Baroque interior design style: features, colors, and ideas

hackrea / December 21, 2020

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The Baroque style can be safely called one of the most complex and ambiguous in art history. It combines several historical and regional artistic trends of the 17-18th century, the last stages of the flourishing of other styles, expressive and romantic attitude, and a certain imbalance of forms.

The main principles of interior design in the Baroque style:

The scale of space, curvilinearity, and complexity of forms;
Refining interior elements, striving for luxury;
Dynamism and contrast of images in the details of architecture, mixing of illusion and reality;
The symmetry inherent in the classical style is also a characteristic feature of the Baroque;
Variegated baroque patterns on wallpaper, upholstery, mirror frames, walls, dishes, ceilings. Most often, these are various curls and floristic motives in the form of roses, plants, exotic fruits;
Lots of gilding. Various decorative elements, carved furniture, stucco moldings on the walls and ceiling can be gilded. Marble, silver, copper, ivory, and precious woods are also actively used.

Walls, floor, and ceiling: all the intricacies of creating a luxurious space

Special attention is paid to the decoration of the walls in the Baroque interior. For decoration, wallpaper with silk-screen printing, patterns, and effective embossing is used. Often they are combined with plaster decorated with moldings, frescoes, mirror inserts, stucco moldings. Together with the floor and ceiling, the walls should be decorated according to the same principle, creating a single harmony of space.

Several successful wall decoration techniques:

The wall’s contour is decorated with gilded stucco moldings, and mirrors are attached in places framed by moldings. The main focus is on two-color contrasts.
A smoothly plastered wall is covered with beige or white paint. Stucco moldings with mirrors in luxurious frames are used as decor. The upper part of the wall is decorated with a molded figured cornice.
The white-on-white design assumes spectacular wallpaper embossed within rectangles or squares framed by stucco frames. The rest of the surface is covered with matte white paint, and the molded parts are gold. The portals are decorated with white sculptures.

The floors are in harmony with the walls and other interior elements. They successfully complement the overall atmosphere of splendor but do not draw all the attention to themselves. As a flooring, laminate imitating wood, parquet, marble, granite, or ceramic tiles imitating marble. You can cover the floors with dense carpets with beautiful patterns and designs.

The majesty of the Baroque style is emphasized by the high painted ceilings, decorated with frescoes, paintings, or stucco moldings. They can be austere straight, vaulted or bewitching spherical. Luxurious crystal chandeliers with suspensions complement the style concept perfectly. Ceilings in baroque interiors are characterized by:

Ornate stucco patterns, smoothly moving from the walls;
Frescoes or paintings;
Stucco rosettes decorating chandeliers;
Circles with gilded details and frescoes.

The perfect color palette to create a royal interior

The most popular and recognizable color combinations in Baroque interiors are:

Luxurious duet of white and gold – always looks majestic and unsurpassed, emphasizes the interior’s status. Pastel colors (beige, cream, sand) are often used as an alternative to white.
A striking contrast of white and brown – popular in the ceiling and walls design combined with gilded stucco.

Modern designers often use bolder combinations that always look great in a royal style:

Calm green and chocolate brown;
Velvet blue and wine;
Ecru and black;
Malachite and golden beige;
Delicate ash pink and brown;
Gilding, mocha, and pearl;
Blue, white, blue in combination with silver decor.

The most varied palette of warm and cold tones is used for upholstery, combined with wall decoration. It is not uncommon to see the same fabric on walls and furniture.

Elegance, chic, and beauty of baroque furniture

You should give special attention to the choice of furniture for the Baroque interior. The ideal solution would be to create the furniture to order according to individual measurements and taste preferences. If you still prefer to buy a finished product, you must be sure of its quality. Furniture in the royal style a priori cannot be cheap. The following decorative elements characterize it:

The curvature of forms;
Silk or velvet upholstery;
Painting and hand embroidery;
Carved details with gilding;
Use of valuable wood species;
Decor with expensive stones;
Luxurious four-poster beds.

Large-sized furniture can be supplemented with small poufs, couches, ottomans. They are also upholstered with expensive material with gold threads, complemented with beautiful artistic inserts.

Noble textiles

Lush draperies, tassels, suspensions, fringes are necessary textile details in a baroque interior, which give a feeling of luxury and high cost. Curtains are sewn from velvet, silk, satin, brocade, often decorated with gold thread. As a rule, there is a magnificent lambrequin ornamented with beautiful applique and pompous embroidery.

Previously, curtains in the Baroque interior were sewn from lining fabrics in contrasting colors. Moreover, the doorways were decorated with the same textiles that were used for the windows. Today, decorators use materials that imitate natural textures, such as marble, onyx, malachite, etc.

An abundance of valuable decor

It is essential to choose decorative items to harmoniously and tastefully fit into the overall style concept. In no case should they be lost against the background of expensive finishes and luxurious gilding. Accessories can be found literally in every room of the house. The characteristic baroque decor is:

Noble large candlesticks;
Luxurious porcelain floor vases, decorated with floral patterns;
Tea sets and painted porcelain dishes;
Elegant boxes;
Frescoes, tapestries;
Spectacular mirrors with carved gilded frames;
Unique figurines, sculptures, grandfather clocks, candelabra;
Reproductions of famous paintings with landscapes, portraits, palace interiors, decorated in gilded frames;
Lovely details in the spirit of the era, such as a ladies’ umbrella, a fan, a scarf with beautiful embroidery, beautiful bouquets in designer vases.

Besides, this style assumes a rich decor of doors and windows. Double-leaf doors made of natural beech or oak wood are the ideal solution in the Baroque spirit. They can be decorated with inserts made of textiles or colored glass, pompous fittings, gilding, carving, stained-glass windows, and supplemented with columns, coats of arms, pilasters, and pediments.

Palace-style windows are, first of all, curved lines, originality of shapes, graceful handles, and openings such that the sun’s rays illuminate the entire space. The windows are decorated with luxurious curtain rods of intricate shapes, French curtains with embroidery, lambrequins.

Lighting is an essential touch in creating a compelling design

Pompous bronze chandeliers gave the exquisite luxury of baroque interiors with crystal pendants in the form of a drop or leaf, as well as candelabra or candlesticks. Today, such chandeliers can be matched with bulbs of a suitable shape.

To create the ideal lighting scenario in a large room, the lighting is formed in a zonal and height-based manner. So, in rooms with high ceilings, the central chandelier will complement floor lamps, sconces located below. In a spacious hall, it is advisable to arrange several chandeliers with ten or more arms evenly. They are decorated with stucco molding and rosettes.

The light should be diffused and soft; too bright lighting is not welcome. A slight twilight will bring a particular mystery and unique atmosphere to space. Multi-colored lamp shades will help dim the light.

Modern Baroque trends

Baroque style in a modern interior with a competent approach can take a special place among other design directions. This type of interior arrangement is always bold, non-trivial, and unique. So what does modern baroque represent?

Fireplace imitation decorated with plaster and carved stucco;
Fabric panels instead of a full-wall fresco;
Beautiful furniture, inherent in style, with useful functionality;
Harmony between elements, a slight curvature of furniture contours, doorways, walls, and ceilings;
Moderate furniture decor (application of minimalistic floral designs, unusual ornaments);
Multilevel soft lighting;
Instead of patterned carpets, these are plain or with bright, stylish patterns.
Parquet, marble, laminate, or tiles are used as flooring. The main principle is the perfect combination with the wall decoration and, in general, with the interior concept.

Baroque interior design: Conclusions + Photo gallery

A baroque interior, when properly designed, always looks majestic, luxurious, and elegant. It favorably emphasizes the owner’s status but requires delicate taste, high-quality material, and a lot of space.