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 roughly imagine what styles of houses are currently actively used around the world. So you can make the right choice by building or purchasing not only a beautiful, but also a functional country cottage.
Practical Notes
It is now very rare to find a house (both in the city and beyond) built in any one style. As a rule, almost all buildings are a kind of "vinaigrette", a real hodgepodge of various architectural solutions. This is largely due to the desire to stand out, as well as the fact that construction information is available. However, this approach is somewhat wrong. And if when buying an apartment in a city house you can no longer influence anything, then when building suburban housing on your own, we would not recommend mixing styles: this indicates bad taste.
On the more pressing issues… What are the most common house styles used today? Practiceshows that these are "timeless classics" and chalets.
Classic Solutions
Such houses are distinguished by their simple forms, their lightness and grace. There is nothing superfluous in them, there is no heap of unnecessary elements. Due to this, the impression of truly home comfort is created. However, one should not assume that houses of this style cannot have decorations at all: stucco molding and even columns successfully emphasize the beauty and elegance of the building, hint at the excellent taste of its owner and his we alth. It is not for nothing that the classic is considered the world canon of construction - numerous palaces and estates were built according to its principles.
Today the classics are getting more and more popular again. Thanks to modern materials and textures, even the most strict classical forms can be "revived" without losing, meanwhile, its elegance. Finally, the classic style involves the competent work of a landscape designer, since the house should fit into the environment as correctly as possible. The building should not look like an alien object, it needs to be in complete harmony with the surrounding area. Balustrades that create the illusion of airiness and lace complete the gorgeous look of this home.
"Knight's castles" and romantic historicism
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 produce. The absence of decorations only emphasize these qualities. However, nakedthe style is still no different with brick walls: mosaics and bas-reliefs not only look impressive and monumental, but also give your home a special, “medieval” charm and charm. Especially popular today is the Gothic direction. What characterizes such housing?
High, straight walls and vaults. The house should aim upwards, under its roof there should be a lot of space and light. It is most preferable when the windows are not banal double-glazed windows or glass, but beautiful, tastefully selected stained-glass windows. At present, it is rare to see such a building style in our country: after all, for our country, Gothic motifs will look somewhat alien, so these houses are built only by people who are not afraid of the prospect of seeming too “eccentric” to someone. Historical romanticism seems to be a kind of consensus in this regard.
This style combines elements of the Renaissance, Rococo, but most of all it still has the same Gothic, albeit in a “softened” version. That is why houses that are built in this way are often called "neo-Gothic". You can recognize them by their brick facades, long lancet windows, and roofs that look like fairy-tale witches' hats. It looks very atmospheric and unusual. Architects also joke that any house built in the Gothic or Neo-Gothic style should definitely be haunted!
Of course, there are other styles of private houses that allow you to better express your own personality.
Renaissance
Also common architecturalsolution: characterized by simplicity of forms, interior space, well-thought-out distribution of living space. Most often, during the construction, preference is given to rectangular shapes. The most characteristic feature of houses 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 anxieties and worries of the working day by simply having a small picnic in the courtyard. At the same time, you will not be annoyed by overly curious neighbors. What other home decor styles can you choose?
Baroque
Baroque is the splendor embodied in stone or wood, and sometimes even pretentiousness. This style is characterized by the play of smooth curved shapes and lines. The abundance of colors, the beautiful play of light and shadow, the presence of gilded details and curved columns and balustrades are important here. In general, this style is ideal for those who want to reflect their we alth and style in their home.
A grand example of Baroque in its "natural environment" is the Palace of Versailles in France. It is characterized not only by splendor, but by the elegance and grandeur of its forms, lines and colors. Even the flowers, bushes and trees in the surrounding park are built "strictly in order". All of them grow for a reason, for each bush is regularly trimmed 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 frivolity. So thatbefore construction, it will be useful to enlist the support of an experienced and skilled architect. If you don't have that option… Are there any other architectural styles of houses that don't have such stringent building requirements?
Classicism
This style can serve as the personification of simplicity, rigor and grace, which always remain relevant, even if we are talking about the current age 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 noticeably smooth, and many houses were built exclusively for a specific area.
If nobility, romanticism and the desire for the sublime are not alien to you, then be sure to choose classicism. It will not only favorably emphasize your individuality, but also allow you to create housing that is distinguished by convenience and functionality. Consider other styles of home decoration.
Modern & Art Deco
This style is a perfect example of how modern architects look to "things of bygone days" for inspiration. A special place here is occupied by the Art Nouveau style. Although the name is translated as “modern”, this architectural trend arose in the 19th century, absorbing all the best from its predecessors. The architects of that time brought this style almost to the ideal, and therefore building a “modern” house is a great idea.
And last but not least, we give this advicebecause this style perfectly combines beauty, convenience and functionality. Art Nouveau is easy to recognize by smooth, flowing one into another, plant forms. This architecture can turn almost any building into 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 pretentious or gaudy.
Why is modern suitable for suburban construction?
This style is ideal for suburban housing, as the architect's imagination is not limited by the narrow confines of a city apartment and its conventions. Modern involves almost unlimited possibilities for planning and interior design of the house.
In principle, a "modern" country cottage is a real ensemble of all kinds of shapes and sizes. Flowing smooth lines and neatness 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 different patterns and textures are ideal: geometric patterns in the form of swirls and petals allow you to create a central pattern that will grab the attention of all guests in your home.
The layout of the building itself should be carried out so that it fits into the surrounding area as much as possible. For the same purpose, you can break flower beds and a garden. It is important to note that all metallic elements - such asfences, forged railings and handrails should ideally fit the overall modern style. There are no such problems with wooden parts, since this material, although not perfect, fits almost all architectural styles.
Modern, like baroque, promotes individuality, but in this case it is not clumsy, elegant, the house stands out solely due to its beauty and functionality. The ability to make non-standard decisions is required from the architect and designer. Art Deco is also very close to this style. In addition to all the features that we described above, it includes Indian, Assyrian, as well as some other motifs. As it is easy to understand from the name, when building such houses, various design solutions are extremely important. What other styles of house building exist?
Minimalism
The riot of decor is not to everyone's taste. If so, then maybe minimalism is for you. His motto: "There should be nothing superfluous"! Minimalism is sharply opposed to the use of pretentious, multi-colored, lurid compositions. The clarity of the composition is important here, only simple geometric shapes and lines are allowed. Windows in this style of design 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, good quality and functionality - these are the qualities that will suit those people who choose an alpine style home. These dwellings are largethe size of the living quarters, due to the special layout and construction, it is very easy to breathe in them. Alpine houses perfectly retain heat during the long winter months, they are always cool even in hot summers. What is the secret of such amazing qualities?
Initially, Alpine-style house designs were intended specifically for the countryside, and for those regions that never had a paradise climate. The foundations of such buildings were built from stone blocks, but more often they were simply cut into solid rock, and the walls were built from carefully dried, strong wood. In other times, such a modest and somewhat harsh house served as a refuge for shepherds who waited out bad weather in them. It is because of this that the designs of houses in the style of an alpine meadow are distinguished by simplicity and conciseness of details.
There are practically no "frills" and meaningless decorative elements in such buildings. Everything is strict, functional, but extremely comfortable, as wood 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 out of competition in this area.
Provence style
Buildings of this type are characterized by a large and sloping roof. In theory, the first floor should be made of stone, and the second - of wood, but since about the 50s of the last century, all "Provences" have been built exclusively from timber. These houses are especially common among Americans. According to a long-established tradition, a Provence-style house (photois in the article) is distinguished by the obligatory presence of a fireplace. Its long, brick chimney runs along the side wall and is clearly visible in the illustration in this article.
The decoration of 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 scraped wood 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 prevent the use of old retouched photographs when decorating, which make a country house in the Provence style literally the center of warmth and special, unique chic. It should be noted that over the past few years, builders have increasingly begun to practice the use of modern building materials that mimic natural ones. This allows you to fully preserve the "image" of such houses, but at the same time drastically reduce the cost of construction, which is important in the current economic realities.
Empire
Like many styles of houses, photos of which are in the article, the Empire style "grew" from the design of palaces and villas intended for aristocrats. It comes from the "crossing" of Roman and Gothic styles, and therefore somewhat cold, and in some cases - frankly harsh. However, the severity and majesty of such buildingsmake you 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. Particularly popular are various kinds of epic bas-reliefs, images of runes, griffins, victory banners, etc. That is why this style is not often seen in the design of private houses. Rather, it is more suitable for some official, ceremonial premises.
Rococo
This is a kind of antipode of baroque, which is more practical and light. In the design of such houses, only light watercolor colors and shades are used. On the facades, you can see a large number of delicate delicate decorations, the distinguishing feature of which is the predominance of white. Marine motifs can also be used everywhere in interior decoration, with stylized shells being the most popular. Antique and gilded bronze decorations are an indispensable accessory for such houses, giving beauty and monumentality to this style of decoration.
