Wallpaper in English style For decades, they have been considered a model of elegance and sophisticated luxury. Traditional British style is characterized by restraint, aristocracy and some sweet “old-fashionedness”. It is in this simplicity and restraint that its special charm lies. In the eighteenth century such wallpaper Only palaces, government offices and houses of the nobility were decorated. Today everyone can decorate their home with them. Wall coverings made in the English style visually align the walls and bring into the interior an incomparable atmosphere of good old Britain.
A Brief History of English Paper Wallpaper
The first paper wallpaper appeared in China . They were thick cardboard plates decorated with various designs. It was in this form that paper wall coverings appeared in other countries of the world. They were quite expensive because they were hand-painted
. However, their cost was lower than that of textile trellises. Very quickly, English industrialists realized that the production of paper wallpaper was a very promising area. Initially, they were produced using Chinese technology and decorated using Chinese designs.
At first, classic English wallpaper was painted by hand . It was very long and expensive. In addition, such wall coverings were seriously inferior to fabric ones. Upholsterers invented various methods to make their products look like fabric trellises. The Englishman Tziner was the first to use the method of embossing on paper. Previously it was used exclusively for textiles. Another very interesting invention of Ziner is an imitation of fabric wallpaper. He took various threads, scraps of wool or silk and attached them to paper with glue. A simple method gave the complete illusion of fabric. The Louvre was decorated with such fake silk wallpaper.
But even these improvements did not allow wallpaper production to become widespread. It was only the invention of hand printing using carved raised printing plates made from wood that made paper wall coverings more affordable. Already in the 16th century, the British produced such panels, using their own decorative motifs
. Since this time, a special original style, unique only to English wallpaper, gradually appears.
Stripes and checks
Striped wallpaper first appeared in classical interiors during the reign of the English King George. A wide strip of restrained tones is the main motif for the decor of the walls of libraries and men's offices . To decorate cottages, on the contrary, light colors or even contrasting combinations of blue or red and white were traditionally used. Today, the traditional stripe does not go out of style. Only its color and width change.
Another timeless solution is English checkered wallpaper. Initially, tartan, a symbol of the Scottish clans and Scotland itself, was depicted on thick woolen fabric and was not intended to decorate rooms. Over time, tartan has become a popular interior decorative element, without which today it is impossible to imagine traditional wallpaper in the English style .
English style in the living room
The choice of color shade depends on the furniture: for a light environment, you can use light wall decoration, but if the furniture is very dark, then it is not recommended to glue wallpaper of a similar color - this will not create the necessary coziness.
Floral themes, curls and straight lines are popular on light canvases. Since these colors do not strain the eyesight, they can be used to decorate all walls. But if dark canvases are chosen, it is advisable to focus attention on one of the walls with them, using other colors to decorate the rest.
Advice! If you make certain walls plain, this will create the effect of visually separated zones.
Bright inserts are usually present locally in the interior, usually in the area of the fireplace or near the sofa. For decoration, walls can be covered with wallpaper that imitates wood or brickwork, but such accents are welcome only when there are few of them.
Checkered wallpaper is a classic when decorating a living room in the English style, since the order of the cells allows you to use both light and dark shades. You can decorate all the walls in this way.
Another design option is horizontal decor, when one part of the wall has patterns, the other is plain, and they are combined by using colors similar in palette (beige and brown, for example).
A characteristic feature of the English interior: standard plain wallpaper. Feature in an interesting complex color
Advice! Various wooden accents will only be relevant in a fairly spacious living room. They are also not suitable if there is a tall cabinet installed near one of the walls in the room, for example.
Royal paraphernalia
To this day, in the wallpaper collections of a number of English factories you can find decorative elements in the form of attributes of royal power. These include thistles, lilies, shamrocks, crowns and a Tudor rose. Quite often these are replicas of historical drawings, but there are also modern ornaments made up of traditional elements. Historically, only royalty could afford such decoration for walls. Today royal paraphernalia
- a very common decor, accessible to everyone.
Georgian style
English wallpaper in the interior of the Georgian era was distinguished by severity and symmetry. At the same time, their decor featured an elegant design in the Rococo style . Originally for Georgian wallpaper
Traditional classical ornaments were typical: garlands, festoons, palmettes and Greek meanders. Later, at the peak of the popularity of the East, they were joined by chinoiserie, medieval Chinese motifs, bamboo stems, dragons, floral designs with birds sitting in cages or without them, views of Chinese pagodas and gardens.
English style in the bedroom
Here the wallpaper should not be full of even minor details - everything should be sleepy and monotonous. Saturated colors, bright elements and large patterns are not relevant for the room - they will only distract.
The optimal solution for the bedroom is to buy wallpaper in pastel colors with floral themes, stripes or diamonds.
Unlike the living room, where the main piece of furniture (a fireplace or sofa) stands out as a bright background, in the bedroom the presence of a bed is not additionally emphasized.
Advice! Above the bed you can place a panel of fabric wallpaper, and to make the interior more harmonious, you can make the same pattern on other textiles (curtains, pillows, blankets, etc.)
The perfect soft pastel wallpaper with a floral theme for a London bedroom
Massive pieces of furniture made of dark wood are suitable for English interiors. But for such furniture it is necessary to create a sunny design, for example, use plant-themed wallpaper, which will add freshness to the interior.
The English style is interesting because it combines chic and simplicity. Therefore, if the furniture in the room is quite elegant, the wallpaper in the bedroom interior should be plain; and if the furniture is devoid of pretentious shapes, patterns and attention-grabbing details will be relevant on the wallpaper.
Advice! The most convenient way to use patterns in wall decoration is to concentrate on one of the zones by decorating the wall in a color that stands out against a lighter or darker background. This method will not only highlight the main decorative element of the room, but also give it the correct shape.
Victorian style
It appeared during the reign of Queen Victoria of England, which was marked by the annexation of India. English wallpaper in the Victorian style bears a clear imprint of the East. Panels imitating silk fabric with a pattern of stylized pineapples, a “pomegranate pattern” or a dense floral pattern
. You can still find wallpaper on sale today, the first examples of which appeared in the Victorian era. Their author was William Morris, who created delightful floral patterns.
Distinctive features of the English style
The English style was formed in Great Britain for several centuries; experts divide it into Georgian and Victorian styles. However, for most people there is a single concept of English style, which has the following distinctive qualities:
- clear lines, symmetry and proportionality;
- restraint in everything - in decor, selection of textures and colors;
- use of calm colors;
- refusal to decorate;
- the use of exclusively natural materials, no imitations or fakes;
- a harmonious balance of new and antique items.
Flowers
Wallpaper for walls in the English style is often decorated with all kinds of plants. The British love gardening and it is not surprising that they decorate their walls with images of a wide variety of flowers. These are classic garden peonies or roses , exotic sakura or pomegranate flowers, artless poppy or primrose. Methods of depicting flowers also vary: from extremely realistic detailed to schematic ornamental. Large and miniature, individually and in bouquets, various flowers on English wallpaper are arranged in a geometric grid or in stripes, or fill the entire surface of the wall.
In the photo, the wallpaper in the English style is distinguished by its sophisticated elegance
. When choosing decor for your home, you should not forget about two directions of English style. For rustic romanticism, you should choose panels with small flowers, floral patterns or bouquets. For the aristocratic trend, more complex compositions with geometric motifs or jacquard patterns would be appropriate. Many interesting decor ideas await you on the website of our shopping club. Bring a piece of the traditions of dear old England into your home!
Wall decoration and wallpaper for an office in the English style
To create the atmosphere of a solid office, the following is used to decorate the walls:
- textile;
- wallpaper;
- wooden panels;
- paint.
Fabrics such as silk, brocade, tapestry, as well as less expensive chintz are used as wall coverings. The fabric is stretched tightly from the ceiling to the floor, the joints between the panels are closed with narrow polished wooden slats.
The most popular material is textured high-quality wallpaper. Most often, classic embossed wallpaper is selected for the office, on which vertical stripes alternate - one narrow and two wide. In a woman’s office, you can cover the walls with wallpaper with a floral print:
- small or large English roses, this is typical of the Georgian style;
- golden floral ornaments in the Indian spirit are echoes of large-scale colonization during the time of Queen Victoria.
Nuance! The floral pattern must be repeated on curtains, furniture upholstery or carpet.
Paintable wallpaper that imitates antique plaster is no less versatile.
It should be taken into account that the best manufacturers of English wallpaper are English themselves. Wallpaper made in the UK, although quite expensive, is worth the price - it is of excellent quality, high density, and excellent colours.
You can decorate an English office with wooden panels placed one third of the wall height. The panels are made from natural wood:
- nut;
- bog oak;
- Red tree.
The panels are decorated with carvings and carefully polished. There should be no rough joints between the panels. The upper plinth can be made in a classic antique style or decorated with carved floral patterns. The remaining two-thirds of the wall is either painted or covered with wallpaper. The office will look expensive and elegant with this finish.
Advice! To save money, you can choose a high-quality imitation of wood covering, for example, veneered MDF boards.
Painted walls are a rarity in English interiors; patterns in the form of roses or bouquets are usually applied on a neutral background.
