Old house in England. Cozy English houses: history and traditions

The house is usually built of red brick. Moreover, no external wall decoration is provided. It is quite durable and beautiful material. And houses from it in the conditions of an island and mild climate stand for centuries. That is why the ground floor is built at ground level. The foundations are low. And you will not see here any porch or terrace at the front door.

And now we go inside ... Just a picture from a magazine! The owners wanted to introduce both rustic and modern elements into the design.

How do you like?

Very nice atmosphere in the kitchen. The classic look is successfully combined with modern equipment.

Houses in the countryside are a bit simpler than in the city. Here you can often see dwellings made of stone. In size, an old rural British house is usually smaller than a city one. Yes, and the second floor is often attic. But in the village you can see roofs made of reeds and grass. They look very original and beautiful. Now we go out onto the terrace and admire again.

In ancient times, a roof covered with reeds or herbs spoke of the poverty of the owner. But times are changing and today, few wealthy home owners can afford such a roof. Now the presence of a thatched roof speaks of the wealth of the owner of the house. Incredibly cozy backyard! Ideal for breakfast.

Usually on the ground floor there is a living room, a kitchen and an office, if provided. The bedroom, bathroom and other rooms are located on the next floors. The kitchen used to be small. Today they are trying to make it bigger so that the whole family can fit at the dining table.

The living room often has a fireplace, which is found in almost every British home. Opposite the fireplace, according to tradition, put an armchair or sofa. Near it, a tea table, which is covered with a tablecloth, will also be appropriate. In the office, they usually put a table and an armchair, and shelving for books or a cabinet for the same purpose.

The bedrooms have the usual set of furniture - a bed, a wardrobe and a chest of drawers. In general, in the dwelling of the British there is a minimum set of furniture. There is never anything superfluous in them. Only the most necessary things and items.

Another traditional design element, though already external, is the arrangement of the lawn and flower beds. The lawn is the pride of the owner of the house. It has been cultivated and refined for years. But numerous flower beds and flower beds are located in front of the house and behind it. And this is another English tradition.

Dreams of a durable, comfortable and beautiful home may someday come true. It all depends on how these dreams will be combined with physical and mental efforts.

And if you have such (or a slightly different) house (or apartment), you need to be fully equipped and equip your home, finally, the way you want. And in order to know what you want, it is better to get acquainted with the interior that others have. In this article, I propose to look at the interiors in the English style. In the photo below, a classic living room with a carpet, a sofa and armchairs with ears. A low table in front of the sofa with a top covered with natural leather is a visiting card of the English house. The combination of furniture with thin legs (sofa and armchairs) with more massive and voluminous in one room is also a distinctive feature of the British.

The same “eared” chairs, but in colorful upholstery, books on the shelves, a twisted forged chandelier, lighting in the form of small floor lamps with fabric lampshades and, finally, a palm tree by the window - all this is a classic English interior.

The usual comfortable old armchair next to the bed, where you can sit before going to bed and look through a book or watch TV. Everything is simple, but looking at this interior, you understand that everything is fine in this house with comfort and arrangement!

The English house usually has large windows, decorated with curtains to the floor. This gives the rooms a special elegance.

Small rooms with low ceilings, natural wood paneling on the walls, olive-colored walls and soft electric and natural lighting create an atmosphere of an English home.

Wooden panels on the walls are preferably made from durable woods, which are treated in a special way against mold and bugs.

Semicircular windows, dark olive walls, a large fireplace, massive upholstered furniture and palm trees, as witnesses of the past colonial conquests of the British. Much of the interior, as well as outlandish plants, appeared in the dwellings of the British thanks to fearless sailors who brought all this from their long sea voyages.

For some reason, placing upholstered furniture with different upholstery in one room does not cause a feeling of disunity of the interior, but quite the contrary. There is something elusive and unifying in this environment.

A fireplace or a stove that needs to be heated with wood will warm their owners in any frost. And how great it is to come after a slushy and cold street, light a fireplace and sit next to listen to the crackling of firewood and feel how warm it is in the room.

Evenings by the lit fireplace in the narrow circle of the family, what could be better?

Winter evenings will not seem tiringly long, in such a small room next to your loved ones it is warm and you don’t want to go anywhere.

And around the fireplace you can place all the portraits and small paintings that are dear to your heart.

Chimney - as a decoration of the house.

The bedroom in an English house is a well-appointed room. The bed is the main piece of furniture, always beautiful and fundamental.

Not only the furniture in the English house is solid, but also other interior items. The British do not fill their house with cheap knick-knacks, and if they bring a thing into the house, then forever.

The secret of the good quality and quality of English furniture is the use of natural materials for its manufacture and the skill of furniture makers.

Such a metal bed with a wrought-iron headboard looks elegant and light. The bright room is filled with sun and fresh air.

Such a bed is covered with a ruffled bedspread, pillowcases on pillows and curtains on the windows should be in tone with it.

All English furniture is reliable and of high quality, it serves several generations.

And this girl's bedroom is in soft blue with lots of colored pillows.

Here is the bedroom for adult family members. Every inch of space is used here. But everything is in its place, everything pleases the eye.

Once the canopy over the bed was evidence of the greatness of its owner. Now this addition to the interior of the bedroom is arranged by romantic people over their beds.

Order in the house is order in thoughts, success in work, calm and measured life.

Carefully equip not only the bedroom, but also the kitchen. This is a special place in the house where food is prepared, it is always cozy, it smells delicious, there is an abundance of sunlight and flowers.

Here everything is at hand, everything is familiar and familiar. And it has always been so, because the conservative British honor their traditions and keep the connection of generations. Wonderful handmade furniture is passed from grandmother to granddaughter.

English cuisine can also be in light colors with obligatory chair covers, with fabric curtains on glass cabinet doors, with lace curtains on the windows.

There are always a lot of dishes in English cuisine. English porcelain is renowned for its quality, both antique and modern.

Dishes in England have always been made not only porcelain, faience, but also ceramic and metal.

How nice it is to celebrate holidays, for example, New Year and Christmas, in such a reliable and beautiful house. Fresh pine or Christmas tree branches, lit candles, waiting for a miracle.

And here is the Christmas tree, in the evening it will gather the whole family in this small living room.

Such New Year's Eve evenings with the family are remembered forever and live in our childhood memories as the best.

To make your fairy tale house not only cozy and comfortable inside, but also pleasing to the eye from the outside, it should be surrounded by green spaces.

There will never be too many trees, flowers, climbing plants if they are well-groomed. Of course, such a house looks more like the abode of gnomes from English fairy tales, but the flowers are real.

Without the wonderful plants around this house it would be empty and lonely.

And this, albeit small, but such a nice house, also looks good.

I would like to live in such an old brick house, decorated with a climbing trellis rose.

And in front of the house or on the open terrace, put just such a swing sofa with a lace cape.

On such a sunny terrace, among the abundance of plants, it is easy to breathe.

The sofa can be placed not only on the veranda or terrace, but also in the garden in front of the house and admire the daisies, cornflowers and asters in moments of relaxation.

The British, like many people on Earth, appreciate nature and love trees and flowers, so they surround their homes with them.

In such a house should be a simple but comfortable interior.

All these houses have their own face, take a closer look, and you will see it too.

Even from the photograph, you can feel the warmth of human hands, with what love and in a businesslike way everything is done. And the poultry only adds color to this rural idyll.

"My home is my castle" - so say now not only the British. After all, all people in the world understand that their home is part of the happy existence of the whole family.

There is no need to copy from the British their way of life, their houses and interiors. We are different, but no one forbids us to learn from experience and learn from other nations the quality of life, to improve our culture of life, to equip our home, based on the achievements and skills of Europeans.

Today's trends in the development of society, technology, of course, have left their mark on the modern English house. But, in fairness, it is worth saying that their influence on the conservative in terms of traditions and way of life of the British is very small. Just look at the traditional and typical village dwelling.

Classic modern city and country house

Great Britain has been an industrial country for several centuries. In this country, the urban population prevails over the rural. And if so, then there should be more city dwellers. Indeed, in our understanding, a city dweller necessarily lives in an apartment. But in Britain this is not the case at all.

The majority of the population of the United Kingdom prefers to live in their own homes. Of course, as in many other states, not many people can pay for the construction or purchase of a private house. Therefore, the vast majority become owners of houses, paying mortgages for twenty to twenty-five years.

But to say the majority is to say nothing. Therefore, it is worth clarifying that the majority in British reality is about 80 percent. That is how many inhabitants of foggy Albion live in their own homes. There are cities too. And there are a lot of them. But both in the cities and in the countryside, conservative Englishmen prefer a private house.

What does a modern dwelling in England look like? A typical English house is a two or three story building. Moreover, the understanding of the number of storeys is somewhat different from ours. The first floor is considered zero by the locals. And only that which is above the level of the earth's surface is considered the first and subsequent floors.

And in these conditions, a deep and heavy foundation is not needed. The soil does not freeze at all even in harsh winters by local standards. For reference, it is worth mentioning that in Russia the depth of soil freezing can reach several meters. A significant part of the country is generally located on permafrost.

As already mentioned, there are no porches as such. But the visors and canopies over the front door are striking in their diversity. This is also due to the traditions of the British. They love to diversify their homes. So much so that with the general similarity of projects, houses can turn out to be completely different.

This is facilitated not only by visors and canopies over the front doors. Each house must have a small lawn where you can set up a flower bed or flower garden. And the buildings themselves are often decorated with climbing plants. At the same time, it happens that the house is almost invisible through the plants. And of course, the house is decorated with numerous decorative elements. The design of English houses is diverse.

Old English house in the countryside

An old English house can be seen in the countryside. And really old houses are protected by law. You can buy them and live there. But it is forbidden to radically rebuild or change the appearance of such a building. And inside such a building can be made completely modern.

The concept of countryside and village is somewhat different here. Villages are essentially small towns. The roads are asphalted, the territories are ennobled. You will not see vegetable gardens with potato plantations in them. Villagers do not grow vegetables and fruits. They are engaged in the cultivation of flower beds and lawns. Therefore, in any English village it is cozy and clean.

And the cultivation of vegetables and fruits is done by farmers who do not live in the villages. They live on the outskirts or, as we say, in a settlement or a farm, that is, separately. Most of the villagers only live in the countryside and work in the city. Fortunately, Great Britain is famous for its roads. Every British family has a car, often more than one.

The house in the English village is located along the street. Often the front door opens directly onto the sidewalk, if there is one. Sometimes a flower garden or a small lawn is located between the wall of the house and the road. There are no gardens, as mentioned above. But there is always the pride of the owner behind the house - his lawn and flower beds.

British home interior

Despite the stiffness and external closeness of the British, in English houses one rarely sees curtains on the windows or curtains. Windows are usually made quite wide. Rectangular and square in shape, they are often divided into small fragments.

English house traditions

When people talk about an Englishman's house, they always remember the fireplace. And although the fireplace is rarely used for its intended purpose, it is an integral part of the interior. Photographs, small figurines, vases, clocks are placed on the mantelpiece. And in front of the fireplace, like hundreds of years ago, they arrange tea parties.

The classicism of the English style for the design of country houses attracts both designers and ordinary people with its functionality, rigor and the ability to demonstrate the taste and character of its guests well. Photos of houses in the English style show the external roughness of unlined facades with low-lying window openings and a bright red tiled roof.

The distinctive elements of the outside of the English apartments are:

wall surfaces lined with natural stone elements or bricks;
lack of carved details;
asymmetry in the arrangement of the exterior composition;
the presence of columns;
narrow color palette;
gable strict roof;
the territory near the house is planted with a garden and flowers.

Types of English country buildings

The architecture of English buildings is recognizable all over the world. There are three main architectural and construction trends with their own peculiarities and features.

Tudor house style. Visually, such buildings resemble fabulous village houses. However, the appearance is a bit rough.

The main architectural features of this type are:

the presence of high gables on the main facade;
a roof with a steep slope and uneven edges;
a large trumpet and miniature dormer windows;
the general outlines of the building are asymmetrical;
the entrance has an arched structure.

Georgian architectural style. For the modern English building world, this direction is the most popular. The buildings in the Georgian direction look magnificent and simple at the same time.

The direction is characterized by the following features:

symmetry;
window openings of the same size, which have the same location;
the absence of various kinds of embellishments;
the main facade of the building is decorated with five windows;
the front door is very low;
low roof.

Victorian direction. Differs in decorative facing and contrasting combinations in color registration.

Its features:

asymmetric arrangement;
overall territory of the veranda;
decorative finishing of wall surfaces with stone or siding;
ornamental and stucco elements.

The main feature of the houses, made in the English style, is the construction of a red brick building. Thanks to this material, which has a very reasonable cost, the life of the house is increased.

Another advantage is the high soundproofing qualities inside the premises.

The project of English apartments is characterized by the presence of two full floors and, in some cases, an attic. The entrance to the room is located in the middle.

architectural features

The foundation of a typical English residential building is very low, so the floor surface is almost level with the ground. You won’t be able to meet the usual basements and garages in the house, since the English style does not imply this.

Sometimes the owners can equip a small cellar or pantry in the home. The outer facade is not decorated or clad in any way, so it looks rather rough.

Window openings of a rectangular or square shape of the first level are located low. The roof of the house is covered with red tiles, its shape is sharp, and the construction is very high. In recent years, the roofs of English houses are made of straw or thatch.

A porch is attached to the house only if the building is located on a plot with a slope. But the entrance doors and windows are often framed by canopies.

Ivy winding along the canopy brings a special luxury to the design of the house in the English style. It is customary to plant small gardens and arrange picturesque flower beds next to an English residential building.

Layout inside the house

The main living area of the first floor is represented by a spacious living room, which, as a rule, is combined with a dining room, corridor areas and a hall. The guest room is sure to be bright, as there are many window openings in the room. Another room on the first level is an office.

The second floor is considered the territory of sleep. In total, there are three bedrooms, one of which has a bathroom and wardrobe.

Interior composition of the house

The main conditions for creating an internal English interior for a private house are comfort and coziness. The living room is arranged in such a way that it is convenient for all guests and household members to be here.

Natural wood is chosen as finishing materials typical for work in the English style. The floor surfaces are covered with a noble parquet flooring.

The chosen direction is characterized by large spacious areas for the living room, however, with the help of design techniques and in small rooms, it is possible to create a project that is spectacular and stylish.

A mandatory element of interior decoration characteristic of the English direction is a fireplace. It acts as the center of the entire interior composition in the guest area.

You can clad the fireplace with various materials in the form of marble, wood or lime panels. On the shelf above the fireplace, it is customary to display watches, bronze sculptures, flowerpots with flowers and snuff boxes with cigarette cases.

The English stylistic direction is perfect for decorating a private country residence.