In recent years, more and more often the choice of citizens in the field of their own housing falls on a separate country house. Everyone wants their home to be beautiful and unlike anything else. In order to achieve this goal, one should at least approximately imagine what house styles are currently actively used around the world. So you can make the right choice by building or acquiring not only a beautiful, but also a functional country cottage.
Practical notes
At present, it is very rare to find a house (both in the city and behind it), built in one style. As a rule, almost all buildings are a kind of “vinaigrette”, a real mishmash of various architectural solutions. This is largely due to the desire to stand out, as well as the fact of the availability of construction information. But still, this approach is somewhat incorrect. And if you can’t influence anything when buying an apartment in a city house, then we wouldn’t recommend
mixing styles if you build your own suburban housing
: this indicates a bad taste.
As for the more pressing issues ... What house styles are used most often today? Practice shows that such are the “timeless classics” and chalets.
Classic solutions
Such houses are distinguished by simple forms, their lightness and grace. There is nothing superfluous in them, there is no piling up of superfluous elements. Due to this, the impression of really home comfort is created. However, one should not assume that houses of this style cannot have decorations at all: stucco moldings and even columns successfully emphasize the beauty and grace of the building, hinted at the wonderful taste of its owner and its prosperity. No wonder the classics are considered the world canon of construction - numerous palaces and estates were built according to its principles.
Today, classics are again gaining in popularity. Thanks to modern materials and textures, you can "revive" even the most rigorous classical forms, without losing, meanwhile, its elegance. Finally, the classic style requires the competent work of a landscape designer, since the house should be entered as correctly as possible into the environment. The construction should not look like a foreign object, it needs to be in perfect harmony with the surrounding area. Balustrades, creating the illusion of airiness, and lace will complement the magnificent appearance of such a house.
"Knight's castles" and romantic historicism
The castle type is characterized by massive high walls, "chopped" features and an almost complete absence of decorations. Monumentality and stability - these are the impressions that such houses make. Lack of jewelry only emphasize these qualities. However, the style is not different with bare brick walls: mosaics and bas-reliefs not only look spectacular and monumental, but also give your home a special, “medieval” charm and charm. Gothic style is especially popular today. What is characterized by such housing?
Tall, straight walls and arches. The house should rush up, under its roof there should be a lot of space and light. Most preferably, when the windows - not trivial double-glazed windows or glass, but beautiful, tastefully selected stained glass windows. At present, it is rarely possible to see such a building style in our country: after all, Gothic motifs will look somewhat alien to our country, so these houses are built only by people who are not afraid of the prospect of seeming to someone too "eccentric". A certain consensus in this regard is historical romanticism.
This style combines elements of the Renaissance, Rococo, but most of all it is still the same Gothic, albeit in a “relaxed” version. That is why the houses that are built in this image are often called "neo-Gothic". You can recognize them by the brick facades, long, lancet windows, as well as roofs that look like caps of fairy-tale witches. It looks very atmospheric and unusual. Architects also joke that in any house built in the Gothic or Neo-Gothic style, you must definitely put a ghost!
Of course, there are other styles of private houses that allow you to better express your own personality.
Renaissance
Also a common architectural solution: it is characterized by simplicity of forms, internal space, well-thought-out distribution of living space. Most often, during construction, preference is given to rectangular shapes. The most characteristic feature of houses that are built in the Renaissance style is the presence of a spacious courtyard. Such housing is suitable for people who value comfort and practicality: you can relax from the worries and worries of the working day, just having a small picnic in the courtyard. At the same time, unnecessarily curious neighbors will not annoy you. What other styles of home decoration can I choose?
Baroque
Baroque is splendor embodied in stone or wood, and sometimes even pretentiousness. This style is characterized by a game of flowing curved shapes and lines. It is important to have plenty of colors, a beautiful play of light and shadow, the presence of gilded details and curved columns and balustrades. In general, this style is ideal for those who want to reflect their wealth and style in their home.
A grandiose example of baroque in its "natural environment" is the Palace of Versailles in France. It is characterized not only by splendor, but by the grace and grandeur of its forms, lines and colors. Even the flowers, bushes, and trees in the surrounding park are built “strictly by rank.” All of them grow for a reason, because each bush is regularly cut by an experienced gardener who gives the plant a strictly defined shape.
When building a house in the Baroque style, you need to keep in mind that in this case it is extremely easy to cross the line and go beyond: greatness turns into excess, originality into sloppiness. So before building it is not out of place to enlist the support of an experienced and skillful architect. If you do not have such an opportunity ... Are there any other architectural styles of houses that do not imply such strict requirements for construction?
Classicism
This style can serve as an embodiment of simplicity, rigor and grace, which always remain relevant, even if we are talking about the present century of general haste and the desire to be in time everywhere. The ideology of classicism is simple - the desire to emphasize the harmony of man and nature, merging with it. That is why the architecture of this style is notable for its smoothness, and many houses were built exclusively for a certain area.
If you are no stranger to nobility, romanticism and the desire for the sublime, then be sure to choose classicism. It will not only favorably emphasize your individuality, but also allow you to create a home that is convenient and functional. Consider other home decoration styles.
Art Nouveau and Art Deco
This style is an ideal example of how modern architects turn for inspiration to the “affairs of bygone days”. A special place is occupied by the Art Nouveau style. Although this name translates as “modern”, this architectural direction arose in the 19th century, having absorbed all the best from its predecessors. Architects of that time brought this style to an ideal, and therefore building a “modern” house is an excellent undertaking.
And not least, we give such advice because this style ideally combines beauty, convenience and functionality. Art Nouveau is easily recognizable by the smooth, flowing one into another, plant forms. This architecture can turn into almost any building a real work of art. The internal layout is characterized by a large number of descents, ascents, graceful transitions. The appearance of such a house combines simplicity and dynamics; despite the “curl” of the lines, it does not look elaborate or clumsy.
Why is Art Nouveau suitable for suburban construction?
This style is ideal for suburban housing, as the architect’s imagination is not limited to the narrow boundaries of the city apartment and its conventions. Modern offers almost unlimited possibilities for the planning and interior design of the house.
In principle, the "modern" country cottage is a real ensemble of all kinds of shapes and sizes. Current flowing lines and accuracy allow you to create a beautiful and comfortable living environment. In addition, you can fully reveal all the possibilities of facing materials. In particular, ceramic tiles with various patterns and textures are ideal: geometric patterns in the form of curls and petals allow you to create a central pattern that will attract the attention of all guests of your home.
The layout of the building itself should be conducted so that it fits as much as possible into the surrounding area. For the same purpose, you can plant flower beds and a garden. It is important to note that all metal elements - such as fences, forged railings and handrails - should ideally fit the overall Art Nouveau style. There are no such problems with wooden details, since this material, although not perfect, is suitable for almost all architectural styles.
Art Nouveau, like Baroque, promotes individuality, but in this case it is not clumsy, elegant, the house stands out solely due to its beauty and functionality. An architect and designer are required to be able to make innovative decisions. Art Deco is extremely close to this style. In addition to all the features that we described above, it includes Indian, Assyrian, as well as some other motives. As it is easy to understand from the name, in the construction of such houses various design decisions are of great importance. What other house building styles are there?
Minimalism
The riot of decor is not to everyone's liking. If so, then perhaps minimalism will suit you. His motto: “There should be nothing superfluous”! Minimalism is strongly opposed to the use of elaborate, multi-color, clumsy compositions. Clarity of composition is important here, only simple geometric shapes and lines are allowed. Windows with this style of decoration play a very special role. They should be as large as possible, and ideally cover the entire wall. All structural elements of the interior must be completely hidden.
Alpine style
Convenience, quality and functionality - these are the qualities that will suit those people who choose the Alpine style of the house. Such dwellings are distinguished by the large size of the living quarters, because of the special layout and construction it is very easy to breathe in them. Alpine houses perfectly retain warmth in the long winter months, they are always cool even in hot summers. What is the secret of such amazing qualities?
Initially, projects of houses in the Alps style were intended specifically for the countryside, and for those regions of it that have never had a paradise climate. The foundations of such buildings were built of stone blocks, but more often they were simply cut down in a solid rock, and the walls were made of carefully dried, strong wood. In other times, such a modest and somewhat harsh house served as a refuge for the shepherds who waited in them for bad weather. It is because of this that the projects of houses in the style of an alpine meadow are distinguished by the simplicity and laconicism of details.
In such buildings there are practically no "little things" and meaningless decorative elements. Everything is strictly, functional, but extremely comfortable, as the tree and natural stone are in perfect harmony with each other, creating a wonderful atmosphere of home comfort. If we consider the styles of wooden houses, then the Alpine style, without a doubt, is in this area beyond competition.
Provence style
Buildings of this type are distinguished by a large and gently sloping roof. In theory, the first floor is supposed to be made of stone, and the second - of wood, but since about the 50s of the last century, all “Provence” is built exclusively from timber. These homes are especially common among Americans. According to a long-established tradition, a house in the Provence style (photo is in the article) is distinguished by the obligatory presence of a fireplace. Its long, brick pipe runs along the side wall and is clearly visible in the illustration in this material.
Decorating such houses is carried out using exclusively natural, natural materials, and in the color scheme, preference is given to natural colors and shades. So, peasant utensils, wooden panels and scabbard floors, which distinguish almost any Provence style house, are especially popular. Photos of such buildings in foreign media also show that in the last 10-15 years, natural stone floors have become more and more popular.
The entire interior of such houses is subject to strict functionality. However, this does not interfere with the use of old retouched photographs that make a Provence country house literally the center of warmth and a special, unique chic. It should be noted that over the past few years, builders have increasingly begun to use modern building materials that mimic natural materials. This allows you to fully preserve the "image" of such houses, but at the same time dramatically reduce the cost of construction, which is important under current economic realities.
Empire
Like many styles of houses, photos of which are in the article, the empire "grew up" from the design of palaces and villas designed for aristocrats. It comes from the “crossing” of the Roman and Gothic styles, and therefore it is somewhat cold, and in some cases frankly harsh. However, the severity and grandeur of such buildings make one forget about it. The very concept of empire is based on the use of "belts". They are not only functional elements (support beams, columns), but also decorations. All kinds of epic bas-reliefs, images of runes, griffins, victorious banners, etc. are especially popular. Therefore, this style is not very often seen in the design of private houses. Rather, it is more suitable for some kind of public, ceremonial premises.
Rococo
This is a kind of antipode of Baroque, which is more practical and light. In the design of such houses are used exclusively light watercolor colors and shades. On the facades you can see a large number of delicate delicate ornaments, the hallmark of which is the predominance of white. In the decoration of the interior can also be universally applied marine motifs, with stylized shells being the most popular. An indispensable accessory of such houses are jewelry made of aged and gilded bronze, giving beauty and monumentality to this style of decoration.