I Want That Victorian Look!
What you want: A traditional look that is the result of a medley of influences, including classical, Oriental, Gothic and Italian.
Colors: Victorian style is synonymous with bold color and arresting combinations. Persian blue, deep reds, rich greens, dark plum and wine, terra cotta and darkly stained woods create a warm depth in rooms. If decorating a bedroom, choose from a lighter color spectrum, but keep the juxtaposition of soft blues, soothing greens, pinks and grays striking for maximum effect.
Look for bold colors when designing your room.
Floor: Go with dark, polished hardwoods in your living room and bedroom to capture the flooring trend popular in Victorian England. For kitchens, use flagstone or quarry tile, and linoleum in the bathroom or pantry. To protect your floors and invite a luxurious element into your living space, invest in a quality Oriental or Persian rug with floral or geometric patterns, like the kind found here. When winter's chill is past, switch the rug to a straw mat like jute or sisal to keep feet cool but floors free of scuffs and scratches they would otherwise suffer during summer months.
Lighting: Sundry lighting possibilities were available during the Victorian period and included gas, electric and oil based options. To convey the same historic flavor, sprinkle real candelabras and candelabra style fixtures throughout the home. These are plentiful on the market today, and you can find a lovely variety on Eco-Lights.com for your design needs. Pick fixtures with ornate detail and sporting a silver or bronze finish for the sake of authenticity.
For variety and to brighten traditionally dark Victorian rooms, select table and floor lamps with metal bases finished in iron, brass, copper or silver, or that are formed from china. While silk shades usually topped off these Victorian beauties, they also used linen and parchment alternatives, which are humane and available on the GREENCulture lighting site for compassionate consumers. Crystal accented chandeliers also fit the bill for lavish lighting in your dining room.
Candelabra Table Lamp
Furniture: Victorian furniture is meant to be a focal point in a room, with large proportions, sturdy structures and darkly stained, lustrous woods. Because Victorian furniture is influenced by many previous styles, from Rococo to Gothic, the look can be more eclectic than most traditional styles. However, some stylistic commonalities do occur, such as the prevalent cabriole leg, fluted leg, elaborately carved floral ornamentation and upholstery.
Some furniture pieces have come to represent the Victorian era more than others due to their popularity among home owners of the time. Who wouldn't want to come home to the plush comfort of a settee and recline for a minute or two? Victorians often placed these utterly stylishly, perfectly practical couches below stairs or on floor landing. If you want a more asymmetrical look, you can also use a meridienne, a couch that has uneven arms attached by a slanting back. Pair these sofas with deep-buttoned and balloon-back chairs to complete your seating arrangements and keep friends and family in luxurious comfort.
The multi-purpose armoire also deserves its place in a Victorian room, with doors that can hide linens, plates and clothing or showcase some of your favorite items with the doors left open. Click here to find a great selection of this Victorian staple on our site! And if you like marble, invest in marble-topped tables and chests for simple, timeless elegance that speaks of good taste.
Accents: Wallpaper, wallpaper, wallpaper. Get some, use some. If you want the Victorian look, you need Victorian wall accents. Walls paneled with dados were divided into an upper half and lower half in Victorian England homes. A dark or vibrantly colored paper was applied below the dados, and a patterned paper was placed above. Wealthier families often had gilded patterns on their paper, resulting in a lovely textural display. Paint can be used if you'd rather not use wallpaper, but keep colors livelier in rooms than in the halls.
Finishing touches maintain the Victorian motif of refinement. Place coat and umbrella stands at your front door, hang landscape paintings in frames that gleam with gilt edges and position stately long case clocks with ornate faces along the wall. Reflect Victorian pride in culture and art by installing a piano, supplying a corner with a writing desk or displaying bronzed or alabaster sculptures and busts in your living spaces.
And if you're the crafty sort, indulge in decoupage and let your handiwork add a personal element to your décor.
