Country house style is an expression of coziness, naturalness and convenience, reminiscent of a quiet life in the lap of nature. One of the essential elements of a living space is curtains, which create a special atmosphere in it. Let's look at different ideas for decorating windows with curtains in a wooden house, which will help it achieve an ideal look and welcoming comfort.
Curtains are an integral addition to any interior; without them, the windows seem completely empty
Approach to window decoration with curtains
The color of curtains in a wooden house is determined mainly by the shades that are already in the design of the home, and by the decorator’s ideas for the curtains to stand out or blend softly with their surroundings.
Another approach is to take into account the rural flavor. For the casual look of a Russian wooden house, curtains made from lighter fabrics are suitable. It's simple to decorate your windows with curtains with colors that draw attention to the outside, as this helps create a subtle harmony with the outside.
Delicate curtains with flowers in a rustic style emphasize the simplicity and comfort of a wooden house
Rules for selecting curtains in a private residential building or country cottage
A modern take on the look of a timber home creates a design that is sleek enough to suit today's lifestyles, but still incorporates the comfort, coziness and natural elements taken from traditional village style. You can highlight the main directions for decoration:
- Use of natural fabrics or with a small addition of synthetics.
- The predominance of light shades for a feeling of spaciousness and airiness.
- If the fabrics have a pattern, then simple, uncomplicated plots.
- Widespread introduction of handcrafted details reminiscent of peasant handicrafts.
- Hanging on cornices made of wood or plastic, imitating the pattern of natural material.
Likewise, window frames should be functional, yet be part of a well-thought-out style of fabrics, colors and patterns.
Curtains made from natural fabrics go best with wood
Colors and motifs of patterns
If the material of window textiles may be different, but the choice of pattern is limited. These can be the following patterns:
- Plants.
- Animals.
- Garden fruits.
- Village houses.
- Chickens.
- Cell.
- Strip.
As for the color scheme, experts advise choosing warm, bright colors. In this case, the colors can be either monochromatic or combined .
Rustic style is the use of curtains in the following colors:
- Bright yellow.
- Rich red.
- Juicy green.
- Sky blue.
However, rustic style also includes pastel, white curtains . They can be with or without a pattern.
Types of curtains, popular options
When choosing curtains for a wooden house, designers usually take into account the interior decor, and for a charmingly fabulous view from the window, they try to hang curtains that frame the opening landscapes.
Beautiful classic curtains
Curtains translated from Dutch mean a light curtain. Translucent fabrics, tulle and organza, add a touch of rustic charm to the rooms. They are not dense, which allows light to penetrate inside, giving the room a warm and cozy look. The transparent material allows the sun to filter through slightly, making the room light and bright while maintaining privacy from the outside world.
White curtains in two layers look gentle in the interior
Discreet gray curtains in the design of a classic living room
Fashionable roller blinds
By choosing roller blinds you can achieve shade from the sun during the day and hide from prying eyes in the evening. They are quite neutral in style and will not distract from other strong design accents in the room. Roller blinds go well with curtains, this set brings out the best in their styles.
Jute roller blinds in a country house
For convenient use, it is better to hang roller blinds on each sash separately.
Lightproof
Curtains in a country wooden house are most often light-colored, but they do not block the light. Therefore, for the bedroom, it may be wiser to choose blackout or lined curtains to effectively block unwanted morning light. Light-proof fabrics will also protect from the sun's rays, keeping the room cool on hot days.
Blackout curtains can provide contrast in a bright bedroom
Dark opaque curtains can complement delicate white curtains
Roman
There are no more ideal curtains for a living room than Roman curtains, as they provide privacy and control the amount of light in the room. The warm tones of the curtains go well with wooden furniture, and the ivory color will be harmonious with the shade of the furniture, creating a cohesive country house look.
Roman curtains in the interior of a small bedroom
A combination of Roman blinds and curtains in a room on the attic floor
Long curtains
If the windows of the house are non-standard and the ceilings are high, long curtains with an overlap to the floor are perfect for the living room or bedroom. Soft, heavy fabrics and graphite accents add depth to the space, where clean lines of wood furniture take center stage. The vertical stripes of the curtain rods will contrast nicely with the horizontal fold lines of the fabric.
Curtains can add some solemnity to the living room interior
Thick curtains in the bedroom do not weigh down the space at all
Stylish short models
To add a touch of Provencal chic, hang short curtains with a blue and white pattern and a bright botanical motif in classic shades of blue and white. Beautiful short curtains with a pattern will be ideal for the fresh country air entering the house through the open windows. And 100% cotton textiles will subtly darken rooms, making it the right choice for bedrooms, as well as living, dining and kitchen windows.
Short curtains on a small attic window
Interesting design of curtains in the nursery
French
While curtain ideas for a rustic country timber home can often be simple, you can take risks and add details that make an impact. One way to do this is to decorate the top edge of the windows with lush awnings. The middle of the window will be covered with pleated roller blinds that rise up to admire the landscape during the day. Meanwhile, when they are closed, the outside of the wooden house is decorated with bright spots.
Simple style of French curtains in the dining room of a wooden house
French curtain made of transparent curtains on the kitchen window
Blinds in a wooden house
Blinds are also used in country houses. They are often supplemented with curtains, and not only for practical reasons. Together they beautifully frame the windows and emphasize the chosen style of the room. As beautiful as blinds are on their own, windows can sometimes look bare without additional trim. By arranging layers of fabric and blind material in this way, the result is a neat solution that is not devoid of elegance.
Blinds in the office, like roller blinds, can be hung on each sash separately
The right colors allow you to use blinds without additional fabric curtains
Blinds in tandem with curtains in the living room-studio
Rustic style with lambrequin
A lambrequin attached to the top of the window will complete the thoughtful image of the room. Lambrequin is used as a decorative touch or to create the illusion of a high ceiling. This curtain element can be sewn from fabric, or made from plywood or MDF, painted or covered with fabric.
Lambrequin adds elegance to a simple rustic style
Curtains with a simple rustic pelmet in the living room
Looking for curtains for the bathhouse
It is difficult to maintain a balance between dense and moisture-resistant fabric, but it is still possible. It is known that traditional curtains are not suitable for bathhouses for several reasons. In addition to high humidity and frequent temperature changes, the functional aspect is worth noting. A bathhouse is a room where it is worth limiting the ability of unauthorized persons to observe what is happening.
The following recommendations will help prevent annoying mistakes in a log bathhouse:
- If the windows face south, then the emphasis is on darkened tones;
- The presence of a recess indicates the need to use additional curtains;
- Curtains cover the entire frame area.
Tips for choosing curtains for different rooms
A living space designed in accordance with the style of a wooden house can create the beauty of a rustic flavor. This design demonstrates a close connection with folk traditions and looks quite elegant.
Hallway
When it comes to hallway curtains, classic sheer white or cream curtains are a great choice. The transparent material allows the sun to penetrate, making the room light and bright. If you choose patterned fabrics, they will protect the room from prying eyes, maintaining privacy from the outside world.
Curtains in the hallway in the interior opening
Gray linen curtains blend harmoniously with wood
Living room
For curtains in the living room, it would be advisable to have a lining that improves the quality of drapery and also protects the rooms from sunlight. The lining helps retain heat - creating thermal insulation, which will be useful if there are large glass spaces. The elegant combination of two fabrics gives a strictly country-style look.
Transparent white curtain and thick drapes in the design of a living room with a panoramic window
In the Norwegian style, curtains made from natural fabrics are welcome
Kitchen
For the kitchen, it is sometimes worth choosing Provence style blinds. Moreover, if the window needs to be opened regularly, for convenience, the panels are placed separately on each sash. If we talk about woven curtains, then linen, chintz or cotton are best suited for the kitchen.
Chintz curtains in the kitchen interior
Roman blinds in the kitchen are not only stylish, but also convenient
Curtains for the bedroom
Roman blinds are ideal for bedrooms as they provide privacy and the amount of light can be adjusted. Curtains with tiebacks will make the room cozier and evoke a calm and relaxed mood. To make the bedroom look harmonious, bedspreads and pillows should be made of the same material as the curtains.
Multi-level curtains in the attic bedroom
Light curtains in the interior of an Alpine chalet
Purpose of products and their selection
The beauty of building an individual house or cottage from scratch is the ability to create absolutely any shape and architecture of the building. Thanks to this, living conditions for residents will be at the highest level. But such an opportunity is not always provided, because purchasing a ready-made house is much cheaper. Most families do just that. Therefore, you have to adapt to the conditions prevailing in the house. Natural light is very important for every home. However, there are houses with small windows, especially old-style buildings. You have to get out and work with what you have.
In order to make the interior natural and natural, as well as fill it, curtains for the windows are suitable. Thanks to them, you can minimize design flaws and make lines smoother. If you make the right choice of curtains for small windows, the room will become more beautiful, comfortable, more varied and sophisticated. Curtains can give you a mood, depending on the color scheme.
Choice for different types of windows
Ideas for curtains in a country wooden house made of logs can be used to decorate different window configurations, emphasizing their individual proportions with processing.
Bay window
The designed raised window space is very inspiring and showcases the more creative side of curtains. The interior decoration can match their artistic style. In a room with a bay window, it is appropriate to have many color nuances that organically complement each other.
Curtains and drapes with lambrequins in a spacious bay window in a house with a second light
Without unnecessary details and in calm colors
Arched
If the room has an arched window, attaching the cornice closer to the ceiling than the window will make the space appear taller. And in a wooden house with vaulted windows, the eye is always directed upward to appreciate the majesty of the room.
Arched window in a bedroom with a wooden ceiling and walls covered with wallpaper
Large arched windows in the bay window of a wooden house
Window on the stairs
In a log house, shortened curtains are often used. The optimal length is just below the window sill. These curtains are ideal for windows on the stairs between floors. A simple plaid or floral print will make them adorable.
Decorating high windows with transparent curtains on a round staircase
The simple style of the house is complemented by modest roller blinds on the small staircase window
Two small windows
In modern interiors, characterized by experimentation, there are interesting interpretations of rural style. For example, roller blinds or Roman blinds are suitable for small windows in a wooden house, located two at a time. A good solution would be to choose models with a checkered pattern.
Roman blinds on small windows in a children's room
Light windows with Roman blinds in the interior of a Finnish house
Selecting curtains for a narrow window: tips and tricks
Refusal of lush and “heavy” materials is the key to the success of the entire work. No matter how much the owner loves velvet and wool, both materials should not appear in a small house. Otherwise, small windows will become even smaller. At the same time, the percentage of insolation - the amount of light penetrating into the room - will noticeably decrease.
It is necessary to treat patterned forms with increased caution.
A narrow window will become more attractive if it is complemented by floral ornaments. In addition, the use of not very abstract geometric shapes is allowed.
In order for window decoration to go quickly and efficiently, beginners can rely on the following recommendations:
- You cannot cover windows with floral fabric;
- A similar recommendation applies to abstract forms;
- It is necessary to decorate a small window in the kitchen using synthetics that can withstand frequent washing;
- Linen or cambric are appropriate in the bedroom;
- For the living room, thicker curtains and light-colored cornices are selected.
It is useful for a beginner to know that a small window is not a reason to abandon design experiments. In this case, you need to be careful, because the choice of material, its density and color is influenced by several factors. We are talking about the functional purpose of the room, its stylistic design, the predominant color, and so on.
What material to choose from
It is recommended to choose fabrics for curtains in wooden houses from natural fibers. Often this is simple chintz or linen, but for the living room it is quite possible to take silk or mixed fibers.
A simple but stylish interior is complemented by curtains made from natural fabrics
A formal office can be complemented by velor or satin curtains in dark colors.
What drawings are used
Looking at any photo of country style curtains, you get a feeling of newness and purity. What is it due to? Color scheme and fabric pattern.
The most popular colors are:
- Large and small cell; most often two-color: blue-white or red-white;
- Flowers and herbs; plant elements are placed on a white, cream or yellow background, which enhances optimism and appetite at any time of the year;
- Pets, most often hens with chicks or ducks with ducklings;
- Dishes and still lifes;
- Butterflies, bees and other insects.
Fabrics can be combined with each other, creating entire ensembles including tablecloths, napkins, chair covers, and towels.
Color scheme for a country house
Blues and greens can create a relaxing atmosphere, while deep plum or crimson colors create an intimate space. Lush tones of ocher or orange can create a feeling of warmth. A plant pattern will give a beautiful and delicate look to a window that comfortably lets light through the curtains in a country house in a wooden house.
Transparent two-color curtains in the kitchen of a country house
And thick curtains in dark green in the living room
How to make curtains for your garden with your own hands, design options and methods of fastening
Lovers of needlework willingly take on sewing window decorations with their own hands. Experts recommend this for those who have at least basic cutting and needle and thread skills, as well as their own sewing machine.
Short curtains in a wooden house look harmonious in a nursery, kitchen, or attic.
Short course for beginners:
- choose a simple style of curtains that will be organically perceived in a wooden frame;
- find a suitable practical fabric (easy to wash, does not require ironing), especially if there are folds, ruffles and draperies;
- make calculations on fabric consumption - in width and length, focusing on the width of the roll;
- the width has its own nuances, even soft folds require multiplying the width of the cornice, multiplied by a factor of 1.5 - 1.7;
- We take into account the reserves for cutting and hemming, the coincidence of the repeat of a large pattern, add 2-3 cm to hem at the bottom - 5-7 cm.
French curtains with scallops made of translucent chiffon are suitable for creating a classic style in the living room of a wooden house.
Method of fastening at the top (tape for hooks, eyelets, rings);
- choose a suitable cornice, select fabric;
- we make cutting taking into account seam allowances;
- mark folds and creases;
- we sew curtains, steam the seams through damp gauze and hang them on the curtain rod.
If you intend to use a complex multi-layered design, it is recommended to take ready-made patterns and explanations with a master class.
Which curtains are best for small windows in a country house?
If you're decorating a small window, you can use a longer curtain to enhance the look of the space, even though there will be significantly more fabric than glass. Also, vertical stripes on the fabric visually enlarge the window opening.
Small window with floral short curtains in the bedroom
Small figured window with elongated tulle curtains
For examples of designing curtains in the interior of a wooden house, see the video:
Khabibullina S.K.
Ural State Academy of Architecture and Art, Russia
Decorative fabrics in the decoration of a Russian traditional home
The study of the traditions of using decorative fabrics seems to be a fairly important area when conducting research for the competent reconstruction of interiors, which are an integral part of the reconstruction of an architectural object. The most complete study of the elements of textile content of living space is necessary for modern retrospection and historical analysis of interiors. It is important to know not only all the components of a textile ensemble, but also the types of compositional solutions, colors, materials used and their manufacturing technologies. The need for such research also arises due to the fairly frequent recent use of remakes of the Russian ethnic style, both in modern residential interiors of city apartments and manor-type houses.
Almost all researchers, when studying Russian interiors and decorative fabrics, single out the pre-Petrine era from the subsequent series of interior studies. Indeed, until the period of Peter the Great’s reign, when not only the architecture and, accordingly, the internal space, but also the very view of the essence of the interior, both ceremonial and residential, radically changed, the structure of the organization of the internal chambers of the grand ducal mansions and royal chambers was a priori connected with the organization of the people’s home. However, the interior decoration differed radically. Decorative fabrics, which initially occupied a significant place in the artistic appearance of grand ducal mansions, royal chambers, palace interiors and manor houses, appeared in people's homes in everyday use by the second half of the 19th century. The creation of luxurious and unique interiors of the royal chambers was achieved through the use of a huge amount of decorative textiles. Expensive decorative fabrics came as official gifts from both eastern and European countries, or were purchased to decorate royal and boyar chambers. “The largest amount of artistic textiles was in the 16th – 17th centuries. was brought to Rus' from Italy, and in the 18th century from France.” (Italian and French fabrics in Rus' in the 16th – 18th centuries, p. 3) Until the 17th century, Russia did not have its own production of silk fabrics.
Almost all fabrics brought in the 16th–17th centuries. decorated by Russian craftsmen to enhance the artistic qualities of the textile surface: embroidered with gilded or silver threads - spun or drawn, pearls, precious stones, metal overlays, beads, gold-braided lace, buttons. Fabrics with textile patterns were quite flat with no volume; the results were embossed, large-textured, and holding volume well.
Imported brocade, silk and velvet fabrics, due to their high cost, were available only to the royal family and boyars, therefore, in old Rus', dyed and printed fabrics were most widespread, which were widely used in the residential interiors of royal and boyar chambers.
The excessive luxury of the ceremonial interiors was fully compensated by the rather modest design of the living quarters of both the boyars and the royal chambers. But at the same time, the basic forms of textile products, although made from cheaper fabrics, were present in the living quarters.
In peasant life, fabrics were practically not used as a method of interior decoration until the second half of the 19th century. Only in the 17th century did wooden floors appear in the interior of the Russian hut, and, consequently, minimal furniture, but even in this case, straw and tanned animal skins were used instead of bed linen. But to decorate the hut on holidays or for ritual ceremonies, decorative fabrics were used, having a purely semantic meaning. The daily decoration included only a red corner with a shrine, where the “devotee” and the “shroud” were used. The “devotee” served to cover the shrine and was a curtain sewn from two panels of thin white homespun canvas, later manufactured fabric, decorated at the ends of the canvas with embroidery, woven patterns, ribbons and handmade lace. The “nakutnik” was attached to the corner under the images and was a rectangular piece of fabric sewn from two pieces of white thin canvas or chintz. Along the lower edge, the “bundle” was decorated with embroidery, woven patterns, and lace. The “devotee” and the “nakutnik” served to decorate the red corner and in the royal mansions.
Later at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. With the advent of a large number of sailing and cloth factories, linen and tablecloth factories, the widespread use of textiles in huts, not only for utilitarian, but also for decorative use, was preserved in daily use.
The main sources of iconography for the use of textiles in interiors are preserved in museum collections, numerous archival records and studies based on archival sources.
For the “sovereign’s life,” huts with the same internal structure as the people’s home were “cut down.” The interiors of the royal chambers differed from the interiors of the traditional Russian hut in the presence of wooden floors, and, consequently, filling the space with a large amount of furniture and decorative fabrics. Decorative fabrics were widely used in upholstering ceilings, walls, floors, and draping window and door openings in royal chambers, road palaces, and palaces of wealthy nobles. Thematic gold-woven fabrics were used in the design of only socially significant interiors - embassy courtyards and churches. Decorative fabrics used in the interiors of royal chambers and palaces of high society nobles, according to their functional purpose, can be divided into fabrics that were covering and upholstery for furniture, carpets and fabric floor coverings, upholstery fabrics for walls and ceilings, free-hanging fabric and carpet curtains.
Carpets, both woven and embroidered, were widely used as covering fabrics. Carpets were also made from patterned “half sheets”. The canvas was a thick and dense cloth, which could be either woven, wicker, felted, or even made from dressed animal fur. But most often the polst was a “thick, heavily dried” linen. (Dal V.I., p. 231)
Tables, benches, and chairs were covered with carpets - “...on the table there is a carpet of silver on worm-like ground; gold collars with streaks; on the horsemen there are golden carpets, on two windows there are pure gold carpets, on white and on worm-like satin; on the third window there is a golden kizilbash carpet.” (Stemparzhetsky A.G., p. 22)
Carpets were imported from Persia and the countries of the Far East. Due to the fact that they were quite expensive, first of all, carpets were hung on the walls or placed on the table, and only in very rich houses and much later did they appear on the floor.
All kinds of benches, beds and, of course, thrones were decorated with carpets, oriental fabrics and high pillows.
Furniture - benches, benches, armchairs, seats and backs at that time could initially be upholstered in cloth, predominantly red or green, trimmed with silk braid with silver and gold, under which rough canvas or felt was usually lined. Antique Russian furniture was upholstered not only with brightly colored cloth fabrics, but also with morocco, embossed leather, and benches and benches were also covered with mattresses (“tyushaks”). Most often, cloth of different colors was used for upholstery, the so-called “flat cloths”, in which a border of blue, green, yellow and other colors descended from the edges of the bench, and the middle, of a different color, contrasting with the color of the border, covered the plane of the bench. The shelf cover is a woven cape for the benches. It was made on a horizontal weaving mill from coarse linen or colored wool threads on a linen or hemp base. For shelf covers, patterned fabric (striped or with geometric patterns) was usually used. In the 16th – 17th centuries, in rich princely and boyar mansions, shelf holders constituted a necessary element of decoration in the upper room, warm hut, and entryway. In the 19th century, the custom of covering benches with fabric was not widespread. (“Russian Izba”, p. 102) Shelves were often decorated with plant patterns, as well as images of birds and animals. From below, the benches were lined with painted canvas - dyed or kindyak, and from above they were decorated with wedges sewn alternately from multi-colored cloth pieces (using patchwork technique - S.Kh.), in the richest chambers of stone buildings... taffeta “wallets” were placed on the benches (mattresses sewn from cotton fabric and checkerboard or morocco mattresses. Sometimes benches and armchairs were simply upholstered in “pads” and felt with red morocco or covered with the same shelf covers, but made from more expensive types of fabric, such as silk and velvet” (Stemparzhetsky A.G., p. 23)
Another common form of textile products were the so-called chests and have been a necessary element of “cloth” home decoration since ancient times. In the 16th – 18th centuries, they, along with embroidered capes on benches, window sills, and woven wallpaper, were a common feature of royal chambers and rich boyar mansions. (“Russian Izba”, p. 95) Nasduknik - was made of wool, half-woolen or canvas fabric from one or two panels of plain fabric, mainly in all shades of red or brown, or from fabric with a pattern. The ornament used was usually geometric: wide stripes of red, yellow, blue, green, alternating with a border of red rhombuses, with the addition of blue, yellow, and green. The pattern of the chest depended on local weaving traditions. Sometimes it was lined with rough canvas or canvas with a pattern printed in white on a blue background. In peasant life, chests were covered with elegant fabrics only on holidays or special days.
Wooden wall benches appeared in the interior of the Russian hut, and, therefore, they could only be covered with something in the 17th century, when wooden floors appeared. Before this, instead of benches there were earthen heaps, which were covered with straw on top.
Carpets were widely used not only to cover tables, benches, chests and other furniture, but also to drape window and door openings.
Carpets were also used to divide interior spaces, as curtains. Curtains or curtains, “taffeta or damask,” separating part of the space from the rest of the chambers initially appeared only in the interiors of the grand ducal and royal chambers. The curtains stretched across the entire room, thus forming “soft” walls. Most often, curtains were used in passage rooms or separated a certain private area, for example, a cross. (Zabelin I.E., p. 141) Basically, the curtains were made of cloth, which was duplicated with felt, homespun cloth or canvas. (Sergeeva N.A., p. 18) There were also door curtains, the so-called doors, which were made from dried or thick quilted fabric.
In the interior of a Russian hut, the space was single until the 17th century. Curtains entered Russian peasant life in the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries. One of the first to appear in hut use was the kutnaya curtain - a partition curtain separating the kitchen or stove corner from the main living space of the hut. The kutna curtain was sewn from 4-6 panels of homemade fabric. The homespun fabric that was used for the curtain could be of the most varied quality in terms of thread processing - it was used as a coarse thread and a fairly thin one of the best quality. According to the method of decorating the fabric, it could be a broken canvas (thick or transparent-patterned), or simply dyed, or printed, or motley, in both bright and rather dark tones. Since the end of the 19th century, bright “colorful” chintz has become the most common fabric for curtains. The curtains along the upper and lower edges could be decorated with stripes of embroidery. Traditionally, embroidery was done using the cross technique with red thread on a white background; later the “tambour” technique on red chintz spread. The main motifs were images of peahens, stylized human figures, trees, and flowers. The lower part of the curtain could also be decorated with scallops, knitted lace, and also trimmed with other fabric. “In places where the wooden bulkhead in the huts was not developed, the curtain became an important element of home decoration: it is no coincidence that the housewives always deserved its decor.” (“Russian Izba”, pp. 73-74)
Later, a curtain (curtain) was widely used - a short piece of fabric for covering the doorway from the hut to the upper room with a five-walled wall, from the hut to the prirubs, in the cage. The headboards of the beds and the icons in the shrine were decorated with curtains. For curtains, factory-made fabrics were used, mainly chintz, but home-made fabrics, mostly white, decorated with embroidery or printed patterns, were also used.
Until the middle of the 18th century, skylights were very small in size. Volokovye (covered with bovine bladders or thin pork or calf skin) - up to 18-30 cm in height and up to 50 cm in length, and for warmth from the inside they were blocked with a board. “Red windows” (filled with mica, and glazed from the middle of the 18th century) were square - 51 x 51 cm and decorated with platbands. (Tydman L.V., p. 84)
To decorate the walls of the hut on holidays and on days of performing ritual actions, they used the so-called hook or wall - a special towel, which was made of white thin linen canvas with decoration on both ends. (“Russian Izba”, p.93) For the festive decoration of the hut, several hooks were usually used. When they were hung on a hook on the wall near the windows, a complete imitation of curtains appeared. Apparently, it was from hooks that window curtains developed in peasant life - S.Kh. Curtains for windows began to be used only when shutters began to disappear from everyday life. But in the royal chambers and boyar mansions, curtains were used on the windows, quilted on cotton paper as an insulating, but richly decorated surface. At the same time, two or three windows were covered with one curtain. (Sergeeva N.A., p. 18)
In stone mansions there were “window covers” - panels sewn from velvet or satin with drawn thread and silk, which were laid on the windows. (Sergeeva N.A., p. 34) The window covers, as well as the shelf covers, were lined with dye.
The walls in the royal chambers and boyar mansions were covered “flat” with fabric of the same color, less often “checkerboard” and “wedged”. The flat walls could also be covered with ornamented fabric with large-scale patterns. Sometimes the walls were covered with “wedge” or “checkerboard” embossed leather. From the end of the 17th century, the walls were covered with bleached canvas, which was subsequently painted or primed with color. (Sergeeva N.A., pp. 12-13) And since canvas was a fairly cheap product, it could be easily and quickly replaced as needed.
The ceiling, even in rich houses, could be uneven - “through the board one is lower and the other is higher, and from a long time it was quite smoked.” (Tydman L.V., p. 296) It can be assumed that covering the walls, ceiling and floor with fabric was a kind of finishing work that combined both functional and artistic qualities. Cloth or expensive fabrics in the front rooms - “upholstery” - were nailed at the top and bottom to the wall with carpentry tracks (baguette - S.Kh.). The paths were nailed with small nails with wide heads at the point where the fabric came into contact with the wall. Doors were upholstered with fabric, most often it was cloth, which served as surface insulation and contributed to the overall color of the interior. (Sergeeva N.A., p. 14)
Since there were no stoves in the basement - for the most part there were storerooms there, therefore, both the floor and walls were covered with fabrics and carpets to concentrate heat in the living spaces. (Tydman L.V., p. 19) At first, the floor was covered with felt, and then covered with cloth. (Sergeeva N.A., p. 13)
In the royal chambers and in the rooms of rich houses, the floor was covered over wooden boards with cloth, most often green. This custom was known and was preserved in the 17th century in subsequent times. Since wooden floors in the 17th century were made using the “carpenter’s” method - in wealthy houses, longitudinally split logs were hewn on the front side, and in rich ones - from boards of various thicknesses nailed with blacksmith nails, most likely the custom of covering the floor with cloth was used not only as a way to insulate the floor , but also as a way of giving it “plausibility”. (Tydman L.V., p. 201) The floors were covered with carpets on top of the cloth.
Persian carpets were very rare; they were received practically as diplomatic gifts. Therefore, such carpets (they were also called tabletops) were most often used to cover tables, and the floors were covered with them only on special occasions. In private areas, Persian carpets were practically not used, and only in the reception chambers of royal persons they were used quite widely, and even covered the floors “the floor in the queen’s chamber ... was covered with Persian carpets, woven in silk and gold, on which hunters and animals of all kinds were skillfully depicted kind." (Zabelin I.E., p. 157)
In peasant life, carpets as an active way of decorating the interior of a hut began to appear in the second half of the 19th century under the influence of the urban lifestyle. Carpets were mainly made of wool on a hemp, less often linen, base, using the lint-free weaving technique. Traditional patterns typical of Russian weaving in the mid-19th century were geometric motifs. At the end of the 19th century, imitating factory-made carpets, Russian craftsmen began to reproduce floral patterns on carpets. These were mostly double-sided black carpets with very bright and large floral patterns. Flowers on such carpets were depicted quite schematically and generally. In a village house with its rather static decoration, the carpet was used as a covering fabric for chests, benches, beds and rugs, and the walls of a peasant house were also decorated with carpets. “In some villages in Russia, the word carpet was also used to name bedspreads made using a different technique and from other materials. This is how carpets were often called cloths sewn from small multi-colored scraps in the form of rhombuses, circles, squares, and rectangles. Russian peasant women called carpets panels of calico fabric with a thick lining, which they hung on the walls or laid on chests. In Siberia, carpets were sometimes considered to be bear and deer skins placed on the floor, chest or bench.” (“Russian Izba” pp. 80-81)
Decorative fabrics were widely used in the bedding of grand ducal mansions and royal chambers. Excellent artistic quality, handmade blankets, pillowcases, bedspreads and curtains made from gold and silver woven silks, fringed and tasseled, decorated with precious stones and floral motifs. (Sergeeva N.A., p. 26)
In peasant life, bed decoration consisted of numerous blankets. Summer blankets were made of homespun, winter blankets were made of fur, usually sheepskin, sometimes one of the ends of such a blanket formed a bag for the legs, such a blanket was called a dresser, it could be made of either fur or wool. Later blankets began to be made quilted with cotton wool, cloth, fur, and covers for them were made using the patchwork technique. The bed was decorated with embroidered or lace valances, and in the summer a canopy made of sparse homespun was used. Pillowcases were put on top of the pillows, often decorated on one side with embroidery, lace, and purchased ribbons.
Although the tables were covered with carpets, table linen was also available. Tablecloths were made of velvet, satin, damask and embroidered with silk, gold and silver, along the edges, trimmed with fringe and tassels. All of them had abundant ornamentation - “tablecloths or tablecloth columns - looped, embassy, large, medium and small.” In everyday life they used a branik - a tablecloth made of homemade linen or cotton fabric, made using the bran weaving technique. A Kamchatka tablecloth was widespread, made from damask fabric - thin white linen, with a complex white pattern. The slightly convex pattern of plain white and gray tablecloths was created due to the complex interweaving of fabric threads using multi-hemd weaving. In the peasant environment, tablecloths, or as they were also called - tabletops or table tops, were made from homespun, both simple plain weave and made using the technique of bran and multi-shaft weaving. Everyday tablecloths consisted of two stitched stripes of motley with a checkered pattern, or made of canvas. Festive tablecloths were distinguished by higher quality fabric, with lace stitching between the two panels, with tassels, lace or fringe around the perimeter, as well as a pattern on the fabric. “For festive variegated tablecloths, we used threads in brighter and richer tones. Printed tablecloths (white pattern on a blue, less often red and yellow background) were very popular. One of the most common patterns on such tablecloths is the image of cutlery (spoons, forks, knives next to the plates) and various dishes (for example, fish on a plate). Often, floral patterns and images of fairy-tale birds were printed on the fabric for the tablecloth. The same images on white tablecloths were embroidered using different techniques: a geometric pattern was created using braided weaving with red threads on white and white on white. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, a tablecloth could already be laid on the table not only for special occasions, but also constantly.” (“Russian Izba”, pp. 112-114)
It is a completely typical phenomenon for Russian life to decorate the interior with textiles on folk and ritual holidays; it was widely used not only in the interiors of peasant houses. To enhance the emotional perception of the interior on significant holidays and events, additional textile decoration took place in the interiors of the grand ducal chambers. Everyday fabrics were exchanged for more representative ones; the walls were covered with silk and velvet fabrics, axamites, and gold-embroidered satins over cloth. Floors, tables and benches were covered with Persian or Indian carpets.
Textile decoration is a priori the most important interior decoration. And turning to the origins of the use of decorative fabrics in the interior is a completely logical direction, which not only helps in the historical reconstruction of Russian housing, but also in the formation of a certain stylistic, coloristic and figurative structure of the interior
Literature:
1. Russian hut (Interior space, home decoration, furniture, utensils): Illustrated Encyclopedia /Author: D.A. Baranov, O.G. Baranova, L. Madlevskaya and others - St. Petersburg: Art of St. Petersburg, 1999. - 376 pp.: ill.
2. Sergeeva N.A. Fabrics in the artistic system of Russian ceremonial interior (traditions, their modern aspects): Dissertation for the degree of candidate of art history. - M., 1985.- 285 p.
3. Stemparzhetsky A.G. Decorative fabrics in Russian interior. - L.: Gosstroyizdat, 1958. - 66 p.
4. Tydman L.V. Hut, house, palace. - M.: Progress-Tradition, 2000. - 336 p.
5. Zabelin I.E. Home life of Russian queens in the 16th and 17th centuries. - Novosibirsk: Science. Sib. Department, 1992.- 246 p.
6. Dal V.I. Illustrated explanatory dictionary of the Russian language: modern writing. – M.: Astrel: AST, 2006. – 349, [3] p.: ill.
7. Italian and French fabrics in Rus' in the 16th – 18th centuries / V.I. Markova, I.I. Vishnevskaya. - M.: Soviet artist, 1976.- 34 p.: ill.
Types of fastenings for curtains in a wooden house
Curtains in log houses are hung in the same way as in ordinary ones, most often with braid, which is a simple wide ribbon gathered and matching frills. If it is a straight model, then it is attached to the curtain rod using curtain hooks.
Curtains can be assembled on a special tape with loops
Thick curtains can be attached using rings
Curtain materials
Since the lack of light creates heaviness, curtains are expected to be as light as possible. Here you should not place bulky curtains made of heavy fabric, which will take away the coziness of the room. On the contrary, you need to pay attention to something airy.
For example, for tulle you can use organza, veil or tulle mesh with large cells. A good option for decoration would be a muslin curtain, which consists of threads fastened at the top. Options with plastic beads look especially attractive.
When planning to make small night curtains with your own hands, you should give preference to linen and cotton. These fabrics transmit light well and at the same time hide well what is happening inside the apartment.
When decorating a small window, you can use silk, taffeta, satin, jacquard or blackout. The glossy shine of satin will help highlight the individual elements of the curtain. However, its excess will cause the opposite effect.
Choosing a cornice
The cornice is the finishing touch that should not be overlooked. Ready-made curtain rods are available in specialized stores, from home supermarkets to shopping centers. Curtain rods in a wooden house can be of a variety of styles, the main thing is that they match the type of curtains. In wood furnishings, simplicity is the key to a clean and harmonious interior.
Curved cornice for rustic style
Original wrought iron cornice with transparent curtain
About what kind of cornices there are in the video:
Proper window design can have a big impact on the completeness of the design of rooms in a country house. Window treatment with curtains creates a focal point in a room, adds subtle shade to furniture accents, or enhances the natural light in a room.
Fabrics
Country fabrics for curtains are, first of all:
Cotton. Cotton curtains are durable, wear-resistant, moisture and ultraviolet resistant. They harmonize perfectly with other materials. Disadvantages - over time they can turn yellow and shrink, they wrinkle quickly.
Linen. This fabric is made for country style. Advantages: hypoallergenic, environmentally friendly, high strength, resistance to dirt and dust, no shrinkage after washing, beautiful texture, good level of plasticity.Organza. It occupies one of the leading positions in the market of fabrics for the manufacture of window textiles. May be matte or shiny.
Curtain fabrics (jacquard, velvet, silk, matting). Advantages: density, strength, excellent noise and heat insulation properties.
