Queen Victoria’s reign in England, was from 1837 until her death in 1901. During her reign the most popular style of design would bare her name because of it’s inherent opulence.
Victorian interior design draws it’s style from a number of other design styles, popular before and during Queen Victoria’s crown. Styles like East-lake and it’s beautiful furniture with geometric ornaments, spindles, low relief carvings, and incised lines were designed to be affordable and easy to clean; nevertheless, many of the designs which resulted are artistically complex. Gothic Revival was another design style within Victorian. As industrialisation progressed, Gothic Revival was a reaction against machine production and the appearance of factories . It had is “romantic” influence with a sort of “gingerbread” handmade appearance……never machine made. Even Egyptian Revival had a strong influence, with it’s “exotica” like Turkish and Persian designs, that were often used in carpeting and wall paper.
There are four elements that go into creating a Victorian setting………… The first would be the artists palate or color. Colors used back then were quite “regal” and sophisticated and were often referred to as Tertiary colors, that are those created by mixing equal amounts of primary and secondary colors. Most Victorian homes featured lighter colored walls with richer colors in the dining room and library. Later Victorians turned to deeper tones, which were used to emphasize the importance of a room. In more urban areas, colors like gray, darker green, and a grayer blue were often chosen to minimize the effect of grime and soot from coal dust and stains from gas and oil lamps.
The second would be what we can refer to as Opulence or the excessive display of the upper class and abundance. Strangely enough, ways were found to offer the middle class the same outward display of opulence but in a much more affordable manner. This was done through mass production with less expensive materials. Everything was elaborate and with abundance…….more was better.
The third element were Complex Patterns………Everything in a Victorian home was covered with a pattern or design………..rugs, wallpaper, draperies, linens, sofas, even iron beds had patterns with iron rod throughout the interior of the bed frame. Antique iron beds were actually thought of as being one of the definitive elements used in Victorian design.
The fourth thing to make up the cumulative Victorian sense of design would be Romanticism. If you’re lookng to get a handle on what it is that has kept Victorian Design, one of the more popular schools of design over the years, you need look no farther that Romanticism.luxurious fabrics,sensuously carved furnishings, and layers of luxurious fabrics all help create the atmosphere of romance.
So there you have it……follow these four elements that make up Victorian style and you’ll be not only historically correct, but also Romantically ready……..
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