Islamic Interior & House Design

 Ancient civilizations played a major role in the establishment of Islamic interior style. This design style is known for its richness and its immensity. It is also known for the religious connotations it encloses. When you say Islamic house, you say elaborate ornaments, rugs and a lot of rugs, wooden windows. It is also astonishing to which extent the decoration has a cultural and religious significance, and how it is preserved through generations. That way, Muslims’ houses really convey their beliefs, traditions, and culture, making them a comfortable place to which they strongly belong.

 

 1-     Private space

 

Magnificence and grandiosity were and still are the basic components of this design style. However, no matter how much it seems complex and huge, believe it or not, Islamic interior designs always consider privacy as architects always build an inner courtyard that serves as the house’s center. Add to that, a hallway detaches the front door from this courtyard to deter visitors from peeking through the house. Usually, this yard is garnished with a water fountain, making this place a private and family space. Check out this courtyard from the fine artist @studio26artisan, fond of everything related to colors and art!

 

 2. The use of furniture according to tradition

 

Back in the old epoch, Islamic style was about throwing cushions here and there around the room to sit. Large trays were used as both tables and trays. Nowadays, this custom isn’t much applied but is still present and considered as a kind of mere decoration. Arches and columns are the Islamic interior design forte as well. They can be found in any room, especially in the entrance and the living room. Arches and columns are actually a result of the Roman influence. Speaking of influences, Syrian Islamic furniture for example is decorated with painted mosaics, while Moroccan traditional furniture is garnished with carved geometric patterns, and has really influenced the Islamic interior design. As for walls and mirrors, wall mirror decor is very common in this style of design. Wall decor for living room has been quite considered in the last few decades in Islamic design, as walls are being decorated in such a way that they become a piece of art or a masterpiece to stare at every time you walk into the room. In this shot from @algedra_doha, an interior and architectural design firm based in Doha, you can get a glance at wall decorations in Islamic houses.

 

 

3. Decoration at Muslim houses

 

According to Islam, Muslims should not have or draw any human or animal figure in their houses. So, Muslims got creative and invented a different form of art of their own, and they called it calligraphy. Calligraphy is a writing style with which they write verses of the Holy Quran and decorate their homes and mosques. Other forms were created as well, a sort of abstract art involving geometric Arabesque shapes. Mosaic is also an important element in Islamic décor style, with all its vibrant colors. If you look up home decorations collections of Islamic interiors, you will probably find all of the above, as they are all adopted in Muslim’s houses. Below is a picture depicting a calligraphy artwork on an easel, created by @elegart, a customized handmade Arabic and English Calligraphy artist.

 

 

 

 

4. Lighting integration

 

In Islamic design, 18^th and 19^th centuries candle lamps are usually used, in addition to traditional lanterns, which are used in Ramadan decoration or the whole year-round. Muslim farmhouse living room decor also uses a lot of light sources in the home decoration style, as shown in the below picture from @aishakhan.arts, a home decor artist, with a focus on Islamic home décor and farmhouse home décor.

 

 

 5. Rugs

 

Rugs are essential in Muslims’ houses, as they pray on rugs on the ground, and they walk barefooted in their house, since, based on their faith, the ground is impure and needed to be cleaned from that impurity. So, they are really a necessity in an Islamic house interior. Muslims do weave rugs as well, Persian and Turkish, known for their quality and aesthetics of Islamic Interior