Tips

  • Tip 1. Combine Gzhel with classic, “rustic” or Scandinavian styles
  • Tip 2. Dilute the blue-and-white scale
  • Tip 3. Combine gzhel with motifs of Delft or blue-white Chinese porcelain
  • Tip 4. Keep in mind the feeling of the measure
  • Tip 5. A large Gzhel ornament is appropriate for the walls of a large kitchen, but not for a small  one
  • Tip 6. Blue color is more perfectly combined with natural wood and gilding
  • Tip 7. Combine motifs with other prints on textiles

If you have a collection of Gzhel porcelain, ask yourself if you like this kind of folk craft or if you just want to decorate the interior originally. If so, why not use gzhel as a starting point in creating your kitchen design? After all, its fresh, white-blue scale and beautiful flower or subject painting have a huge decorative potential. On the other hand, putting Gzhel in the interior is not entirely simple, because of its brightness, the “coldness” of the color and the activity of the pattern. Let’s find out how to avoid these mistakes, and what principles need to be followed in decorating the kitchen in Gzhel-style.

Tip 1. Combine Gzhel with classic, “rustic” or Scandinavian style

The motives of Gzhel can look great both in modern kitchens and in classical ones. White and blue flowers, birds and landscapes will create a harmonious effect in the following styles of the interior:

  • Classical;
  • Country or rustic;
  • Russian dacha;
  • Scandinavian interior .

Examples of classical and rustic cuisine in the style of Gzhel

 

Tip 2. Dilute the blue-and-white scale

The blue-and-white kitchen in Gzhel style can look fresh and appealing only if most of the time it is well illuminated by the sun. But even in this case, blue color should not be used in large doses, otherwise the interior will become too gloomy and cold. And if the room is dark and looks out to the north, then the blue color is permissible only as an accent.

However, blue tones can and should be balanced with a lot of white, and also some warm or neutral shades. According to the principles of the colorist, the following colors will perfectly match the cobalt color:

  • Blue;
  • Beige;
  • Green;
  • Brown and all woody hues;
  • Coral;
  • Orange;
  • Yellow (especially lemon and cream shades);
  • Black (in small quantity);
  • Gold and bronze.

If you do not feel confident about the color design of the interior, then apply a win-win scheme: white walls + neutral color floor + a suite with white facades + white furniture + white-blue curtains or one blue / white-blue wall + accessories in gzhel style.

Below is an example of an interior with a more complex color scheme. Here, the designer Eva Bergman supplemented the Gzhel style kitchen with green accents.

Tip 3. Combine gzhel with motifs of Delft or blue-white Chinese porcelain

The closest relatives of Gzhel are white and blue Chinese and Delft porcelain. If desired, these motives can be combined. So, for example, the upholstery of a sofa with Dutch landscapes (in the style of painting of Delft porcelain as in the photo below) will harmoniously coexist with Gzhel cookware on the table.

Tip 4. Remember the feeling of the measure

A picture is bright and self-sufficient, and therefore including it easily overloads the interior. But, using it as an accent, you will achieve an amazing result. Here are a few tips to help you avoid mistakes;

  • Approximately 80% of the surfaces in the kitchen should be monophonic or have an unobtrusive texture.That is, if you want to trim the apron with tiles in Gzhel style, then the kitchen set should be just plain white or blue.
  • Before you begin to repair and design the Gzhel kitchen, it is worth planning its design to the last detail in advance.This way, you will avoid mistakes and be able to come up with interesting combinations of textures, prints and colors.

Do not simultaneously decorate kitchen appliances and accessories such as aprons, curtains, kitchen textiles, dishes, chandeliers, souvenirs and furniture with white and blue hues. It is enough to have dishes on the table, collections of accessories on a decorative shelf and, say, a tile or glass panel in an apron in the Gzhel painting style (pictured).

Tip 5. A large Gzhel ornament is appropriate on the walls of a large kitchen, but not small

If your kitchen is small or narrow , then the measurement figures also need to be known. Wall décor in form of large floral patterns is not desirable here. However, if you choose, you can spare one wall for the wallpaper in the gzhel style, and the rest should be painted white or blue.

Motif gzheli on the wall of the kitchen-living room

 

Tip 6. Blue color is perfectly combined with natural wood and gilding

Trees are warm and natural materials that perfectly complement the coldness of blue. If you want to create an atmosphere of coziness in the kitchen, opting for a wooden floor, table top and / or the furniture will help you achieve this.

Another way to decorate the interior of the blue and white kitchen in the style of Gzhel is to add gold-plated or bronze details. These can be accessories like a kitchen knob , a mixer, a chandelier, candlesticks, vases, dishes and furniture elements as on the photo below.

Tip 7. Combine motifs with other prints on textiles

To make sure Gzhel in the interior of the kitchen does not look boring and obtrusive, add to the layout a few simple and classic prints: peas, cage, diamond or strip. They will look best on curtains, furniture upholstery, pillows, tablecloths and other kitchen textiles. This way, the layout will be more laid-back.

  • In this case, also remember that in a kitchen with solid walls it is permissible to combine two or three different prints, and if the walls or a large fragment of the walls are decorated with a pattern, then you can use textiles of only one or two colors with merely one or two kinds of ornaments (peas, cage or strip).