History of appearance
Translated from English, pop art means modern art. The origin of the style dates back to the 50-60s. last century. It all started with the work of a group of artists in the UK who studied urban civilization and modern technology. Pop art made art of the trends of mass culture and ordinary everyday things that surround people. It was later popularized in France and America.
Pop art style originated in Great Britain
Pop art openly rejected the values and principles of modernity and “good design” and was created to surprise people. Among those who made him famous throughout the world were such creators as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Robert Rauschenberg. Since the most active development of the style took place in America, it was American pop culture that had the greatest influence on it.
Bright colors in the design are typical for the pop art style
Main features of the style
Despite the fact that the very name of the style implies its mass appeal, it is far from widespread. Pop art is for you if you are not afraid to shock and attract attention. It is created for the young, active and cheerful.
Pop art style is popular among young people
There are five main features of the style:
- Color spectrum. It is filled with rich colors. The basis is walls painted white, with which bright posters and graffiti contrast effectively. Another option is when the walls differ from each other in color and texture. For example, one of them can be painted white, another plastered, the third painted with graffiti, the fourth covered with wallpaper.
- Ceiling and floor. A neutral floor focuses attention on the interior itself. However, it is possible to use accents such as rugs or animal skins. They must be consistent with the overall design. The ceiling can be anything - suspended, suspended, multi-level, painted.
- Materials. The basis is taken from inexpensive synthetic and natural materials - plastic, paper, glass, metal. Along with them, leather and wood are used.
- Furniture. The style is characterized by unusual furniture in the style of retrofuturism. Objects made of bright plastic and with a glossy, shiny surface are especially popular. Expensive furniture made from natural materials will not fit into the framework of pop art.
- Decor. The calling card of the style are bright posters and placards, as well as figurines, colorful textiles, vases, photographs, clocks and lamps. Unusual handmade items will find a place in such an interior. Of course, pop art is not complete without original accessories like glowing dishes or a lamp in the shape of a famous superhero, etc.
Photo gallery: pop art style in the interior
Bright posters and placards are a feature of the pop art style
The pop art style kitchen has a bright accent in the form of a red table.
Bright colors and paintings are a characteristic decor of the pop art style
Pop art interiors often use images of celebrities
The characteristic light tone of the walls serves as a backdrop for bright decorative elements and furniture
In a children's room in pop art style, you can use images of movie characters
Pop art style often uses all kinds of lighting
Pop art style is suitable for decorating any room in the apartment, including the bathroom
Pop art style is great for decorating studio apartments
Bright curtains, paintings and pillows stand out effectively against a light background
A small stage for home performances has been built in the pop art style living room.
You can decorate a small apartment in pop art style by combining the living room and kitchen
Graffiti is often used to decorate rooms in pop art style.
Full-wall drawings are often used when decorating rooms in the pop art style.
Images with cartoon characters are characteristic of the pop art style
Pop art style furniture
The style is characterized by a minimal set of furniture. The main thing is that it be extraordinary.
Furniture in the pop art style is always bright, unusual, catchy
The shapes of the furniture are unusual, rounded, flat. Like other elements, it should be made in bright colors. In one item it can be one, but several colors are better. For a pop art interior, sofas and poufs in the style of the 60s, small tables made of bright plastic are suitable. Often images of cartoon characters and celebrities are used on furniture.
Cartoon and comic book characters are often used in pop art furniture design
How to choose colors in Pop Art interior design
The color palette in the pop art style is bright and contradictory. Choose two bright, contrasting colors and a neutral to balance the interior. For example, Roy Lichtenstein's work conveys a comic book style using thick black lines.
Applying this to interior design, you can use blocks of color in furniture as well as on walls with prints and patterns. For example, a sofa can become a white canvas, turning some pillows into paintings.
Using 60s style furniture will look great in a pop art style interior design. Retro-futuristic armchairs, minimalist sofas and egg-shaped armchairs can be used in any living room and in any combination.
Since colors are often bright, you can't go wrong with primary colors. Red, blue and yellow were the predominant colors seen in various pop art works. These colors were used to reflect the state of pop culture aesthetics rather than the artist's mood or emotional state. Be creative and think outside the box and let this pop art interior design open your mind and your heart.
You can go beyond colors by using contrasting elements. In a painting you are limited to shape and color, but in interior design you can use your elements in a space, like a three-dimensional canvas.
Neon
Neon lights affect the environment. They help create a more abstract and unusual interior. Neon can have that retro-futuristic look that's never been seen before. Lamps with bright glossy surfaces and lampshades, LED spotlights and a coffee table decorated in the pop art style give the pop art interior a fantastic aura and extraordinary light.
Optical illusions
Optical illusions are a fun and fun way to give a new look to a familiar element. You can create optical illusions and stunning lighting effects using plastic surfaces, furniture and decorative items, of course, large mirrors in wall panels add to this repetition of the image, giving your apartment a fabulous and original look.
If you want to play it safe, use pop art wallpaper, such as portraits in the style of Andy Warhol or Roy Lichtenstein. But if you're feeling artistic, you can use graphics, industrial images and stylized feminine images and put your own personal spin on them. Remember, anything that doesn't fit into "normal" home interior design is probably a cool pop art scene. The main goal is to create a spatial illusion by making a space appear larger or smaller than it is.
Lighting principles
For rooms in the pop art style, proper lighting is important. Using light, you can highlight decorative elements to emphasize the chosen design direction.
Lighting helps focus attention on decorative elements
The shapes and colors of lamps can be any, even the most unimaginable. An excellent solution would be table lamps in the shape of superheroes or Teddy bears. Lamps on the railing are very convenient. They can be rotated in the desired direction, illuminating a specific area or piece of furniture.
Light sources in pop art interiors are varied
Multi-level ceilings can be illuminated with neon lamps and LEDs. Popular options are when you can use the control panel to set the color and intensity of the lighting, thus changing its scenario.
Lighting is an integral part of pop art interior design
In rooms with low ceilings, instead of large chandeliers, you can use floor lamps and sconces placed around the perimeter on the walls.
Materials and finishing
It is customary to paint walls white because they serve as a backdrop for bright decor and furniture. Shades of gray are also good. For decoration, panels that imitate brickwork and decorative plaster are used. The walls can be decorated with graphic patterns.
In a pop art interior, each wall can be decorated differently
The floor finish is also made neutral so as not to distract attention from the interior. However, if it is intended to be an accent, you can use carpet with bright patterns to decorate it. Materials that are undesirable to use for floor finishing are parquet and linoleum. Laminate, tile or even self-leveling flooring will do.
According to the plan, the bright floor is an accent on the dark background of the walls
Stretch glossy material looks stylish on the ceiling. In addition, it will help transform the room and visually raise the ceiling. In the case of multi-level ceilings, you can combine matte and glossy surfaces to achieve unusual effects.
Colored glossy stretch ceilings are ideal for pop art style
Decor and textiles
In a pop art interior, decorative elements become real objects of art. Figurines, hangers, and wall decor can have a completely unexpected format, for example, a floor hanger in the shape of a horse.
The textile part of the interior will become an interesting highlight; curtains of the brightest colors are successfully combined with classic white tulle. Clocks and mirrors can be decorated in a handmade style or decorated in bright colors.
Pillows can echo the curtains or become a rich accent in the design.
A carpet of unusual colors will look appropriate on a floor with a neutral surface, artificial skins, a carpet of several components will be the right choice.
Decor and accessories
When decorating rooms in the pop art style, you need to remember two rules:
- the interior should look catchy and unusual;
- this style is created for those who like handmade products.
Designer and handmade items decorate pop art interiors
Typical decorative elements are graphic paintings depicting celebrities, cartoon and comic characters, brands and products. One of the techniques is a bright, repeating image on posters in different colors. Posters with a 3D effect are also often used in such interiors.
It is impossible to imagine an interior in the pop art style without color posters and paintings
Prints, images and paintings
Paintings and prints are the elements most associated with the pop art style. They usually use images of famous people, brand logos, comic book prints and beautiful pictures. This creates unique touches and creates a personal design style.
If you have a favorite print, become a pop art designer yourself. Just print it a few times and repeat along your walls. Repeating the same image (or similar images used in chronological order) or even mixing themes with other eye-catching images is a simple and creative pop art idea for decorating your apartment interior.
Bedroom in pop art style
The walls, floor and ceiling in the bedroom can be decorated in soothing colors. Textile elements - pillows, bedspreads, curtains - are better to choose bright and catchy ones. Prints and color pictures on them would be good ideas.
The central element of the bedroom is the bed. The lighting should be focused on her. If the room has a dressing table, you need to think about lighting for it too.
Use a convertible bed that can be tucked away and mounted on the wall to create more space for daytime activities.
You can lay a high-pile carpet or animal skin on the floor - real or imitation.
Photo gallery: bedroom design options in pop art style
Often one of the walls in the pop art bedroom is decorated with a large pattern.
The light background of the bedroom serves as a canvas for rich shades of decorative items, furniture and accessories
Animal skins on the floor - one of the decorative techniques in the pop art style
Often the walls in a pop art salon are decorated differently
Posters and paintings depicting Marilyn Monroe are often found in pop art interiors
In the pop art bedroom, unusual furniture is often used, for example, a round bed
Bright decor looks great against the background of white bedroom walls.
Style features of pop art
The style is based on a challenge to all generally accepted canons. The most unexpected objects embodied in paintings, three-dimensional decorative elements, and textile designs can act as art objects. Let's list what makes pop art stand out from other styles:
- richness and contrast of colors and shades;
- using bright, catchy photographs or paintings as decoration (most often depicting celebrities of the 50s and 60s);
- non-standard configuration of furniture, as well as other items.
How to decorate a bedroom
Depending on the size of the room, you can place a complete bedroom set with a dressing table and bedside tables, or you can place only one bed with a built-in wardrobe. It is more important to observe the fundamental rule of contrasting design. A bedroom in the pop art style can be designed in black and white, but the role of an accent spot will be played by a bright red lampshade on a lamp or a crimson pillow. Even a pastel palette is possible, but the colors are selected according to the rule of harmony of contrasts: for example, combine blue with pink or turquoise with lilac.
Hallway decoration in pop art style
The design of the hallway must correspond to the overall design of the interior. You can lay tiles on the floor - a practical solution that fits into the canons of style. Decorate the walls with posters or paintings. Provide good lighting in the hallway, especially if it has a mirror.
If the hallway is cramped, use more light colors on the floor, walls and ceiling to visually increase its volume. Don't clutter it with decor.
Photo gallery: hallway in pop art style
Checkerboard tiles on the hallway floor look unusual
One bright pink one is highlighted against the background of white walls.
Bright walls are typical for a pop art style hallway
The red color of the walls and the unusual decor of the hallway surprise you from the threshold
It is better to decorate a small hallway in light colors with a minimum of furniture
Light walls and ceiling, against which drawings and prints look impressive
Light floors and ceilings, different wall decorations are characteristic features of the pop art style
How to decorate a living room in pop art style
If you are a creative person and like to host guests and throw parties, then the pop art style in the hallway will be a godsend for you.
As the main element, you can use a laconic sofa with a set of bright pillows and the same bedspread. The walls can be decorated with prints typical of the style with portraits of celebrities. Place a small coffee table in front of the sofa. Along the walls you can place shelves for interesting designer items and handmade accessories. The decor will help you “tune” the interior to your desired mood, for example, to a musical or poetic theme.
Photo gallery: decorating a living room in pop art style
Furniture of unusual shapes is one of the signs of the pop art style
A wall in the form of brickwork adds unusualness to the interior of the living room
Animal images are often used in pop art interiors
Graffiti on the wall is a characteristic feature of pop art style room design
Bright colors in the living room are typical for the pop art style
Bright posters with images of animals against the background of light walls in the living room will surprise guests
Pop art is characterized by laconic furniture and bright accessories.
Bright pillows will decorate the sofa in the living room
The best furniture for pop art interior style
This is where we can make the biggest mistakes in this style. Sometimes a piece of furniture we love doesn't fit, literally or aesthetically, into the pop art style plan.
If you have a cheap, boring Ikea coffee table, you may be asking yourself "what would Andy do"? Will he paint it yellow? Would he saw it in half and lean it against the wall? Will he do all this? If at the end of the day you don't like the result, then you've just lost your boring Ikea coffee table forever. You may have done yourself a favor.
Look at this quote from an art historian about the Memphis Group movement in the 1980s:
“Good taste is a bad thing they fought against.”
Isn't this familiar with pop art in the 60s?
Children's room design
The pop art style with its bright colors is perfect for decorating children's rooms. It is important not to overdo it with pungent and stimulating colors. However, in general, rich possibilities open up for your imagination. Prints and graffiti with cartoon characters and superheroes, as well as figurines and figurines, would be appropriate in the nursery.
Photo gallery: nursery design in pop art style
Bright furniture and walls in the nursery are typical of the pop art style
One of the walls is decorated with a zigzag pattern
Accessories in the form of superheroes and cartoon characters will give the nursery the desired look.
In general, the calm interior of the nursery is effectively diluted with bright paintings on the wall.
One of the nursery walls is decorated with a large print depicting a movie character.
Bright accents against a calm background will make the nursery more expressive
An unusual arrangement of shelves on the wall will make the nursery more interesting.
Posters and drawings on the walls of the nursery are inherent in the design in the pop art style.
Fashionable kitchen in pop art style
To recreate the pop art style in the kitchen interior, use plastic furniture, a bar counter, bright wall decoration, paintings in this style and colorful dishes. It’s great if the kitchen has hand-made dishes as decor.
The optimal lighting option for a pop art style kitchen is spot lighting. Use colored lampshades or multi-colored light bulbs.
Photo gallery: kitchen in pop art style
One wall in the kitchen is decorated with a pattern
Photos in pop art style add their own flavor to the kitchen interior
In a small apartment you can arrange a kitchen in the pop art style on the loggia
Prints on the walls and plastic furniture - kitchen design in pop art style
Pop art can be not only bright, but also calm
You can zone the kitchen and living room using color schemes
Bright custom lighting will make a pop art kitchen look sophisticated
Pop art style in the interior: decoration and materials used
One of the design benefits when you use the pop art style in your interior is that it won't cost you as much as other options. In this style, plastic, glass and paper are most often used, although other materials are also not prohibited. This theme brings up consumer goods and value in the 60s.
With taste
Wall decoration
- Wallpaper with pop art images (portraits in the style of Andy Warhol or Roy Lichtenstein) are the most popular solution for wall decoration.
- You can use graphics, industrial images, stylized images of women , etc. All of this is perfect for home design. The main task is to create a spatial illusion.
- Using a brick wall with colorful paintings is also very popular.
Brick
- Tinting paint is no less in demand This is how you can create your own individual and unusual shade of color.
- In addition, plasterboard or PVC panels are widely used for wall decoration. They will also help to level the walls or hide defects. In addition, these materials are easy to install, and they can be decorated in any color.
- Of course, don’t forget about plastic finishing and decorative plaster.
It's important not to overcrowd the space, so choose one or two walls to experiment with. Let there be a balance of bright colors with neutrals.
Focus on 1 wall
The floor should also be noticeable
- Pop art does not prohibit the use of parquet or laminate, but still the emphasis is on linoleum as a budget option.
- You can also use carpet or place a brightly colored rug. Although there are not many restrictions in pop art, it must match the overall design of the house and be in overall contrast. Therefore, if you have an abundance of decor on the walls, then the floor should not attract undue attention.
Gender as an addition to the composition
- It is very good to use a self-leveling floor, especially a glossy one. Again, don't overload it with large designs if the main focus is on the walls. If the walls, for example in the bathroom, have few bright elements and are made in calm colors, then you can make a realistic drawing on the floor. But as a small tip, humor and unusualness are welcome. For example, Tom is sitting on the floor in one corner of the room, and Jerry is sitting in the other. The main part of the floor itself is neutral in color.
Ceiling Accent
Tiles
- Glossy stretch ceilings fit well and give the house shine and light. Remember that pop art and wow effect are inseparable. Therefore, an abundance of glossy surfaces is the norm in the pop art style. The more that is reflected, thereby creating three-dimensional images, the better.
- The only condition is that you should not overload the ceiling with images and patterns. If you use a drawing, then only small and discreet.
With a bright wall and furniture, the ceiling should not take attention to itself
- A plasterboard ceiling with lighting is suitable for this style, but you should not create steps and arches. Otherwise there will be an imbalance of emphasis. Or this is allowed if you resort to zoning the space.
Important: In general, working with a large number of colors is very difficult, and during a long stay in the room, fatigue and even irritability are possible. There is no need to use all aggressive and contrasting colors. Try to choose them from the same or adjacent spectrum.
The ceiling may be in mind
How to decorate an entire apartment in pop art style
To summarize everything that has been said, an interior in the pop art style should be focused on the trends of mass culture. Photo wallpapers and bright prints are used to decorate the walls. The theme of the images can be portraits of musicians, politicians, comic book and cartoon characters, images of animals made in pop art style.
Posters on the walls and bright custom furniture are characteristic of the pop art style
Bright, sometimes even caustic colors of furniture and accessories look great against a white or gray background of walls, floors and ceilings. Pop art loves everything catchy: non-trivial shapes and configurations of furniture, retro figurines and lamps, different wall decorations in rooms. Each room in the apartment can be decorated in different colors. A common base color will help to unite the picture into a single whole.
Unusual accessories are typical for the pop art style
If you decide to recreate the style in a one-room apartment or studio, use only the necessary minimum furniture. Transformable furniture will help save more space. Don't overload the space with decor. A couple of handicrafts and a painting on the wall will add the necessary zest to the interior.
The design of a studio apartment in the pop art style uses a minimum of furniture
Using the principles described, you can decorate even a small apartment in a Khrushchev-era building in this style. In this case, you can also remodel it - combine the premises into one spacious studio and develop a design for it.
