How to choose curtains for interior in high-tech style

How in the kitchen to decorate the curtains in high-tech style? The short answer is: “No!” Probably, not everyone will be satisfied with such conciseness, for meticulous users it is necessary to present the information in its unfolded form. Let’s start, perhaps, with the basics of the theory of design and try to find out what hi-tech is.

What is high-tech in architecture and design?

Already the very wording of “high-tech curtains” suggests that the questioners do not fully understand what they are talking about. And no wonder: the art history in our school is not taught, but the faceless interiors of typical apartments and the dismal appearance of the panels, in which most of us have grown up, do not contribute to the accumulation of knowledge in the field of design.

The Internet is full of articles, whose authors, to put it mildly, are poorly versed in what they write. It is difficult to blame ordinary citizens for not knowing the peculiarities of architectural styles, when even some interior designers and furniture (or people who call themselves such), confuse the modern style with the modernist direction and pastel colors with bedding.

The high-tech style, immediately after its inception in the 70s of the last century, still retained some democracy, inherited from the aesthetics of industrial design.

But already in the 90-ies the elitism inherent in late modernism, another progenitor of a new style, prevailed. Hi-tech was gradually transformed into a glossy-commercial direction of architecture, whose task was not only and not so much the creation of a comfortable environment saturated with high-tech engineering systems, but the formation of the image of the owner. Customers of such buildings and interiors today are mainly large and rich financial companies, not without reason one of the pillars of postmodernism Charles Jenkins calls the high-tech buildings of recent decades “banking cathedrals.”

The main signs of high-tech style

In our opinion, the characteristic features of hi-tech style in our time are the following:

• Application of high-tech solutions: the latest achievements in the field of building structures, perfect engineering systems, innovative finishing materials.

• Functionality and brevity, in certain situations bordering on extreme minimalism.

• Strict geometric forms, appeal to the creative heritage of constructivism.

• Elements of engineering equipment can be emphasized to the forefront of perception. In the early versions of hi-tech, the ventilation pipes made of galvanized steel and other elements of communications could be deliberately “exposed”. Today it is already irrelevant. A symbol of advanced technology will serve, rather, a glass elevator shaft in the atrium lobby.

• Spaciousness, clear zoning of open “flowing” spaces.

• A complete ban on items of “bourgeois-philistine” design, including the rejection of curtains, curtains and draperies.

• The number of non-functional items, decorative items is limited. Visual accents should be scale-setting, that is, large enough. A good tone is modern painting, sculpture, in a living room – carpets of strict design.

• Furniture is strictly functional, simple in form, but not primitive.

• Natural and artificial light, flowing from the huge windows and thoughtfully arranged lamps.

• Wide use of intelligent systems of “smart home”, integrated with it media devices, multi-zone lighting.

• High quality, the use of modern expensive finishing materials and furniture, emphasizing the elitism of the architectural object. Typical are “honest” materials: glass, metal, natural and artificial stone, valuable wood. Imitation in any form is not allowed. The use of polymeric materials is reduced to the necessary minimum.

Residential interior in high-tech style

The high-tech style is ideal for representative office and public areas, good for hotels, but extremely rare in truly residential spaces. Why is that?

This high-tech, not his parody – very expensive pleasure, not every top manager of a large company can afford it.

Owners of “high-tech” apartments are wealthy people and this, as a rule, is not their only home. Having several houses or apartments, you can afford to experiment with the style of decorating one of the objects.

The room, decorated in a hi-tech style, is difficult and expensive to maintain. It is inadmissible, if on the polished surface there will be an imprint of someone’s finger. A staff of well-trained servants and technical workers must constantly monitor the sterile cleanliness of objects and eliminate “glitches” in the numerous subsystems of the “smart house”.

Refined high-tech interior in its modern reading is extremely effective, but abstractly cold. Such a situation can cause admiration of customers, discipline employees, but live, at least permanently, in the futuristic world of glass, metal and super gadgets can not everyone. The overwhelming majority of people in this situation sooner or later want comfort. High-tech, although it absorbed modern technology – a contemplative style. It is necessary to have an attitude of Zen Buddhist in order not only to open, but also constantly to retain in itself its cosmic image.

Curtains in high-tech style

What should be the curtains for the interior in the style of high-tech? In general terms, we already answered the question: no. Let’s explain in more detail:

First, there is no need to close the curtains with a spectacular view from the panoramic stained glass windows of the penthouse to night New York. View of Fujiyama or the ocean is also good. If from your windows you see a two-meter-high fence of a neighbor from a metal profile or you are afraid that in the evening you will be viewed by the occupants of the opposite panel, hi-tech – not about you. First, look for another home.

Secondly, the use of fabrics for decorative purposes only in this style is not welcome, textiles are appropriate only as upholstery upholstery. Especially in the kitchen, which is the focus of high-tech equipment. However, in the premises in the style of high-tech there are no isolated kitchens at all, there is a single space there.

But what to do, if, for example, at noon it is necessary to obscure the southern windows in order to save themselves from the heat? This is not necessary in high-tech: the selective glass will “cut off” the infrared, thermal part of the sun’s radiation, with the rest will cope with climate control.

But how is the bright light in the visible spectrum missed by the selective glass? Because the glare, reflected from the mirror, polished and simply glossy surfaces, blind the eyes. And here there are high-tech solutions: the glass chameleons darken in a few seconds – they get a level of tinting, sufficient to reduce the brightness of penetrating from the outside light to an acceptable level. Although this is not very necessary, because the automatic sun visor has already taken the appropriate position from the outside.

I really want a curtain

Most likely, the reader has long been tired of our grumbling. User who searches the web
curtains hi-tech, wants to see the curtains in the style of hi-tech, wants high technologies and curtains to them. And spit on our reasoning about the purity of style.

Without bluntness: people who are really able to afford a real high-tech do not read our blog. They are now drinking champagne, admiring from the side of their yacht to the aquamarine waters of the Aegean Sea, and the interior is engaged in a specially hired eminent architect. The specialist himself will figure out how to deal with the windows, and the clients will be sent to agree on a photorealistic 3D picture.

If we still want curtains, we do not have any high-tech and will not. Korean TV with a large screen, home theater, split system and trendy square furniture is not high-tech yet. Let’s reconcile with the facts and call it somehow different, closer to reality. For example, the interior is in a modern style.

Interior in modern style and curtains for him

The definition of “interior in the modern style” can be treated very widely and it’s fine. A vague wording removes from us a heavy duty to observe the refined purity of any of the specific stylistic trends. We can fill it with elements of high-tech, minimalism, avant-garde, Scandinavian style, fusion style and all that we like and can afford.

Absolutely definitely not suitable for such an interior curtains in a flower or with another large plot picture. Any decorative non-functional elements are excluded: all sorts of bandages, garters, tassels and ribbons. Tell you what curtains are suitable for a room decorated in a modern style:

Horizontal blinds

Horizontal blinds are ideal for a modern interior, furnished with minimalist furniture. Do not look at the fact that they are cheap – but stylistically absolutely correspond to the geometry of space. Blinds are better to fasten on the window sashes, it is desirable that their color matches the color of the window frames. If the frames are white, do not use colored or silvery lamellas.

By the way, horizontal blinds are the most convenient and practical type of equipment for window shading: choosing the desired slope angle, we protect ourselves from bright sunlight or strange looks, while not depriving the room of light. Vertical blinds for our case do not fit either the pattern , nor on the proposed texture of the material.

Roller blinds (roller blinds)

It is quite appropriate solution – roller blinds. Fastened at the top of the window frame, in the open state, curled into a thin tube, the roller blinds are not conspicuous and almost invisible.

If the top of the stained glass windows is located just above the main ceiling level, as is often done in modern interiors, the coiled rolls will be visible only if you stand directly under them, lifting your head. For a modern interior, a monophonic or non-contrasting abstract pattern is suitable.

The choice of the roller blind is quite large, we can use a light-transmitting material that is either solid or completely opaque. Due to the horizontal pattern, the roller blinds “day-night” will look good, besides they are quite practical. Care should be taken to select the shade of the curtain, it should not contrast with the color of the window frame.

If we want to introduce high-tech elements into our home, roller blinds should be equipped with automatic opening mechanisms. You can control them from the console, install a light sensor or a programmer.

Roman curtains

Roman blinds are also a good option. Translucent fabric will look, perhaps, more advantageous. This is because the folds form a horizontal pattern on the lumen. Roman blinds do not need to be hung strictly on the window frame, like shutters or roller blinds. Due to the fact that the fabric has folds, the curtain has a volume and will look good at some distance from the window, suspended on a window escarpment closer to the room. Or even on the opening, fixed on the wall above the window. Roman blinds can also be equipped with an automatic folding system.

Straight fabric curtains

In the modern interior will look great and straight fabric curtains. And they are called in the people “curtains in the style of high-tech.” But this is not true, because hi-tech is not curtains, gadgets, furniture or finishing. It is the totality of all elements of the interior that form its stylistic solution.

For a room decorated in a modern style, a monophonic fabric is suitable, the color depends on the overall color of the room. It is better to use a soft material, the folds of which will not crinkle and form a wavy surface. Effectively look like curtains with translucent tulle, but without it, single-layered, are also good. Any decorative elements, only freely flowing fabric are inadmissible.

It is very important to hide the design of the suspension when using curtains in a modern interior. If we do not want to destroy the purity of style, you can not use lambrequins, wall or ceiling cornices. You should choose a tire with hooks of minimum height, which can be hidden in a niche pre-made in a false ceiling. At the stage of manufacturing a niche, it is necessary to provide power supply and the place of installation of the electric motor, if the curtain closing is automatic.

An additional bonus of the hidden location of the tire in the ceiling niche: there you can place a hidden backlight, which will favorably emphasize the noble texture of the fabric.

Combination of different types of curtains

In a modern interior it is quite possible to combine two types of window shading systems: those that are hung on the frame (sash) and closing the opening. Horizontal blinds and roller blinds are perfectly combined with free-hanging textile curtains without tulle. This is both practical and quite aesthetic: the blinds very precisely regulate the amount of light entering the room, while allowing to see what is happening outside, and the fabric softens the rigid geometry of the slats.

We hope that our arguments will prove useful to the adherents of the high-tech style in the interior. Those who have a budget limited, will be able to make the right decision and make a window on their own. Those who are not particularly shy in finance, we recommend that you turn to a good architect or designer, they will offer you the most harmonious interior solutions, take into account your tastes and wishes.