Home chic: how to add a Victorian touch to your place

What comes to mind when you think about Victorian homes? It’s likely that you think of clutter, of overly decorated homes with mirrors, photograph frames and trinkets taking up every available surface. Or maybe you’re thinking of dark furniture, gloomy interiors and, in short, a dated look? You wouldn’t be alone. There is no need to shy away from Victoriana altogether though, Nell Darby knows how to add a Victorian touch to your home without giving it a cluttered feel.

Adding a touch of Victoriana to your home can make it feel cosy rather than cluttered as long you don’t go overboard. Here’s how to get the balance right.

Affluent Victorian women wanted to be comfortable in their homes. To achieve this they used furniture with plump cushions and brought in rugs and thick, lined curtains to help keep them warm in winter. They also used lamps at different levels to make their parlours and bedrooms warm, bathed in soft light.

There were several popular styles throughout the nineteenth century, many of which took their inspiration from earlier fashions, appropriately enough. Rococo was one, originally an eighteenth century style popularised in France. It incorporated ornate furniture and accessories and was seen as somewhat frivolous by some. In the mid-nineteenth century it enjoyed a renaissance with many women appreciating its extravagant style and incorporating it into their bedrooms.

Rococo furniture was seen as having a social function, and so Victorians would gather several easy chairs and sofas and move them around according to their needs. Comfort was important to the rococo designers, so chairs would have cushioned backs and loose seat cushions.

In Victorian times velvet cushions would be added, probably in the popular colours of dark red or green. Rococo upholstery and cushions sometimes had motifs or patterns of feathers, birds, animals, shells or scrolls.

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Tags: home decoration, Rococo, Victorian, Victoriana

Category: Get a vintage home, Interiors, Pre-1930s, Vintage news