Indian style in the interior: Shiva dances, spices, elephants and carpets

Indian style in the interior is a bright ethnic oriental design, which is distinguished by an abundance of wood and other natural materials, rich colors, religious paraphernalia, samples of decorative and applied art. It is curious that the Indian style is based on illusion for all its splendor, when examined in detail, it turns out to be quite ascetic. There are few things. Each of them is in its place and has a specific function. The Indian style in a modern interpretation differs from the interior furnishings of the palaces of the medieval maharajas. However, the basic features have remained practically unchanged and fit perfectly into the atmosphere of modern apartments and houses. Of course, those whose owners value individuality and are not afraid of bright colors.

The main characteristics and features of the Indian interior style This design has many recognizable nuances and techniques. If you want to create a small India at home, you will have to take them into service.

These are the main features:

1. Architectural solutions. As a rule, windows, doorways and niches in the walls are decorated in the form of arches a detail characteristic of Eastern traditions. The doors themselves are often works of art with rich carvings, inlaid stones, and fabric draperies. As for the walls, most often they are simply painted in the same tone.
2. Floor. Traditionally, it is stone the climate in India is hot. But a wooden covering is allowed. An important attribute of the “Indian floor” is a carpet with a rich pattern.
3. Ceiling. The stretch ceiling is an invention from India. It is a canopy of fabric, flowing from the center to the edges of the room in beautiful draperies. If this solution is too radical, use an ordinary colored ceiling, plain or painted. The elements drawn from the rails look interesting.
4. Color solutions. For decoration, they take juicy, rich and deep shades: raspberry, turquoise, saffron, indigo, scarlet, golden, green, berry purple, emerald. The palette and abundance of glitter are designed to create a festive atmosphere in the house in the best traditions of happy ends a la Bollywood. For those for whom a riot of shades hurts the eye, there is a more restrained direction of Indian design Hindi. It has a calmer color scheme, a minimum of bright accents enough, for example, an embroidered carpet on the floor.
5. Furniture. Low, graceful, gorgeous this is how you can describe the furniture in the Indian style. Squat tables, luxurious fluffy sofas, chairs, ottomans and light wooden screens. The latter are used, including for zoning indoor space. Everything is decorated with rich carving and inlays, forging, chasing. At the same time, there are few pieces of furniture, and all of it, with the exception of the table, is placed along the walls. Important points are natural materials of manufacture (teak, rattan) and the obligatory varnish coating of surfaces. It is curious that both varnishing and rich inlays initially served purely practical purposes. They had to protect tables and chairs from two misfortunes high humidity and termites.
6. Ornaments. There is a lot of painting and embroidery in the interior. Upholstery of sofas and armchairs, pillows and bedspreads, curtains, carpets, carvings on furniture, screens, shades all this is decorated with patterns. The main types of Indian ornaments: paisley (“cucumber”), mandala, floral motifs with an obligatory lotus, images of animals, solar symbols, geometric shapes. Interestingly, each drawing makes sense. The lotus, for example, means enlightenment and wisdom, the star means hope. Embroidery is often complemented with beads, metal details, or small mirrors.
7. Shine. As a rule, the lighting is dim, intimate, and there are several light sources.
8. Textile. In India, they adore fabrics, and therefore the interior is replete with textiles. Shawls, bedspreads, numerous pillows, carpets, curtains, tablecloths, canopies, embroidered panels on the wall are important elements of an Indian-style interior. Of course, the materials must be completely natural wool, silk, cotton.
9. Accessories. It is impossible to do without them this is exactly the case when “the king is played by the retinue.” Bronze elephants, chased copper dishes, metal jugs, aroma lamps, boxes, figurines of Indian gods, candlesticks and candelabra, forged lamps all these exotic little things make the interior truly exotic. Sometimes a couple of such trinkets are enough to transform the atmosphere, fill it with the spirit of mysterious India.

History

India is one of the cradles of civilization. The peculiarities of the location and the antiquity of the country shaped its art here they adopted and adapted elements of many cultures: Asian, Persian, Greek, European. The influence of Muslim traditions is clearly visible in traditional interiors. These are geometric ornaments, low furniture, color preferences, and accessories such as carpets, numerous luxurious pillows and hookahs. This is not to say that Indian aesthetics are a cocktail of borrowings. She is distinctive and unique. Elements brought in from the outside only supplemented and decorated it. And she, in turn, has enriched other cultures. For example, the fashionable colonial interior appeared under the influence of the ethnicity of Hindustan. She also influenced the formation of boho, art deco and others.

In Europe and the New World, a keen interest in Indian culture and way of life arose in the 19th and 20th centuries. A significant role in its formation was played by the sacred studies of the mystics the spouses of the Roerichs, Blavatsky, Gurdjieff and others. Since the middle of the 20th century, the Indian style has become extremely popular and remains so to this day.

Exotic, spicy like oriental spices, juicy, bright like a rangoli pattern, the Indian style of the interior fascinates many. But only a few dare to make radical changes in their own home. However, you can achieve the desired effect with less effort. For example, adding a couple of “Indian” details to the atmosphere.