The good thing about the kitsch style in the interior is that it is accessible to everyone. To decorate the rooms of your home in this style, you do not need to have any special taste, artistic flair, a large budget or a wealth of design experience. It is enough to understand the basic idea of style, which is the opposition to everything classical, standard, artistic, rational and ordinary.
Kitsch seems to ridicule all artistic, “complex” styles, being a kind of caricature; it dresses the interior in bright colors and combines seemingly incompatible decorative elements. But the matter does not end with the color palette and decor; pieces of furniture and the layout of the room as a whole can be very unusual.
Kitsch style in the interior
How it all began...
It originated at the end of the 19th century, when kitsch literally translated from German: “vulgarity,” “hack,” “bad taste”) was the name for things that were designed to imitate antiques and luxury items in the homes of wealthy people. It was with the advent of this seemingly simple idea, to bring culture into every home, even in such a cheaper version, that a new design direction began to emerge, which very soon became massively popular. The combination of incongruous things has become a new trend and a conscious choice, as a rule, of creative and extraordinary people who wanted and could afford to invite guests to a house where, on the rough brick walls, in close proximity hang reproductions of paintings by Rafael Santi and works by Andy Warhol, as if so and it is necessary, but the acid-colored sofa and the ancient trellis a la Rococo are located half a meter from each other.
Is this kitsch?
Kitsch in the interior is easy to recognize precisely by the strange, chaotic mix of what absolutely should not be nearby. So, if pop art welcomes plastic and excludes hand-made, boho is entirely woven from natural materials and does not accept modernity in any form, shabby chic consists of aged things in pastel colors, and bright colors will completely destroy its idea and charm, then kitsch - this is a blue hand-embroidered pillow on a red plastic chair under a painting by a Renaissance artist hanging on a log wall...
Based on this, it’s easy to guess that kitsch has practically no strict rules. A kind of triumph of tastelessness is the only and defining concept to designate it.
Kitsch style today
The main features of modern kitsch include: the absence of rules in interior design, the presence of a huge number of objects that are incompatible with each other either in color or style; disharmony of colors and shades, the presence of fakes of luxury, cheap materials mistaken for rarity, excess decor. Colors should not just be saturated, but piercingly bright. The more attributes of a beautiful life are collected in one room, the better. Modern designers have conventionally divided this style into three directions, depending on its purpose and method of execution:
- The lumpen style, born of poverty, combines old sofas, sagging armchairs, and shabby chairs that look like they were brought from a landfill. Lamp posts, street benches, road signs, and cheap decorative elements are acceptable in this direction. The poverty of the design is diluted with bright, rich, positive colors.
- The pseudo-luxury trend is characterized as a combination of wealth and lack of taste. Defiant gilding with plastic stucco, a fur carpet on marble, neon lighting of antique columns are quite compatible things for this style. Complete disregard for harmony is his hallmark.
- Designer kitsch is vibrant art for art's sake. This style trend is a kind of meaningful and thoughtful parody that clearly demonstrates contempt for generally accepted rules and canons. Only a true master of his craft can create kitsch in the interior without bringing it to the point of absurdity.
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Characteristic features of the style
Nevertheless, even in such a contradictory style, several inherent features can be identified:
- disharmony in design colors, shapes and materials. For example, the use of matte muted colors along with acidic, intense ones; the use of classic or standard furniture together with futuristic furniture; wood or stone along with glossy plastic.
- In decoration, furniture and decor there are obvious signs of different interior styles.
- The items on display range from very old to modern and trendy.
- Imitation of everything that can be imitated - “marbled” linoleum, “crystal” glass chandelier, “leather” sofa, actually covered with dermantine, plastic wall panels “like wood”, artificial “animal skin”, gilded polyurethane friezes, etc. . P.
Kitsch color scheme
The interior is dominated by bright colors and shades: red, rich pink, light green, bright yellow, rich purple, piercing blue, and a contrasting combination of bright colors is ideal for kitsch style: black and white, yellow and red, green and pink . Pastel shades have no place here. For this style, a combination of colors that are difficult to combine in other styles, for example, purple and pink, bright blue and scarlet, is acceptable. The principle of using a color palette in the kitsch style is “the brighter and more contrasting, the better.” There are no incompatible shades or prints here.
Tips for choosing kitsch furniture
Furnishing a room in kitsch style is at the same time the easiest and most difficult task. There are absolutely no principles or requirements for choosing furniture. It can come in different styles, shapes and sizes. Furniture can be made from absolutely any materials. For example, a completely acceptable combination for a kitsch style could be a table made of glass and chrome and an antique sideboard from the 19th century. The cheapest option is furniture brought from a landfill or pulled out from the attic: sofas of the last century, old folding beds, plastic tables, stools. People who have enough money and do not accept any restrictions in anything can flaunt luxury furniture at their discretion. A kitsch design trend may well recommend a combination of vintage chic armchairs near an electric fireplace. Kitsch furniture should be original: its shape, textile upholstery, inserts made of various materials, its location in the room (a chair in the center of the room, a low table instead of a bed, mugs instead of flower pots) may be unusual.
Living room
When decorating a living room in a kitsch style, do not be afraid of bright, rich colors and shades. Red, purple, orange, green, pink - all those colors that immediately catch your eye. The walls can be painted, any design can be drawn on them, and for cladding in this style it is very appropriate to use records, newspapers, magazines, and road signs. Kitsch is personal expression, so don’t be afraid to be individual and unique. You can use an elite sofa as furniture; furniture of different shades and colors will look great. A fireplace, which can be either ancient or modern, will add a touch of romance and comfort. You can decorate the living room with a mirror in a beautiful frame, paintings, crafts, and cute trinkets.
Apartment interior in kitsch style – best photo ideas
In order for you to be able to create your own personal project for your home in the kitsch style, we invite you to consider the best photo ideas for new items of 2019-2020, where you can appreciate all the superiority of this interesting style.
Video gallery of apartment design in kitsch style
Furniture
Kitsch design is a parody not only of a beautiful life, but also of screaming poverty. The interior includes furniture from a landfill, polyethylene curtains, and handmade partitions (for example, from scraps of plastic pipes).
It is distinguished by kitsch and the presence of bright furniture. The dark surface of the walls will be diluted with chairs in pink, orange and green, and cabinets in all shades of the rainbow. For a bright room, furniture in rich dark shades is ideal: marsh, brown or dark blue.
If we talk about materials, then it is better not to use furniture made of wood in the interior of an apartment or house - it is more suitable for a cafe. In the living room or children's room, you should use transparent plastic tables. You can decorate them with colored vases with artificial flowers. Furniture with imitation gilding will fit perfectly into this style. By the way, it should not only be unusual, but also as functional as possible. Another feature: items must be of different shapes, styles, sizes. A glass table and grandma’s old sideboard can coexist in one room.
Features of kitsch style
Only real professionals can create real kitsch, because decorating the interior in bright, flashy colors and sketching out a lot of objects of different colors and styles without any logic - it will be really bad taste. While kitsch is art. Kitsch has an internal integrity that can only be realized by an experienced specialist. How to decorate a room so that it matches the full interior style?
- Light. It is difficult to identify any principle in interior lighting in the kitsch style. There should be several light sources. Of course, this is natural lighting, which should be sufficient, however, here, too, various options are possible. It is in this style that narrow Gothic windows on which blinds are installed are acceptable. Chandeliers and sconces in various styles are perfect. For a budget option, a simple light bulb is suitable.
- Ceiling. For such an extraordinary style, an original stretch ceiling is perfect, for example, a bright glossy stretch ceiling or photo printing on it. The kitsch style has no boundaries, so you can safely experiment when decorating your interior. Bright unusual designs on the ceiling of various shapes will be a wonderful decoration.
- Walls. This could be plaster, painting, or wallpaper. In addition to plain walls decorated with accessories, the following techniques are used: each wall is painted in its own bright color; using vinyl records, road signs, newspapers, magazines instead of wallpaper; painting walls with bright caricatures; decoration of brick walls in loft style; careless painting of walls with drips and stains.
- Floors. Everything in kitsch should catch the eye. Therefore, the floor can be either rich, monochromatic, or with an abundance of patterns and ornaments. An option with imitation of unplaned boards and cracks is also acceptable. Laminate of any colors, shapes and textures will allow your imagination to run wild. Floors can be ceramic or wood. Bright linoleum can be adjacent to a marble floor area. The floor should be as visible as possible.
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