Interior Design News & Articles

Old World Design for Modern Interior Designers

by Melissa Pringle
melissa.pringle@interiordesignschoolreview.com
Interior Design School Review Columnist

Creating a specific look in your home requires the right combination of furniture, wall décor, and small accessories. Interior design schools can teach you how to create romantic, modern, antique, or other types of home interior design. If you’re looking for an Old World look, here are a few ways you can create that interior design look in your home.

Achieving an Old World Home Interior Design

Walls: Old World style walls should be rich in color and design. You can cover your walls with floral or gilded paper, or stencil a pattern of various colors over neutral background paint. If you don’t want intricate patterns on your walls, choose a heavy color, such as deep forest green or rich burgundy.

Furniture: Heavy, ornate furniture can help create an Old World style. Look for tables with carved designs on the legs or tabletop. If you have a lot of books, buy bookshelves of the same height and design, then line them up side-by-side along the walls to give the room a library feel.

Decorations: Heavily decorated accessories and wall hangings can create an Old World-style home interior design. Choose picture or mirror frames that are thick and heavy, with colors such as deep wood brown, black, or gold. Display intricately decorated plates on the wall or in china cabinets. Choose accessories with ornate designs, such as lamp stands that are gold or carved into beautiful designs.

Learning at Interior Design Schools

If you want more tips on designing various room styles, or if you want to be a professional interior designer, consider attending an interior design class at one of the many home interior design schools across the country. Interior design schools offer classes that can teach you how to create the perfect home interior for your house and the houses of your design clients.

Sources

Stylish Solutions: What You Can Do About a Coffee Table… and Answers to Other Decorating Dilemmas (New York: Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 1998)
301 Decorating Projects and Ideas. (Des Moines, Iowa: Meredith Books, 2004).

About the Author

Melissa Pringle loves bookshelves and ornate china, and hopes to one day have an Old World style library in her home.