such metallic laces give the room a vintage and lightness;
- table or dressing table with curved legs. Both forged and wooden models are suitable;
- banquette It should be combined with other pieces of furniture, complementing the overall composition.
Wood products upholstered in expensive fabrics - satin, velvet or jacquard - are popular. A leather banquette or pouf made using the carriage screed technique looks noble.
When placing furniture, you should choose one item (for example, a door or a set) that will play the role of a compositional center. This is a basic, dominant thing that attracts attention, serving as the basis for arranging elements.
Decor
It is important to be especially careful when choosing decorative components and accessories.
Textile
When choosing textiles, you should give preference to noble floral patterns, which should be harmoniously combined with the tone of the furniture and flooring. Textile items and accent colors to the main range are suitable. In this case, they should be slightly darker than the main finish.
Mirror
An integral element is a mirror in a frame or screen, decorated with beautiful carvings or forged gilding. It simultaneously performs several functions: it is the main compositional basis, visually expands the space and is used for its intended purpose.
Accessories
Decorative accessories will add originality. For a classic interior, antique vases, antique watches, rare sculptures, and paintings are most suitable, emphasizing the completeness of the design.
Plants
Large living indoor plants in beautiful floor flowerpots, conveying the wealth of the owners, will fit perfectly and become a real decoration.
Walls
The most affordable type of wall covering is wallpaper. Vinyl and non-woven products with monograms, heraldry, small floral patterns or strict vertical stripes are suitable.
Large patterns, flowers and images are considered bad manners. The glossy texture, unlike matte, reflects light and is relevant for small hallways.
To give the hallway solemnity and focus on the wealth of the owners of the apartment or house, the walls are decorated with fabrics based on silk, jute, and velor. An alternative to wallpaper is wooden panels or decorative plaster.
Finishing
The entrance area is one of the most capricious in the apartment. The environment here is harsh, with street dirt and dust. Therefore, the finish must be wear-resistant.
Floor
In the choice of materials for floor finishing, porcelain stoneware and tiles are firmly in the lead. They are easy to clean and resistant to moisture and dirt. Pay attention to the texture: glossy materials are preferable to matte ones. This is due to stylistic characteristics: shiny surfaces look more expensive. But at the same time, they are less practical to clean, unless you choose light-colored surfaces. Smudges will be less noticeable on them.
As for prints, porcelain tiles often imitate stone: marble, onyx and granite. Printed ceramic tiles are also used in projects, but less often. Choose traditional geometric patterns; they can be combined with textured ones. It is better to abandon florists, monograms and similar elaborate prints; they quickly become irrelevant.
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Walls in the hallway in a classic style: wallpaper, paint and decor
It would seem that wallpaper has already given way to plaster and paint. But not in the classics; solutions with non-boring walls are still relevant here. There are a couple of rules.
- Wallpaper will become an interesting accent in the design of a spacious room. They are easy to combine with paint and other plain coatings.
- Choose products from European and American manufacturers. This way you definitely won’t go wrong in choosing a print. Optimally, from those that are in the permanent collection, they will definitely be relevant for more than one year.
In a medium-sized room, there are no accents. The walls of such rooms can be finished with paint or plaster, but it is better to do without additional textures.
A traditional and favorite technique for decorating walls is moldings. They will add a noble touch to the room. With their help, by the way, you can also design the joint between paint and wallpaper if you combine materials. The lower part is finished with paint, and the top of the wall is covered with wallpaper.
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Ceiling
Classic is the only style where you can experiment with ceiling decoration. But not with plasterboard structures, but with decor. One of the most beautiful solutions is stucco. It can decorate high ceilings.
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- Hallway
7 mistakes in planning and decorating the hallway interior that are often repeated
Floor
For flooring, preference is given to parquet made from valuable types of wood. But lining the entire hallway corridor with expensive parquet boards is impractical. The material absorbs moisture and wears out when it is walked on in outdoor shoes.
Therefore, it is recommended to decorate a small area in front of the front door with tiles imitating marble. This will not only add functionality, but also divide the space into separate zones.
Purpose
The hallway is a part of the house necessary to prepare a person both for entering and exiting the home. Therefore, quite often the front room is also a dressing room where you can change or clean clothes, put your appearance in order, and use a mirror.
It is also customary to store things here that may be useful for caring for clothes, shoes, or needed in bad weather.
In addition, this area is the gap between the street and housing. In the hallway you can receive guests or employees of various institutions, who do not need to be invited to enter the rooms, and this will not be perceived as a sign of discourtesy on the part of the owner.
Ceiling
The ceilings are made in white or pastel shades. Traditional finishing methods are painting, whitewashing. The stretch ceiling looks modern, but at the same time classic. The decoration is stucco, which brings life and dilutes some of the monotony of color options.
The final point in ceiling design is a suitable lighting source. A massive crystal chandelier with candlesticks will fit into the interior of a large hall.
For a small hallway with low ceilings, metal sconces or spotlights would be ideal components.
How to properly decorate a small hallway
Most have a small corridor. When designing it, it is important to wisely exploit each free area.
Designers share the secrets of proper distribution of space in small hallways:
- The presence of a niche is an excellent opportunity to build in a cabinet; if it is missing, you can mount it along a blank wall. This will relieve the hallway area from clutter.
- Think through the design of your closet down to the smallest detail: plan compartments for storing shoes and other small items (keys, gloves, etc.).
- Choose an open hanger that, for compactness, can be hung on the wall and placed on the side of the entrance.
- An armchair or bench will be replaced by a pouf, which takes up little space.
- Instead of a mirror, use wardrobe doors. You can make the entire door mirror or hang it in a frame.
- A frieze will help to visually raise the ceiling - the remaining unpasted white-painted part of the wall separating the ceiling and wallpaper. Decorate the frieze edging with stucco molding.
- Hang a compact chandelier with the obligatory elements of artistic forging.
- Copies of Renaissance paintings in gilded frames will add luxury to a small hallway. You can use painting to decorate walls and ceilings.
Classics are eternal; neither time nor fashion are subject to them. This style of interior design will never lose its relevance, and the use of expensive and practical materials will allow you to forget about repairs for a long time.
Colors
The color of the hallway must meet the requirements of aristocracy. The palette is characterized by a large number of calm colors, the main one of which is white. It can be combined with beige, blue, coffee, peach, and olive colors.
The ideal combination contains no more than 3 color combinations. No bright, distracting spots. In such a hallway the eye should rest and relax.
