Empire Style Interior Design - Guide for Modern Homes

Essential Tips for What Is Empire Style Interior Design?

Empire style interior design emerged in early 19th-century France, a grand and authoritative look created during Napoleon’s reign. Defined by its neoclassical roots, this design movement celebrates imperial power, prestige, and opulence. Drawing deeply from ancient Roman and Egyptian motifs, it combines majestic forms with rich, regal detailing. Furniture and spaces are structured to convey solidity and grandeur, often punctuated by glittering gold accents and bold symmetry. Practically, Empire style communicates both confidence and refinement—qualities that translate well into spaces seeking a sense of history or ceremonial elegance. Its ornate visual language, from eagles to laurel wreaths, still fascinates designers aiming to create environments that are both formal and welcoming. With renewed interest in traditional styles and expressive interiors, Empire design offers a blueprint for rooms that exude impact and memorable sophistication.

• Color Palette

  The typical Empire palette is rich and opulent, often drawing on deep primary tones in combination with metallics. Expect to see rich reds, navy, emerald and black jazzed up by lavish gold or bronze accents. Cream, ivory and soft beige are balancing neutrals that allow vivid hues to pop. Muted olive and slate tones may anchor the room, keeping the overall look stately but never dour. The façade of a color-blocked wall or fabric is set off by the accent of crisp white moldings and trims. In the modern home, designers would probably scale it back a notch or two so that mere mortals can coexist with it. An Empire color scheme is warm enough to establish the setting for exquisite opulence and magnificence.

• Materials & Textures

  Use of precious and heavy fabrics. Mahogany, rosewood and ebony furniture (often lacquered to a high gloss) makes a strong dark statement. Marble surfaces, such as tabletops and mantelpieces, also add to the overall opulence. Gleaming metals (gold leaf, ormolu and bronze on lighting and decorative mounts) Velvet and silk are cherished for drapes and upholstery, adding a tactile dimension to the color scheme. The wood parquet floors, in complex geometric patterns, anchor the room design in timeless elegance. Glass, cut crystal and porcelain knick-knacks can be generously sprinkled around the home. Each material conveys state and wealth, precisely what one desires in spaces where presence matters.

• Furniture & Silhouettes

  Empire furniture is instantly recognizable by the forceful, almost monumental authority of its sculptural design. Chairs, settees and beds are sizeable and often embellished with brass mounts, carvings, or lion’s paw feet. The furniture typically displays straight lines and massive, block-like forms with little tapering. You will not encounter a profusion of delicate ornamentation like cabriole legs, rather columns, animal heads and mythological creatures. Storage pieces such as chests and secretaires have flat fronts and classical proportions, sometimes with inset painted scenes. Seating might have scrolled armrests and tall backs to achieve a throne-like appearance. The silhouette is symmetrical and assertive, providing the rooms with a strong backbone. Even when the style is interpreted for contemporary homes, its telltale lines are always confident and unmistakable.

• Decor & Accessories

  Accessories are unapologetically bold, mirroring the themes of victory and magnificence. The mantles and tabletops are decorated with bold urns, busts and large-scale candleholders. Mirrors in gilded wooden frames and other décor elements help the light circulate more freely. Tapestries and richly embroidered cushions, often with laurel or eagle motifs, also softened the austere lines of Empire furniture. One of the features of a classic interior is the abundance of decorative objects, such as bronze or marble statuettes, mounted crystals, ceremonial sabers or shields. Heavy drapery (swagged and sometimes fringed) not only dresses windows but sharpens the room’s verticals. Wall art is usually neoclassical, with historical scenes or mythic figures and landscapes, in heavy gold frames. Altogether, these finishing touches establish harmony and balance between the courtly display and private retreat.

• Architectural Features

  Empire interiors are supported by classical bones, such as columns, pilasters and cornices. Paired columns often flank doorways and windows, or pediments crown them. Ceilings might have painted medallions and walls are divided into sections by means of wainscots and broad, flat, or raised moldings. Decorative friezes and ceiling roses, often highlighted with gold leaf, further accentuate the style. The fireplace commands attention with its columned surround and intricately carved mantel. Symmetry in the layout and decor details is key for achieving a sense of order, which is so important for an elegant look. Even in an apartment, it is possible to implement some elements of the style through moldings and paint effects.

• Planning & Composition