Queen Victoria's reign represented a stable period for the middle classes.
People's views of the Victorian style of decoration tend to fall into two distinct camps: they either love it or hate it. You may not like it if you are into minimalism, love light and space and abhor clutter. On the other hand, if you are drawn to history and its architecture and are of a nostalgic frame of mind, the Victorian era may be just for you, with its emphasis on comfort and warmth. Queen Victoria reigned from 1837 until 1901. This period marked the time when the British empire was still strong, but signs indicated that the era was coming to an end. You can bring this era to life in your home by choosing Victorian furnishings and styling. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Paint some of your interior walls in deep colors, such as plum red and forest greens. Decorate some of your rooms or just one wall of a room in a rich wallpaper. Look for prints of birds or flowers. If you wallpaper a room, just apply between the dado rail and the skirting board. Use rich faded carpets in the center of the rooms with a polished wood border around the edge.
2. Use rich, heavy fabrics for upholstery and curtains. Buy well-upholstered, plump button-backed chairs. Display several pieces of furniture in your rooms. The Victorians were influenced by several styles, including the Arts and Crafts movement, Gothic and rococo. Use the Gothic style in a library, creating a masculine environment with wooden shelves for the books, dark walls and leather-seated furniture.
3. Decorate a lady's bedroom in rococo style, with ornate fittings, such as mirrors and vanity cases. Use moldings in your decor, particularly ceiling roses. Look for brass or cast iron light fittings. Hang a sampler on the wall.
4. Add other ornate touches to your home. Victorian fireplaces were either wooden or cast iron and often decorated with patterned tiles. Use tiles in private as well as public spaces, such as in hallways. You may be able to find encaustic tiles, that is, tiles that had the pattern baked on in the kiln.
5. Add Victorian-style fittings to your bathroom. Include a roll-top bath with claw feet. Look for ceramic sinks and lavatories with appropriate fittings.
Tags: cast iron, Queen Victoria, some your, tiles that, your home, your rooms
