Last December, I hosted a Christmas party at home. A party that was attended by many of my expat friends, all of them European. My guests loved the whole atmosphere of said party and some commented on my decor. One of them told me she loved the European feel of my home.
Being European myself, I of course knew what she meant, but still spent many weeks reflecting upon it after this event.
I saw the potential for a blog post, and ended up polling my friends for it. Because, you see, in India there is a thing called Western or International style.
The problem, like with many a Western thing in India, is that it is more often than not heavily inspired by American trends. However, the truth is, there is a much different approach to home decor on both side of the Atlantic.
If what you end up picturing at the mention of a Western home is something that involve a lot of white, painted furnitures and splashes of pastels with an overall coordinated set of accents, your inspiration likely comes from an American home.
Ditto if you are picturing big comfortable furnitures, large airy rooms and open plan kitchens. Or if you heard of terms such as Costal theme, or country, or boho, or city chic...
Homes in Europe are on average smaller than the average American homes to begin with. Open plan kitchens aren't as common and themes are something people in Europe aren't going to preoccupy themselves much with.
And while Americans have a love for old painted furnitures (preferably in white or grey), Europeans favour wood tones, even for non-wood furnitures. The inclination to go for an all white decor is far less dominant on that side of the pond.
There is also a marked preference for compact furnitures with simple lines. Bonus if your pieces serve a dual purpose (think hidden storage or dinning table that can expand itself). This probably has to do with the fact homes are smaller.
After quizzing my friends, we came to the conclusion that while furnitures in Europe aren't uncomfortable (far from it) they are favoured for their versatility. There is a tendency accross Europe to look for items that can be shuffled around and not only work well for one room, but can adapt to being later used in another. It seems shuffling your furniture around is a more European thing than it is in the State. Which is why pretty basics are often favourited.
Several of my friends also pointed out that Europeans seem to favour bolder colors when it come to walls and soft furnishing. And almost always in solid colors rather than patterned ones. Think bright splashes of reds, blues, yellows, greens and purples, on throw cushions, curtains and carpets. In general, the lack of statement made by the furniture themselves is more than made up where wall, floor and window decor is concerned.
There is also less concern for what I call the "matchy matchy" look. New pieces of furnitures are made to blend in with what is already there without resorting to painting everything the same shade the way it seems to be now the trend West of the Atlantic.
A friend once told me that the European home decor seems organic and is meant to evolve and grow over the years rather than be a finite picture perfect thing from the start.
Being European, I of course agree to it all. And, yes, my home definitely has a European feel. Living in India, that goes without saying that there are some ethnic touches too. But, the core of my home is and will always be European.
Being European myself, I of course knew what she meant, but still spent many weeks reflecting upon it after this event.
I saw the potential for a blog post, and ended up polling my friends for it. Because, you see, in India there is a thing called Western or International style.
The problem, like with many a Western thing in India, is that it is more often than not heavily inspired by American trends. However, the truth is, there is a much different approach to home decor on both side of the Atlantic.
If what you end up picturing at the mention of a Western home is something that involve a lot of white, painted furnitures and splashes of pastels with an overall coordinated set of accents, your inspiration likely comes from an American home.
Ditto if you are picturing big comfortable furnitures, large airy rooms and open plan kitchens. Or if you heard of terms such as Costal theme, or country, or boho, or city chic...
Homes in Europe are on average smaller than the average American homes to begin with. Open plan kitchens aren't as common and themes are something people in Europe aren't going to preoccupy themselves much with.
And while Americans have a love for old painted furnitures (preferably in white or grey), Europeans favour wood tones, even for non-wood furnitures. The inclination to go for an all white decor is far less dominant on that side of the pond.
There is also a marked preference for compact furnitures with simple lines. Bonus if your pieces serve a dual purpose (think hidden storage or dinning table that can expand itself). This probably has to do with the fact homes are smaller.
After quizzing my friends, we came to the conclusion that while furnitures in Europe aren't uncomfortable (far from it) they are favoured for their versatility. There is a tendency accross Europe to look for items that can be shuffled around and not only work well for one room, but can adapt to being later used in another. It seems shuffling your furniture around is a more European thing than it is in the State. Which is why pretty basics are often favourited.
Several of my friends also pointed out that Europeans seem to favour bolder colors when it come to walls and soft furnishing. And almost always in solid colors rather than patterned ones. Think bright splashes of reds, blues, yellows, greens and purples, on throw cushions, curtains and carpets. In general, the lack of statement made by the furniture themselves is more than made up where wall, floor and window decor is concerned.
There is also less concern for what I call the "matchy matchy" look. New pieces of furnitures are made to blend in with what is already there without resorting to painting everything the same shade the way it seems to be now the trend West of the Atlantic.
A friend once told me that the European home decor seems organic and is meant to evolve and grow over the years rather than be a finite picture perfect thing from the start.
Being European, I of course agree to it all. And, yes, my home definitely has a European feel. Living in India, that goes without saying that there are some ethnic touches too. But, the core of my home is and will always be European.