After the decline of ancient culture, art for a long time submits to religion. Byzantine architecture is associated with religious and temple construction. Temples were the main architectural structure, were built everywhere and different sizes, got off richly. Antique culture is gradually being forgotten, and stagnation has set in in the improvement of the productive forces. The old was destroyed, the new was not built, the architecture became primitive.
The fragmentation of the warring feudal principalities caused massive fortification. Castles-fortresses were surrounded by walls, city life froze, and the centers of culture moved to the monasteries. The architecture of the fat is heavy and closed.
In interior design, the Byzantines continued the traditions of the Romans. The forms of furniture were simplified compared to Greek and Roman. The artistic effect was achieved by an abundance of precious metals.
The first artistic system of the Middle Ages, which covered most of Europe, was the Romanesque style. The most important element The architectural compositions of this style were massive walls, the heaviness of which was emphasized by narrow loophole windows.
During this period, the concept of "furniture" in the modern sense did not exist, since constant wars and robberies did not create conditions for home improvement. In the fortresses of the feudal lords, residential towers were equipped for housing - high, semi-dark halls, fenced with stone walls. Somewhat later, wooden sheathing appeared. The living quarters were narrow and gloomy, without luxurious decoration.
During the Middle Ages, furniture, like other items, was made roughly. The designs were primitive, the forms bulky and massive. For example, cabinets were made from raw thick boards without the use of knitting, they were held with the help of wrought iron linings. The main tools in the manufacture of furniture were an ax and a plow, and the performers were a carpenter and a blacksmith.
The most significant item was the chest, which was later replaced by a wardrobe. Known table with vertical planes as supports. For sitting, benches, tripod stools, wooden chairs with a high back were used.
Furniture was decorated with forged overlays and nails, as well as colored painted ornaments. Architectural motifs were used freely and randomly in furniture. Ornaments were applied haphazardly and often without respect for proportions and relationship with the product. The paints used, like the shapes of the furniture themselves, were simple and crude.
Despite the primitiveness, features Romanesque style were alive in folk furniture, which was freed from excess material, and its proportions were slightly lightened.
The intensive growth of cities, the development of crafts, trade, the formation of new social relations found their artistic expression in the heyday of the Gothic style (XII - XV centuries), whose birthplace is France. In Gothic, feudal-church influence was clearly manifested.
On the example of forms of architecture and household items Gothic period, one can trace the unity of the style of the objective world. A costume, like architecture, has its own tectonics and constructive clarity. characteristic feature The silhouette of the Gothic costume is elongated proportions and vertical lines, corresponding to the skyward architecture. Clocks and furniture are also decorated in this style, which was due to the need to match their forms to the same Gothic interior.
In the early Gothic period, furnishings were still heavy and clumsy; box knitting remained at the heart of the furniture design. But in terms of the variety of objects, and in terms of the technique of execution, the early Gothic furniture is already more perfect than the furniture of the early Middle Ages. The invention at the beginning of the 14th century contributed to the further improvement of furniture, the creation of its new forms and types. two-handed saw, the use of spiked joints and frame-paneled knitting (known to the ancient Romans, but forgotten). Instead of a carpenter and a blacksmith, furniture began to be made by a carpenter, carver, painter, and gilder.
With the improvement of furniture production technology, products are given harmony and simplicity of form. During the period of Gothic prosperity, the houses of feudal lords and wealthy citizens were richly furnished. Traditional chests, various cabinets, supplies, armchairs, chairs, beds are made.
The Gothic style had common features in different countries: accentuation of verticals, a certain geometric silhouette of an object, articulation of faces, rich carving, etc. The ornament was mainly of three types - openwork, leafy and ribbon weaving (the so-called linen folds, or napkins). The ornament was carved in low relief, which corresponded to the types of wood used (pine and oak). With the use of a board with a cut ornament, which was superimposed on another, background one, the ornament deepened and became more embossed. The frame was decorated with arrows, turrets, columns, etc. In addition to carving, painting was widely used to decorate products.
The Romanesque style in the interior was formed in Catholic European countries in the 11th-12th centuries. under the strong influence of the Byzantine trend in the design of the houses of the medieval aristocracy. At that time, this type of design was called "Roman" and developed on the basis of a resurgent interest in the ancient heritage. Indeed, the Romanesque interiors are a bit reminiscent of the interior decoration of ancient Roman villas. Over the centuries, the Romanesque style has become a completely independent direction.
In every corner of Europe, its own direction was formed within the framework of romanticism. His characteristics manifested themselves in ancient Russian architecture, and in the architecture of Italy, England or France. In the Middle Ages, the creation of interior interiors was available only to a few classes, so the main emphasis was on decorating churches and castles. AT modern world meticulous adherence to the canons of the Romanesque style is almost impossible, and it will only be appropriate in the homes of true fans of medieval themes. But individual elements are used quite often to create discreet and noble rooms.
Romanesque style dates back to the 11th century
Romanesque decoration can say a lot about the hosts
Wood combined with stone looks very expensive and beautiful.
This is one of the oldest design trends, so its main features have long been established and easily recognizable. These include:
- simplicity of the interior and decoration of the premises;
- the minimum number of decor items;
- carved line in the form of a zigzag to decorate the room;
- dark wooden furniture;
- obligatory element - statues in antique style, busts of thinkers and poets of antiquity;
- large vases, oval mirrors, bronze lamps and candlesticks;
- ceramic tiles, wood panels, plaster, mosaics are used to finish the floor and walls.
There are very few decorative elements in the Romanesque style.
Most often, tiles or wood are used to finish the floor.
Decoration features
The ceiling can be made in the form of patterns
Furniture has a simple and rough shape
Stone or plaster is used to decorate the walls.
Romanesque house
Medieval interiors are more suitable for decorating cottages and country houses, in small space it is difficult to create the majestic decoration of an ancient castle in standard city apartments. But when decorating a house, even at the stage of its construction, you can take into account some features, for example, make thick walls and semicircular windows.
The building itself should harmoniously fit into the surrounding nature, combine a simple architectural appearance with a laconic exterior finish. At the same time, the interior of the house looks completely different: it is distinguished from other areas by elegance and majesty. Due to the rich historical traditions, the appearance of the Romanesque interior is somewhat monumental.
Do not forget that medieval architecture is temples built to communicate with God, and fortresses created to protect against enemies. The very purpose of architectural complexes does not imply an ornate appearance.
Romanesque style is more suitable for country houses and cottages
Internal and exterior finish most often different
Floor finish
Romanesque style in the interior requires a few stingy finishes floor covering. Facing stone or not too bright mosaic is best suited for these purposes. Since such a floor turns out to be quite cold (both in terms of its temperature and its appearance), various carpets and even animal skins are quite acceptable.
AT modern houses you can use black tiles and white color or dark wood parquet. In mosaic patterns, zodiac signs are most often found (the Middle Ages - the heyday of astrology), stars and geometric figures in various combinations.
Most often, tiles are used for flooring.
Wood for flooring is also suitable for Romanesque style.
A special feature of the Romanesque style is dark wood.
Ceiling decoration
Characteristic for this stylistic direction are high vaulted ceilings, the color of which often matches the color of the walls. To revitalize the surface are widely used:
- wooden inserts;
- rough props;
- frescoes;
- art paintings that came into fashion back in the Renaissance.
Usually the ceilings in this style are high.
It is also appropriate to use wooden inserts.
wall decoration
As a rule, designers advise using materials that imitate stone and create the illusion that the room is in a medieval castle. Therefore, neither wallpaper nor paint will be authentic. But such design options will look beneficial, such as:
- facing stone;
- wooden modules;
- beige, gray or light brown plaster.
To avoid the monotony of the walls, you can decorate them with frescoes, tapestries, lamps, paintings, stained glass windows or paintings in massive frames, painted in the spirit of the Renaissance masters.
A characteristic feature of medieval interiors is a wall ornament with floral patterns, animal figurines, geometric figures intertwined with skillful curls.
For wall decoration, it is best to use stone or wood.
Walls can be decorated with various objects
You can also finish with plaster
How to choose the right furniture?
Authentic medieval furniture is unlikely to please modern man accustomed to comfort. Tables and cabinets knocked together from rough boards, sofas and chairs without fabric upholstery cannot be called comfortable. For modern design in the Romanesque style, perhaps only large chests or chests of drawers decorated with cast-iron upholstery are suitable. The rest of the furnishings of the rooms are better to simply style them as the Middle Ages.
It is worth avoiding bizarre forms of furniture: only simple shapes and smooth lines. Furnishings can be finished with iron parts or painted in white, red, brown or black.
The external simplicity of furniture can be combined with high quality material and beautiful decorations: expensive woods, decorated with skillful carvings and intricate floral ornaments, will add an ascetic medieval atmosphere of luxury and elegance.
Furniture is best used from dark wood
Usually furniture is used without upholstery.
Romanesque style in the interior of the kitchen
If the kitchen is small, to create good design in medieval traditions, it is better to combine it with a living room or dining room. Working area, all hanging cabinets should be chosen wooden. The refrigerator should be either stylized as a tree or hidden in a closet, like the rest of the items. household appliances. gas stoves and dishwashers are unlikely to look harmonious against the background of stone walls and ceiling vaults, stylized as the architectural features of ancient European castles and fortresses.
In the dining area, a rough table surrounded by many massive chairs will look authentic. To illuminate the space, it is better to use a large ceiling chandelier with light bulbs resembling a candle flame.
Paintings are usually used on the walls.
The living room can be combined with the kitchen
Porcelain stoneware is perfect for finishing
Decorating a medieval bedroom
The central element of the interior decoration of the Romanesque bedroom is a massive, wide bed, often with a canopy. If in ancient times canopies had an important practical value in the fight against insects, today they provide an opportunity to show their imagination and individuality. in a beautiful way to decorate the room will be a cover made of natural fabric, on which numerous pillows of different sizes are placed.
Any bedroom is a great place to use textiles, even in a rather restrained medieval design. You can decorate windows with heavy curtains made of thick fabrics with lambrequins, tassels, tails. Multi-layer curtains will be no less appropriate. Curtain tiebacks are obligatory in decoration.
Candles are a great addition to the style of the room.
The bed in the room should be large
How to arrange a bathroom?
The bathroom is a truly unique space for the chosen direction. Its functional purpose is alien to the medieval era. In Catholic countries, hygiene procedures were considered a pleasure to the flesh, almost a sin, the knights boasted that they did not take off their boots for years. But such a contradiction does not hurt modern designer maintain a bathroom in a Romanesque style, applying its main features.
For the bathroom, you need to choose a large room in which the central place will certainly be occupied by a bathtub lined with tiles or stone. Stone soap dishes and dispensers, candlesticks and coasters are suitable for decoration.
Modern living conditions impose certain requirements on comfort, which are not always compatible with the Romanesque style. But its individual features are becoming more and more popular, turning into another trend in designer fashion.
Video: Romanesque style
When Odoacer, the leader of the Heruli, drove out the last Western Roman emperor in 476, he sent the insignia, the signs of imperial power, to Constantinople; for the West, this fact meant the end of more than six centuries of Roman domination over Western Europe. Endless wars and disputes over territorial claims inevitably destroyed the classical heritage of the region, and this, in turn, negatively affected all forms of art.
Although the empire continued to exist in the east, with its center in Constantinople, its Greek-Hellenistic component has now been supplanted by the Christian ideals of the Roman rulers. Christianity also determined the nature of culture in the West, where the power of the popes grew. Stability was due to the continued life of the Roman Empire in Byzantium, a new flowering of which was indicated at the end of the VIII century. Old classical aesthetics fused with oriental influences, resulting in a more linear style and a more abstract, geometric character. In Byzantine interiors, mosaics became more colorful and colorful than in earlier Roman interiors, and were used much more often to decorate walls than floors.
Triptych doors with paintings on wood. Both of these sashes were painted by a master from Flemal (probably this artist Robert Campin). They represent the customer Heinrich Werl with his patron saint John the Baptist and Saint Barbara. 1438 H.101 cm; w.47 cm (each).
BYZANTINE FURNITURE.
Furniture merchants in Byzantium distinguished between the work of joiners, who made standard furniture for ordinary consumers, and the work of cabinetmakers, more precisely, reflecting the trends in architecture and the aspirations of a proud, elite culture. The form of the Egyptian X-frame chair survived, complete with animal head and paw finishes, although the wood used was heavier than before, and sometimes even trimmed with metal.
Chairs remained a symbol of power and, as such, were often monumental in size and status. Sophisticated tables equipped with a removable reading stand show much more attention to the utilitarian functions of the object. Dining tables were very low, in accordance with the ancient manner of eating reclining, leaning on one elbow, a practice still followed by many inhabitants of Asia Minor. The most common piece of furniture was the chest. Luxurious examples included decor in the form of intarsia or inlays of colored stones, ivory and precious metals.
Coronation chair. This chair in Westminster Abbey was made for Edward I to place in it a Scottish relic - a sacred stone taken from the Scots in 1297. Around 1300
FURNITURE IN THE WEST.
A chest, including a travel chest, or wardrobe trunk, was also the most common piece of furniture in Western Europe. The basic version of the wooden box consisted of six boards knocked down with nails or even a hollowed out deck. Many people from furnishings often had such a chest. And the richer landowners usually owned a dozen chests.
Many seniors led a nomadic lifestyle, moving from place to place for the sake of constant control over their possessions. Therefore, most of the furniture was made suitable for transportation. Carpets, wall hangings and pillows were usually taken with them, taking them from one house to another. Chests, designed to securely transport property, had convex lids to allow rainwater to roll off them, and they were rarely decorated, except that they were covered with leather. Chests that make up home furniture had more comfortable flat lids.
GROWING EXPERIENCE IN DESIGN.
As the carpenters improved their working skills, the chests became more and more beautiful. In the chest-chest, the first mention of which dates back to the 13th century, primitive connections of parts such as dovetail, but the reinforcement with dowels made them much stronger and more durable than in similar products of the previous time.
Carved chest. This French chest is made of wood walnut and richly decorated with carvings in the spirit of late, "flaming" Gothic, reproducing sophisticated masonry on the facades and windows of Gothic cathedrals. End of the 15th century
GOTHIC.
The Gothic style - the dominant aesthetic of the Middle Ages - was understood as the antithesis of the civilized classical world. It was a Norman innovation that fused Carolingian and Burgundian artistic traditions with the Islamic elements of Saracen Sicily. The greatest achievement of Gothic art was the cathedrals of trans-alpine Europe, and elements of this ecclesiastical architecture formed the basis of Gothic furniture design.
The main element of the Gothic style was the lancet arch, which replaced the semicircular Roman arch. This innovation was of an engineering nature: churches could now be wider, since the weight of the ceilings could be distributed over a series of free-standing pillars and ribs connecting them, instead of making massive, thick walls. This architectural structure was also reflected in the openwork masonry of large window openings cathedrals and churches, and the trifolia and quadrifolia motifs characteristic of it were just as well suited to decorating benches and tables. Increasingly, a vertical cabinet was used to store priestly robes.
Another innovation of the Gothic period was the sideboard, whose name (cupboard) comes from its original function: in rich houses it was intended to display a valuable silver dish (cups). Among the English and Flemish craftsmen, regional style variations included a preference for paneled finishes.
With the exception of Italy, where the Romanesque style remained the dominant fashion, Gothic flourished in Europe until the end of the 15th century and remained in vogue even after the influence of the Renaissance turned northerners towards the classical tradition.
MEDIEVAL INTERIORS.
Contrary to the common perception of the Gothic style as harsh and gloomy, the interiors and furniture of that time were exceptionally light and multi-colored. Cabinetmakers usually worked with local species: in England in the northern parts of Europe - oak, in the Alpine region - pine and other conifers, in the Mediterranean - fruit trees. Surviving medieval furniture made from oak always looks very dark due to the patina of time, but freshly carved oak makes a much lighter impression. In addition, many pieces of furniture were brightly painted, including primary colors and gilding. Chests were especially often painted. Although few examples have survived to this day, traces of medieval painting can still be seen on the ceilings and walls of churches.
Church pew made in France. This profiled oak bench-chest has panels and an openwork carved pattern.
RENAISSANCE ITALY.
The figures of the Italian Renaissance realized that they were entering a new, modern era, even if only contributing to the laying of its foundations. Leonardo Bruni was the first to present history as a triad consisting of antiquity, modernity, and the middle, the “dark age”, or the Middle Ages, wedged between them, which reflected the negative attitude towards this era of both scientific knowledge and artistic practice, henceforth oriented towards the classics.
THE SPIRIT OF KNOWLEDGE.
At the end of the 14th century, the influential city-state of Florence emerged from a period of social turmoil and hardships associated with the plague, and entered a period of hitherto unknown prosperity. The very special Italian urban culture and especially the republican aspirations of the Florentines became the basis for the formation of the philosophy of civil humanism that nourished Renaissance thought. Universities and the merchant class began to re-evaluate the science, philosophy, art and design of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, and wealthy Florence became a center of attraction for many artists. They all hoped for orders from merchant houses eager to demonstrate their success and good taste. The same spirit of scientific knowledge, which led to the amazing discoveries of Copernicus, Vesalius and Galileo, directed the development of the arts. Andrea Palladio developed the theory of architectural proportions based on the study of classical architecture, and Filippo Brunelleschi formulated the laws of linear perspective. The artists abandoned the elongated, stylized figures of medieval painting, moving on to a more accurate depiction. human body, reinforcing their skills with the achievements of anatomy.
Majolica plate. The term "majolica" is used to refer to characteristically Renaissance ceramics with a white glaze. Whiteness is given by tin oxide added to the glaze. This plate depicts an artist painting a plate using the same technique. About 1510
EXPLOSION OF PATRONS.
All of the above processes had an inevitable impact on the furniture. Citizens rebuilt opulent town halls and palazzos, filling the new space with pieces of furniture and decorative art that reflected their social aspirations. The richest families, such as the Medici in Florence, Montefeltro in Urbino, and the Farnese in Rome, hired the most prominent artists and artisans to create monumental furnishings.
Table in marble and alabaster. This table was made by Farnese in Rome after a design by the architect Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola (1507 - 1573) H.96 cm; w.381 cm; g.168 cm.
WEDDING CHESTS.
The cassone, or bridal chest, was one of the most prized possessions in any home, and in that case no expense was spared in decorating it. The sides were often covered with painted or gilded gesso, embedded in a relief ornament or entirely sculpted, depicting characters and scenes from classical antiquity. In Italy, the best artists and sculptors were invited to decorate such chests, and those examples that have survived to this day reveal a richness of decor, which can only be compared with the religious art of that era.
DECORATIVE CREATIVITY.
Furniture, often made of walnut or willow, received marquetry and inlays of ivory, stone or precious woods such as ebony, as well as elaborate carvings, often with grotesques. The grotesque ornament (the word comes from the Italian grottesco) played the role of a playful game with a shift in the boundaries between the natural world and the human world. The seat, carved in the shape of an open shell, is both amusing and thought provoking. Decorative furniture was placed in the same decorative interiors, where the walls were sometimes boldly conceived snags (trompe loeil), which looked like ajar closet doors, sometimes like windows with opening landscape vistas.
Office of the Duke of Urbino in the Urbino Palace. The walls of the reconstructed office are decorated wood paneling with inlay from different breeds- walnut, birch, rosewood, oak and fruit trees walnut wood base. The decoys represent the cabinet with the scientist's tools.
Chair gqbello. This chair, made in the 15th century in Florence, is made of walnut with carvings and inlays. 1489 - 1491
IMPACT OF ARCHITECTURE.
The art of the Renaissance, like the Gothic style in the Middle Ages, was determined by the course of development of architecture. The introduction of columns, a fundamental element of a Greek or Roman building, has now also become characteristic of furniture design. Caryatids were especially valued - columnar supports depicting female figures. The chair, a traditional expression of social status and power, survived the Renaissance process of democracy, becoming a familiar attribute of home life. The lectern, or X-frame chair, made of two pairs of short bars intersecting at a central point and connected by a crossbar, became widespread. The most luxurious examples were covered with a thin layer of silver or covered with velvet, but most of the chairs were more modest objects. The original shape of the lectern is borrowed from antiquity, and the leather seat stretched between two X-frames was used in Renaissance Italy as often as in ancient Greece. The wall chair, called sgabello, was in its original form a stool with an octagonal seat and a long decorative back-bar. Sometimes this back could be removed, turning the chair into a stool.
RENAISSANCE EUROPE.
Humanistic learning, combined with the patronage of the powers that be, contributed to the affirmation of the ideals of the Renaissance, already rooted south of the Alps, in France and Northern Europe. French claims to the Kingdom of Naples and influence on other Italian states led to a series of military campaigns and the taking of part of the peninsula under French control. This intensified the intellectual and artistic exchange between France and the centers of Renaissance culture in Italy, primarily Florence and Rome.
THE RENAISSANCE COMES TO FRANCE.
The long papal rule in the Avignon enclave, and after the transfer of the papacy back to Rome, ensured a strong Italian influence in France. Many of the artists who arrived to carry out a major commission, the frescoes of the papal palace in Avignon, came from Siena. This tradition was enthusiastically continued by Francis I when he invited Italian celebrities such as Benvenuto Cellini, Francesco Primaticcio and Nicolo del Abbate to furnish the interiors of the new castle in Fontainebleau.
The long work of the Italians in this residence ensured the formation of an entire art school, and then the Fontainebleau style began to spread throughout trans-Alpine Europe. It was a specifically French interpretation of Italian Mannerism.
Gallery of Francis I in the castle of Fontainebleau. The gallery is decorated with 12 fresco compositions placed in sculptural frames; below are carved walnut panels. This is the most luxurious of such galleries in French castles; with her came the style of Italian mannerism to France. Around 1533 - 1540
Chambord Castle, built by Francis I in the Loire Valley, is perhaps best example Renaissance architecture in France. The furniture of the French Renaissance developed mainly in the alignment of architectural processes. Jacques Androuet du Cerceaux published works that included drawings of furniture. Many of his engravings, representing architectural details, have been adapted for decorative use in furniture. He drew inspiration from antiquity, especially with acanthus leaves, feathers and heraldry motifs. Exotic and fantastic animals were the favorite subjects of decorative carvings. Walnut replaced oak, becoming the main wood for furniture makers.
Chambord Castle, built in 1519 - 1547. This is one of the finest creations of Renaissance architecture in France.
GERMAN-SPEAKING COUNTRIES.
The ideals of the Italian Renaissance first reached the German-speaking countries thanks to artists like Albrecht Dürer who visited Italy twice. However, on furniture design more directly influenced by the work of the "small masters" or Kleinmeister, based in Nuremberg, Westphalia and the Netherlands and engaged in ornamentation. They made engravings on metal or wood with designs reworking motifs from classical antiquity and Italian designs. These patterns were made up of continuous ribbons of floral motifs, birds, animals, nude figures, flowerpots and trophies.
However, the existence of powerful guilds in cities such as Berlin meant that the introduction of new types of furniture was delayed by the fact that the standard designs against which the applicant for the title of master was checked were rarely changed. The cities of Nuremberg and Augsburg, where there were no guilds, became famous for their cabinetmakers, such as Peter Flötner and Lorenz Stöhr, who published intarsia woodcuts: similarly decorated panels were popular in Augsburg.
NEW STYLES.
In terms of construction, the development of Renaissance furniture can be seen as an evolution of the medieval chair-throne, which usually had a chest-shaped base, to a lighter version, with supports around the lower bar. Open armrests have become more popular, reflecting the trend towards lighter furniture.
The French caquetoire (chatter) chair was created in response to changing tastes, it had a wide, trapezoidal seat to beautifully fit the freely flowing folds of ladies' dresses. Upholstery became more common, although most chairs and benches so far had hard, wooden surfaces.
Caquetoire, or "chatter chair". This chair, made from walnut, has a sturdy X-shaped frame with a rectangular back slat and scroll-finished armrests. The seat is made of leather. 16th century H.85 cm; w.50 cm; g.60 cm.
New types of cabinet furniture also developed, such as a kitchen cabinet, which spun off from a medieval sideboard; it was made from various combinations of supports, shelves, and closed cabinets with doors. The cabinet, which in medieval Europe was used to store and display a silver dish, has become more opulent. Renaissance family treasures typically included jewelry and various artistic trinkets; many small boxes were needed to store them securely. These boxes were often lined on the inside with cloth to protect the contents. In southern Germany, sideboards, originally created by stacking one drawer on top of another, have reached more beneficial use of its capacity, in the absence of a frieze separating the upper and lower sections, although the old form remained popular after 1600.
Long dining tables they were also made with a simple tabletop mounted on goats, as they did in the Middle Ages. In rich houses there was no strict allocation dining area, so the tables were moved to another place as needed.
Buffet inspired by Peter Flötner. This massive, meticulously carved, two-panel sideboard is made in southern Germany and has a distinctly architectural look.
This period finds its development in those very "dark ages" of the early Middle Ages, about which not much is known, most of the information about that time has already been attributed to myths and fairy tales that seem to live in the ruins of ancient castles and monasteries, in legends about glorious knights race grounds and trips to distant lands, about hidden treasures and the search for the Holy Grail.
To familiarize yourself with wooden interiors and furniture of those mysterious and bygone Middle Ages, we need to focus on the interior wooden decoration of fortified castles and churches. In the castles of the feudal lords, "residential towers" were built for living. The main room in these towers was a high, rather dark hall, enclosed by stone walls with columns, fireplaces and frescoes, while this hall still remained a rather cold and gloomy room, especially in winter it was almost impossible to warm it up. Get rid of later wooden paneling , ceiling beams, forming wooden ceiling, painted in different shades, while the floor had already begun to cover ceramic tiles, carpets. Also in the center of this specially fortified tower was a well, allowing people besieged in the fortress to always have drinking water. Of course, in the central hall of the tower there was always a fireplace, the complex decoration of which is a separate interesting topic.
In medieval cities, at first there were also rather modest wooden interiors. The rooms themselves were narrow and dark; wooden furniture they were primitive, even more modest than at the very beginning of the ancient experience of making furniture. The colors of the Romanesque style are bright, saturated, overly catchy. We can judge the furniture forms characteristic of the Romanesque period by the furnishings of the churches: these are chairs for the choir, the furniture of the sacristies. These are probably the most common interior items of that period. (you can read about other periods in the history of the development of furniture and carpentry in general in other sections of our website)
The desire of people for luxurious furniture during this period of history seems insignificant, which is quite explained by the harsh realities of that time, respectively, and itself. furniture manufacturing was in a fairly rudimentary state, not continuing the glorious carpentry traditions of Antiquity. Cabinets of the Romanesque period were made with rough carpentry tools from thick, rather sloppy boards, structural elements were interconnected by forged metal strips. At that time, there was no talk at all about more complex connections and the use of panels.
In Western Europe in the 11th - 13th centuries, furniture was quite simple and there was very little of it even in palaces. Over a long period of time, stable, unchanging forms of objects were developed. Romanesque furniture exactly matched its era and the mentality of the Middle Ages, meeting the simplest criteria - practicality and reliability. It was entirely a work of folk art, especially peasant. main subjects wooden interior In the houses of the inhabitants of the Middle Ages there was a chest, which often replaced a chair and a table, a bed, and it happened that a wardrobe (a chest, placed vertically, was the prototype of the first wardrobe). Rectangular tables were made with two side shields instead of legs, connected by bars, which were wedged with wooden wedges. The tables were made very simple, most often they were a removable board on two goats. Very often in the manufacture of Romanesque furniture, surface forging was used. wooden product iron stripes. Chairs and benches, armchairs were made from chiseled straight bars. Characterized by a stool with three legs. The chairs were often not upholstered, they were mostly covered with a fairly thick layer of paint. Straight backs, legs - turned. Then wood carving began to be used (these are various kinds of stylized leaves, mythical animals, ornaments). Oak, spruce, cedar served as material for the manufacture of furniture (read more about the various types of wood used in carpentry). It was made mainly by carpenters and blacksmiths.
Now it is difficult for us to imagine that we can use any of the elements of the wooden interior of that period in modern carpentry. But chests of drawers upholstered in forged metal strips, armchairs that look more like a throne, bulky cabinets made using a full range of technologies for artificial aging of wood can give your home office or a library a special individual zest, creating an atmosphere of deep fabulous antiquity. The table will also look great, massive and deliberately rough, iron-bound, occupying the central part of the office. Being behind him, the owner of such a home office will feel like a real king of the situation.
It would also be nice to look at a complex finish in this style of interior with a tree around the home. fireplace. Here you can already deploy a real hearth, like those that were in the castles of knights and kings in the early Middle Ages.