Acquiring your own home can be a journey in itself. A kind of blessing that is not at all a simple task to perform. And while you may have been given a few ideas and advice on how you should decorate your very own house, there can still be a chance for you to pick out a style that you yourself may want. A unique style is something that is very important. Especially at a time in your life when you now have complete ownership of what is sheltering you at the moment.
Are you more into that usual light and basic furniture style? Things that everybody else has? Or would you be more interested in a more gothic style of furniture?
If you are planning on breaking away from the mainstream, you must first know a few basic elements of gothic furniture.
What Is Gothic Furniture Design?
First, we will discuss what this specific furniture design is. Furniture that has emerged during the gothic period has specific characteristics. These include some contours and ornaments that are all derived from the gothic art style that had originated from France right at the start of the 12th century.
In the beginning, the style was just very simple. Until the time rolled on and the style itself progressed into how we see them today. Decorations on these kinds of furniture were first done through paintings and are then transferred to carving with tracery as a key element.
One of the most particular elements gothic furniture has is the fact that these kinds of furniture will usually be constructed out of wood. Back in England and even in Germany, these will be made out of Oakwood. In France, they used Chestnut. And in Italy and Spain, walnut.
Since these types of ancient gothic furniture are created from specific trees and all hand-crafted, it gives these types of furniture added value. As we all know, most things today are all made and manufactured in bulk. Built by machines in line.
What Are Its Characteristics?
The most basic furniture characteristics of these beautiful pieces of gothic architecture are influenced by ornate carvings and an abundant foliage motif. The level of complexity for these foliage designs will vary depending on the furniture.
Other signature characteristics include pointed arches, gargoyles, rosettes, most times there are also real or imaginary animals.
Gothic style furniture also uses a lot of designs called trefoil or quatrefoil and cinquefoil. (three-lobed, four-lobed, and five-lobed flower-shaped designs)
Gothic Home Decor
Now that you have a level of understanding of gothic architecture and design, incorporating this style for your interior design can be an easy step.
Ways To Use Gothic Furniture To Decorate & Transform Your Home
Incorporate Gothic Elements
First, you must understand that unlike the usual dark and angry teen vibes associated with the goth culture, a gothic theme doesn’t necessarily mean that you must turn your home into a scary horror house. There is intricate beauty in real gothic style. An elegance that is mostly disregarded because of how the gothic style has been viewed by the public.
There are actually several ways you can use gothic elements to decorate your house. You don’t really have to stick to a theme or a period of gothic style like traditional or Victorian styles.
Gothic style usually presents its intricacies with architectural features. Bringing out the very core of its style, which are the arcs moldings, and the other important details such as the feeling of giving off that castle-like atmosphere. Ribbed vaults and pointed arches give off this specific vibe.
Optimize The Walls
For the walls of your home, if you want the medieval period type of vibe, you will most likely need to do some surface or paint aging to get that authentic look that’s marked on that specific gothic period.
Adding in a few faux painted stones is a good way to go. Color combinations will usually center on grays and beige shades outlined with blacks or darker shades. Again, gothic doesn’t just mean all black. Though it really depends on you.
If actual stones aren’t an available option, there’s always the availability of gothic styled wallpapers. There are many dramatic looking and intricate but exquisite gothic designs to choose from. Not just that, you can also go for wallpapers that have a particularly velvety texture. These will help give you that royalty feel.
It is very important to emphasize that elegance plays a very important role in the gothic style. And anything that has a great level of elegance is never easy to work on. This style of decorating requires high-end pieces and fabrics. Consider the budget on these when you decide to go for the gothic style.
Fabrics & Draperies
The draperies for the gothic style aren’t very hard to choose. What’s hard is figuring out the particular design that works best with the gothic style. Basically, long, heavy drape panels give off that majestic gothic atmosphere. As a short history lesson, in the Victorian era, long drapes weren’t just the trend, they were functional as well. These heavy drapes are placed there in order to avoid drafts from coming in. This then helps keep the home nice and cozy enough.
Furniture
Today, of course, that’s not really something to be worried about anymore. But the decorative side should never be disregarded. Ornate furniture with beautiful intricate embellishments works very well with the gothic style. Any furniture that has gothic elements and is made out of wood or stone would be ideal. Don’t be afraid to go fanciful and include stone statues and rugs.
Lighting
Lighting can be assigned to candles. And today, there are plenty of choices with special candles. Scented candles or not, this style will go hand in hand with the gothic theme as it evokes the overall look and feel of an older world. If you aren’t keen on actual flames in your home, however, elegant iron chandeliers can also be the source of light.
Give It A Go!
The gothic style is from a time that happened a while back. But its elements and influence can still be used and be enjoyed in today’s bland modern world. Try something new with your home with these tips. We hope our article helps you in giving your home an elegant gothic feel.
