Sea, sun, bougainvillea... Snow-white facades of residential buildings with blue shutters, standing in the narrow streets of ancient cities, bright blue windows and doors... Of course, this is Greece, its charming simplicity that attracts and captures at the same time.
ARCHITECTURE
An extraordinarily outstanding feature of Greek architecture, whether iconic antique architecture or residential, is its amazing blending with its surroundings. Inscribed in the surrounding landscape, it becomes its continuation. The ancient Greeks knew a lot about beauty. Just think of mathematically verified proportions of ancient monuments of Greek architecture. Their grandeur and beauty gave impetus to the development of all ancient architecture. In residential architecture, the Greeks adhered to minimalist decor, simple forms. One of such examples can be found near Heraklion. It is called Knossos Palace, one of Europe’s oldest cities. Fortunately, we can enjoy its splendor even now.
Unfortunately, "living" samples of Greek antique interiors have not been preserved. As well as detailed descriptions. Historians of the ancient world didn’t describe the interiors directly, they turned to them only in order to convey certain features of a historical personality. Fortunately, the details often appear in paintings, mosaics and sculptures as a background to what constituted the main theme of the work. Analyzing the furnishings, and the remaining parts of the ancient Greek dwellings, scientists nevertheless formed an idea of the ancient Greek interior. In ancient Greece, interior decoration was not perceived as a separate independent area. The interior was subject to the classical principles of decoration used in architecture and other types of ancient art.
Blue for the sea and white for the sky
A traditional Greek house usually has white walls, bright blue wooden windows, shutters and doors, and sometimes decorative columns reminiscent of ancient Greek stucco structures. There is no plastic decor on the facade. White and blue colors are also used in the interior decoration of the house, where color accents of various shades of blue stand out against a snow-white background. So if you want to buy a luxury sofa set for a Greek interior, you have a variety of colors from sky blue and light turquoise to dark blue and ultramarine. Hues of dense lush southern vegetation, golden, lemon and purple-red tones are reminiscent of bright sunlight.
A rare house does not have terraces and loggias. On the wide terrace, it is so nice to hide from the scorching sun or spend the evening hours calmly and comfortably.
The use of a solid foundation, the increase in height, proportionate flat or gable roofs, the absence of excessive decoration - this is what distinguishes typical Greek residential architecture from all others. The roof is covered with ceramic tiles, as this roofing material perfectly illuminates the house. The roof of the mansion can be flat or have a slight angle of inclination. There are no pitched and thrilling rooftops in Greece: there is no need for them since there is almost no snow in this southern country.
INTERIOR
Basically, it is necessarily minimalism with the principle of functional importance in the interior. The Greeks, who have always valued life in a lonely nature, put simplicity and openness above all else in art. This principle is reflected in the interior design in the traditional Greek style. This is the main concept: the less the better. Less design elements, less furniture, accessories, color accents - the Greek interior is characterized by conciseness.
Materials: artificial or natural?
To create a natural Greek style home decor, it is important to pay attention to the natural color palette and natural materials. First of all, the walls must be white - the plaster can be smooth or textured. The main thing is a radiant, even white color, the universal background of simple Greek life. To decorate the walls and create color accents, you can use rustic-style carpets with Greek patterns. In addition, an interesting move is to pick up tapestries of interesting texture of saturated zones.
For Greek interiors, it is good to use wooden floors, as well as ceramic tiles. Stone floors are also possible - marble or limestone both have an enveloping charm, they give the space some kind of naturalness, a feeling of living in nature, a Mediterranean freshness. The field may be associated with Greek motifs - meanders, which use a labyrinth of broken lines.
The ceilings in the houses repeat the approaches of temple buildings, where caissons were widely used. Caisson is a square or polygonal recess in the ceiling. Because the Greeks were unfamiliar with arched vaults, the ceilings in Greek houses were either flat or bare-beamed in wood or marble. Among many types of wood used in the decoration, cedar stood out, ideal for coffered ceilings due to its straightness and texture. In addition, it had a pleasant aroma, which was an important factor in the antique interior. Since the Greeks actively used incense for clothing and fabrics.
As a rule, the ceilings in the Greek house are very high. They attract the eye, give a feeling of open space. Ceiling beams fall off, they are part of the interior, painted white or blue, or leave the natural color of the tree. The central detail of the ceiling is a massive chandelier. Wall or ceiling lamps with meander ornaments have also been used quite often.
Simple, modest, plain, open
There were few pieces of furniture in the interior of ancient Greece. Such a restriction made it possible to give the existing items a special elegance. Types of furniture were adopted from the ancient Egyptians or the Middle East, but the Greeks brought a lot of new things and took the art of decorating home items to a new level. A special bed was used for reclining while eating. Many pieces of furniture were designed for seating.
The main principle for the selection of furniture is simplicity. Preference is given to rough wooden furniture: tables, chairs, stools, cabinets and shelves should be made of natural materials, without unnecessary decorative elements. Sofas - with plain wood upholstery, rough shapes. Velvet, velor or leather are completely out of place here. Floor cushions and coffee tables would look irritating. A large dining table may look a little rough, but stylish. The interior is complemented by large and small wicker baskets, suitable for storing various small items.
As for the bedroom, the canopy bed is the center of it. Shades of different pastel colors are essential for a canopy, preferably white or beige. The head of the bed can be openwork, but the rest of the furniture does not allow you any excesses: the bed is decorated with simple bedside tables, a laconic wardrobe.
Windows become the house’s eyes in every possible sense. It is best to leave windows without curtains at all or hang simple ones. You can try wooden blinds - the blue color will give them a truly Greek look. In the bedroom, it is permissible to hang curtains made of natural fabrics, linen or cotton, in characteristic Greek shades.
A bit of mythology always looks good!
The last but important touch when creating a Greek interior is decorating the room with natural clay ceramics. Generously decorate the shelves and cabinets of the kitchen and living room with ceramic details - these can be terracotta vases, amphoras and floor vases, figurines of mythical ancient Greek heroes or gods, pots and jugs.
