The Baroque style is chosen mainly by wealthy people to decorate the facade and exterior of a country residence. They strive to emphasize the status and presentability of their home. The choice of this architectural style testifies to the excellent taste of the owners and the desire for conservatism.
The Baroque style is characteristic of the 17th century era. Its main feature is the abundance of lush decoration, modeling and ornament. Modern country cottages do not look so pretentious, but at the same time they retain the main characteristics that allow us to say with confidence that the mansion fully meets the canons of the Baroque.
In this article we will take a detailed look at the features of house designs in this style, the requirements for them, and also present the most successful, in our opinion, solutions.
What distinguishes Baroque houses?
Professional designers can recognize the Baroque style in facade or interior decoration. With a layman's eye, you can determine whether a house belongs to this trend based on the following parameters:
- Color scheme - houses are painted in light pastel shades (mustard, milky, white, creamy pink, beige);
- Design - the presence of a high base, the height of the building is from 2 to 3 floors, a spacious porch resembling a terrace, prominent rectangular or arched windows;
- Details - the presence of sheer cornices, high columns, sculptures, stucco moldings, various figures, scrolls and balustrades is a must.
A house in the Baroque style shows pomp and solemnity with its entire appearance. Every detail in it attracts attention and is a work of art.
This heritage has survived through the centuries. Previously, kings and wealthy nobles could afford such houses. To be fair, many examples of ancient architecture are still preserved in excellent condition.
Winter Palace, St. Petersburg
The Winter Palace was built during the reign of Peter the Great in St. Petersburg and served as the official residence for the Romanov family until the 1917 Revolution. The palace was originally designed by the Swiss architect of Italian origin Domenico Trezzini. However, later the Winter Palace was significantly changed. Much of the building's current appearance dates from the 1830s. The exterior had to be restored after the fire. Also, the Winter Palace suffered significant destruction during the Siege of Leningrad, but was restored in all its grandeur.
Who would suit a luxury-style cottage?
Modern residents of country villages strive to stand out and build a cottage that will be the envy of their neighbors. This is more typical for elite areas of the Moscow region and the Moscow region. Wealthy clients often ask designers and architects to prepare a house project in the Baroque style.
And this is not surprising, because it’s not just a matter of beautiful appearance. Living in such a cottage, every wealthy person feels at his best, can emphasize his status and surround himself with an atmosphere of luxury.
Quality furniture will look good in homes with this classic interior design. And the Baroque style itself is loved by all designers, it allows you to feel and realize many ideas - a real freedom for imagination. They can offer their customers unique things and create a space that will surprise with its splendor.
Color palette
The luxurious Baroque style in the interior involves the use of a harmonious shade range. Designers prefer to combine white (milk, ivory) with gilding. The snowy palette can be replaced with neutral options (beige, sand) and yellow with mother-of-pearl.
Shades in design Source yandex.ua
When decorating a space, royal colors are appropriate. Rich blues, reds and burgundy look spectacular on velvet upholstery. A combination of dark green and brown is often used in the office. The combination of purple and gray allows you to create luxurious rooms.
Decoration in dark colors Source dekormyhome.ru
Traditional Baroque design Source dizainexpert.ru
Luxurious interior with heavenly color Source favera.ru
Requirements for the building, site and premises
Decorating the façade in the Baroque style is half the battle. It is important, in harmony with it, to select repairs, decoration and all furniture. The furnishings in the premises should have a classic outline, the rooms should be richly decorated, in accordance with all the rules of the design direction.
In order for the building to turn out beautiful and harmonious, architects make the following requirements:
- cottages with a large area are considered (minimum 200 sq. m, but better - from 400 sq. m);
- large rooms, spacious rooms with high ceilings;
- large local area (from 15 acres).
Before ordering a house project in the Baroque style, you should analyze all the parameters of the external and internal decoration. It should be noted that in this design the visual component predominates, and not all things in the decor of the premises are practical and comfortable. If maximum comfort or minimalism is important to you, then you will not like this design.
Baroque house layout
Classic design dictates strict rules not only for the decor of the exterior of the building, but also for the arrangement of rooms in the cottage. Therefore, it is better to plan such finishing at the stage of construction of a country house. An already built cottage, which is decorated according to the standard, is difficult to fully adapt to the canons of Baroque. Judge for yourself:
- On the ground floor of the house, near the entrance, from a wide porch with marble steps, there should be a vestibule;
- On the second floor there should be spacious halls with mirrors and columns, separated by high doors;
- There are bedrooms in the left and right wings of the house;
- The furniture in the house is mostly carved and low-set, with curly legs, no high-tech!;
- The kitchen must be separated from the dining room;
- The house has a space allocated for a library and an office, the rest of the rooms are at the discretion of the owners.
Of course, classic motifs can be played out in different ways in a modern interior, but there are details without which the feeling of authenticity will be lost.
It’s worth getting used to the fact that in Baroque houses the kitchen is more of a technical room, where servants worked in ancient times. Considering the status of the owners, it can be assumed that modern owners of estates allocate separate rooms for staff and entrust the care of the huge house to third parties.
The Baroque style cottage needs constant maintenance. This is dictated by the dimensions of the building, the presence of difficult-to-use decorative parts, and the presence of a large local area. Your mansion will look abandoned if you do not pay attention to the garden and small architectural forms in the yard.
Ground-plans
This concept had a significant impact on the ground plan - the outline of the building. This led to the abandonment of the simple, rudimentary analytical plans that Renaissance architects deliberately favored. Their place has been taken by complex, rich, dynamic designs, more suited to structures, each with its own autonomy, but rather as hollowed out, formed from a compact mass. The plans common to Renaissance architecture are the square, the circle, and the Greek cross. Baroque architecture was characterized by elliptical, oval, or more complex designs derived from complex geometric shapes.
Francesco Castelli (1599-1667), more like Francesco Borromini, created a church with a bee bar in honor of the patron who commissioned it. Their family coat of arms featured bees. On another building of the architect, the walls were alternately convex and concave. One French architect went so far as to put forward plans for a series of churches inscribed with the name of his king, LOUIS LE GRAND, as King Louis XIV liked to be called.
Interior in detail
It is impossible to imagine the external decoration of a house without natural wood, expensive textiles and mirrors.
All functional items in the rooms have a unique decorative finish. If this is a mirror on the wall, then it must be in an openwork frame. If it is a carpet on the floor, then it is certainly luxurious. Heavy curtains hang on the windows and all the elements of the room are collected into a single composition.
The living room is best decorated with a large fireplace. It is decorated with marble and stucco. A live fire creates a wonderful atmosphere in the room and gives coziness to the huge space.
To create an elegant interior, it is important to invite a good designer, because in this style it is difficult to maintain all proportions. A professional can create a too crowded image due to the fact that you have to combine many things in one room.
There is also a risk of not choosing the right color palette. The interior should contain gold, light shades, glossy and matte surfaces, correctly selected according to the temperature of the texture of natural wood.
Baroque trifles
With all this, low ceiling chandeliers, with simulated candlesticks or crystal threads, fit harmoniously. Porcelain figurines fit very succinctly in cabinets, on fireplaces, and shelves.
In addition, you can purchase an antique set for several people made of porcelain and other modern materials. But it must be painted and have carved edges, handles, borders, etc.
Many small accessories that can also carry echoes of style: combs with elegant carved handles, brooches, hairpins, cigarette cases, boxes for Havana cigars, vases, busts, wall lanterns.
Baroque is characterized by the use of only expensive, high-quality finishing materials. Designers do not accept artificial leather, plastic, plywood - low-grade techniques.
In the interior of an apartment, style techniques can be used in the bedroom, hallway, halls, and kitchen. Any corner will contain some accessory from the era of Louis, and you will plunge into the rich luxury of Italy, which, by creating the Baroque, tried to prove its greatness to the Protestant world.
Arrangement of a site in Baroque style
The lives of the inhabitants of luxury houses are usually not on display. Therefore, restraint is visible in the exterior decoration and landscaping of the area near the house. You won't see a barbecue area or things left unattended on the porch here. There is a sense of order and rationalism in everything.
Near a Baroque house there is most often a beautiful garden with tall trees, shrubs and a perfect lawn. Quite often in the courtyard you can see a fountain and neat garden paths with alleys for walking.
All outbuildings, including the garage, are hidden. Not far from the porch there can be garden furniture or a gazebo in a classic style.
Another characteristic feature of luxury Baroque cottages are transparent and high lattice fences. Although, in Russia, most owners of luxury residences prefer to hide their houses behind opaque fences.
The choice of furniture and its features
To make furniture, choose a type of wood that can be polished and decorated with carvings, for example, walnut. For decoration, ivory, tortoise shell, gilding, and bronze are used.
The Baroque interior is distinguished by high-quality fabric upholstery, fringe, curved lines, and high legs. The sofa is complemented by paired armchairs, the table is decorated with carvings or mosaics, and chairs must have carved backs. The bed is of a large size, a two-door wardrobe, a sideboard and ottomans near the armchairs.
The photo shows furniture for the Baroque style, which is distinguished by its uniqueness, long twisted legs and gold fittings.
Baroque finishing materials
If we talk about materials that can be used to build a house, the priority is natural stone and concrete. The building should look monolithic and sound, so that there is no feeling of a house of cards. At the same time, it is worth taking into account the construction features. Due to its large dimensions, the building will be difficult to heat, so you need to take care of good hydro- and thermal insulation.
Most light and simple finishing materials are not suitable. If you make stucco, then it should be real; if you choose energy-efficient windows, then the frames should not be standard plastic.
It is worth removing from everyday life everything that is associated with cheapness. This applies not only to exterior but also interior decoration. Otherwise, the whole image may be ruined by some minor detail.
When ordering a project and planning the construction of a country house in the Baroque style, the owner must be prepared for large expenses. Of course, your residence may not necessarily be furnished in the spirit of kings. Wealth is expressed in different concepts. For example, expensive curtains can be purchased in a regular textile store, and not ordered from Italy from a famous designer. But in a beautiful and rich interior, collectibles look more appropriate.
Architectural manipulation of light
It is not light that falls on a specific point, but strikes one surface as opposed to another. Obviously, the texture of a brick wall is not the same as a similar wall made of smooth marble or rough hewn stone. This fact was used by Baroque architects for both the exteriors and interiors of their buildings. Renaissance designs, like many modern ones, were based on simple, elemental proportions and relationships; and their meaning was based on the observer's assessment of the harmony uniting the different parts of the whole. These proportions were noticeable just by looking at the material: all that was required from the light was to make them clearly visible. The ideal effect, sought after in almost all buildings of the period, was achieved by monochrome, uniform lighting. Instead of understanding the logic that such an effect implied, the baroque was replaced by a desire for an unexpected “effect,” as it would be called in the theater. And, as in the theater, this is more easily achieved by deploying the light, if the light itself is concentrated in one area, while others remain in darkness or shadow - a lesson learned primarily by Caravaggio in Baroque painting.
How can this effect be achieved in architecture? There are various possibilities: by juxtaposing strong projections and protrusions with sharp, deep recesses; or by destroying the surface, making it unsightly in some way - to return, for example, to the example used earlier, by altering a marble or plaster-covered wall with one of the large, rough stones. Such lighting requirements dictated the use of small-scale elements for architectural design, often cut out, which give the effect of movement to the surfaces of the building. In Renaissance buildings it was limited to certain areas, carefully removed from architectural forms. Now, displaying the exuberance and imagination that were his hallmark, he invaded in all directions, swarming over every detail, especially in the corners and points where two surfaces met, where he had the function of hiding the connections.
How to choose a project?
It is worth understanding that the choice of Baroque style is an expression of the bright personality and lifestyle of its owner. All decorative elements of a chic cottage need admiration and admiration.
To ensure that your unique country mansion is a reflection of your personality and looks as harmonious as possible, it is better to turn to top professionals who implement such turnkey projects. A design and construction company will help you think through the details of the layout and design of your private home. At each stage you will be involved in the approval.
Pay attention to the authority and positive recommendations about the work of such a team. A good portfolio of craftsmen and a successful offer will give you confidence that you will truly build the home of your dreams.
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