Chinoiserie style in the interior

Chinoiserie is a magical, fairy-tale phenomenon in the world of interior design. This style, though not new, but it is nowadays is becoming increasingly popular. You should get acquainted with it at least for the sake of interest, which we, in fact, suggest you to do today through a special article of the magazine “Your Interior”!
Chinoiserie Style History
To the fact that China produces a huge number of imitations of products of famous brands, everyone has become accustomed. But what will be your reaction when you find out that the Europeans have literally stolen the flavor of Chinese culture in order to bring it into the interior design? But this is exactly how the Chinoiserie style appeared in the 17th century! When, after the East-Indian company, they began to import wardrobes encrusted with gold, artfully made painted screens, the finest porcelain, silk and other goods from China to the countries of Europe, there was no way back — everyone wanted to have such exotic things. Stopped only the price – to buy a strange thing from the Middle Kingdom it was affordable only for the most prosperous Europeans. Therefore, soon the market began to appear interior, imitating the work of Chinese masters. Thus, the French introduced the term “chinoiserie”, which literally translates as “Chinese”. Now chinoiserie is a whole direction in interior design, which definitely can not be confused with the classical Chinese style.
Chinoiserie in a modern interior
Immediately it should be said that the Chinoiserie, which was in the XVII century and the modern style of the same name – a little different things. Since the direction was created artificially, and there were practically no restrictions in it (everyone has different ideas about Chinese interior), designers and furniture makers were free to dream in their own way, using Chinese motifs. So, if initially chinoiserie was introduced to the then fashionable Rococo style, today, “Chinese” is introduced into modern interior styles. That is, it developed and adapted to fashion trends. Only the motifs themselves remained unchanged: silhouettes of Chinese pagodas, ornaments with birds of paradise, blue and white porcelain, imitation of bamboo furniture, and so on.
The main elements of chinoiserie in the interior
From theory to practice, as they say. How to create a European styling of the “Chinese room”? – There are several basic elements, without which creating the proper atmosphere is almost impossible. Use them all or take one thing – you decide.
Chinese garden stools will perfectly fit into a modern interior, hinting at the Chinese style. Moreover, it is absolutely not necessary to buy a “barrel”, which is most similar to the traditional original – chinoiserie allows you to use any fantasy imitation.
White porcelain with cobalt painting is another certainly recognizable item from the Middle Kingdom. Using the freedom of style, the characteristic painting can be transferred to any dish.
Chinese screen – the most vivid symbol of oriental flavor in interior design. Even if you do not find practical use for it, then as a decorative element it is simply priceless.
Characteristic patterns and oriental motifs best help to create a mysterious, fairy-tale atmosphere in the “Chinese” interior. Wallpaper in the style of chinoiserie, as a rule, depict bright exotic plants, scenes from the life of the Chinese, sakura branches, dragons, landscapes with pagodas on the hills and so on. The same patterns can be on textiles. But we should not forget that we are not dealing with a strict Chinese style, but with its interpretation, and therefore we should not be frightened by drawings, where from the Chinese painting there is only a color scheme.
Furniture with oriental accent. To better understand what should and can be chinoiserie-style furniture, explore the iconic Chippendale collections. Modern styling can be found in the collections of Armani Casa, as well as Ralph Lauren.