While the term goth may evoke thoughts of sullen teenagers with heavy makeup decked out in black while listening to heavy metal, adult tastes can reflect goth style as well, even in home d cor. Decorating in a goth style doesn't limit you to only black and it doesn't mean resigning yourself to a home that looks like a haunted house. A few well-placed goth accents in a well-put-together room can convey your personal goth tastes without being over the top. Does this Spark an idea?
Furniture Styles
Furniture with ornate detailing works within gothic decorating.
Goth furniture should bring an antique feel to a home. Lots of heavy wood pieces, such as the ornate carvings of Tudor-style furniture or Victorian-era furniture, bring in a goth look. Look for darker wood furniture with lots of detailing. Goth-style seating can borrow from the Victorian era, as well, with lots of plush padding and curves. Try to find seating with materials like velvet or suede. For a more modern furniture style in a goth home, look toward metal or glass pieces instead. Chrome and steel work well within a gothic home. Marble adds a touch of goth to a home, as well. As for goth styles in the bedroom, look for heavy wooden four-poster beds and large armoires.
Color and Lighting
Low lighting and Victorian-style fixtures work well in goth decorating.
Black may seem like the only option, but goth styles often play on deeper jewel tones as well, such as dark reds, greens and purples. With the different subsets of goth that exist, you can even pull off a goth home with pink accents or other pastel colors. To break up some of the darker colors, throw in a few white pieces as well.
Super-bright lighting may go against your goals of a cozy goth home, so consider altering your home's lighting scheme. Use candles to illuminate a room without making it overly bright, or consider installing dimmer switches so that you can adjust the lighting as needed.
Accessories
Dragon figurines are common in many gothic homes.
Skulls and pentagrams only cover one aspect of potential goth d cor. In many cases, goth style borrows heavily from Victorian and medieval periods. Celtic crosses and other elaborate crucifixes fit well into gothic home styles. Dragons and gargoyles make good accent accessories as well. Stick a dragon or two on a mantel or shelf. Many goths incorporate the whimsy of fairies and nymphs into their homes, placing figurines around as decoration. If you enjoy artwork, you may want to look into buying prints of Gothic, Renaissance or medieval-era paintings that match your decorating scheme.
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