Victorian Style Interior Design Ideas and Photos of the best interiors for your inspiration

The Victorian style is the pearl of the classics. It originated in the early 19th century in England, combining the most contrasting exotic and new historical design trends.

For all the pretentiousness and atmosphere of the premises, the Victorian mansions remained cozy. This combination was achieved thanks to certain design rules and certain decorative elements.

The history of the emergence and spread of the Victorian style in the interior

The Victorian style was not born by chance at all. This was facilitated by the peak of the maximum flourishing of colonial England. At the same time, many Englishmen were able to climb the career ladder, achieve some success, acquire a fortune and a mansion.

The colonies, which supplied things from different countries, made it possible to bring features of completely different styles and peoples into the dwelling. In addition, by the end of the 19th century, the industrial revolution had already passed and production began to produce mass-consumption goods in large quantities selling for a low price

The era of Queen Victoria’s reign is truly a golden age for England. The austerity of Queen Anna’s style was replaced by luxury and exoticism.

Early period of style development

At the dawn of the Victorian era, Neo-Gothic, neo-Baroque and Neo-Rococo became fashionable. Neo-styles emphasized the wealth and delicate taste of the owner of the mansion. And the decorative items brought from abroad thanks to colonialism hinted at the love of travel of a person living in a house who traveled a lot.

Thanks to automatic machines, elements that repeat the richness of rococo or Baroque began to appear in houses, but at the same time they are much cheaper than the originals. Ceramic dishes resembled porcelain. Papier-mache stucco decorated the ceilings.

Average period

But time has passed and the British are tired of market fakes. Then the artist William Morris, seeking to find harmony between everyday life and art, suggested the manufacture of furniture and finishing materials by hand.

Wallpaper, textiles and tiles with Morris drawings have become very popular. The artist was inspired by nature, so the first ornament embodied on the wallpaper were rose bushes from his garden.

Late period

This round of development of the Victorian style is distinguished by deconstructivism – decomposition into details. The rooms of the houses began to be decorated in different styles. Neo-Gothic reigned in the study, neo-Rococo flourished in the bedrooms, and the spirit of colonialism flourished in the living room.

The difference in styles could be traced not only in the finishing materials and furnishings, but even in the form of furniture. Such a combination of incongruous things under one roof is the brightest sign of the interiors of 19th century England.

Features of the Victorian style in the interior

The owners of the houses of that time seemed afraid to leave the space empty, so they densely filled the rooms with furniture, live plants in tubs and decorative elements. There was always an ornament on the textiles. The walls were decorated with paintings and mirrors decorated in a carved wide baguette.

The style of the era created under Queen Victoria, although it breathes luxury, does not imply fragile refinement. Conversely. It is massive and solid. Therefore, large, impressive items were chosen for him. Chic dressers and wrought-iron chests.

Color solutions

The period of the early Victorian style is characterized by juicy shades of precious metals and stones: ruby, bordeaux and gold necessarily filled any interior. The palette of the middle period is softer and more elegant: from sandy and light beige to dark woody tones.

Deconstructivism returned bright colors to the design. Then shades of azure, blue, green, orange were added to the tones of precious stones.

Wall decoration

In the era of Queen Victoria, wallpaper companies offered customers practical, beautiful and inexpensive options. Bright and patterned variants were popular.

In 1877, Frederick Walton offered the world a new solution: linkrust – the first washable wallpaper. They consisted of three layers: a paper base on which a thick solution of vegetable raw materials was poured, for modeling the ornament, and paint.

The new wallpaper had wear resistance, did not cool and did not heat up, protecting the rooms from humidity or stuffiness. The only disadvantages of linkrust were the high price and the intolerance of low temperatures – the decorative layer cracked. Due to its qualities and external luxury, linkrust is appreciated and used to this day.

Floor and ceiling finishing

The Victorian-style mansion required finishing the floors of the rooms with parquet, and laying light carpets decorated with flowers on top. In corridors and rooms with high humidity, tiles with an overseas pattern were laid instead of parquet.

The ceiling was decorated with exquisite stucco, decorated with cross beams made of expensive wood, caissons.

Today, designers prefer simple and flat ceilings in light colors. Instead of stucco, they are decorated with carvings on the cornices, necessarily of a contrasting shade.

Parquet can be replaced with laminate or linoleum imitating expensive wood.

Fireplace is an important part of English interior

No mansion in the Victorian era existed without a fireplace – the heart of the house. The fireplace symbolized the hearth and comfort. It often stood in several rooms and even in the bathroom, as it served as the only source of heating at home.

The facade of the fireplace was decorated with natural materials: stone and wood. Decorated with carvings or painted with a bright color.

Wood is the basis of finishing

The Victorian style in the interior requires an abundance of untreated wood. After all, in the 19th century, varnish was not used. In addition to parquet on the floor, there were wooden panels for the walls, decorated with frames or patterns. They were placed on top of the wallpaper, covering part of the wall.

Lighting

English mansions were literally filled with light under Queen Victoria. The lighting in the rooms was done point-by-point, as the light of a dim chandelier was not enough for reading or other things. It was complemented by the light of a table lamp or a candlestick. Local lighting is still a characteristic feature of the style today. The chandelier in the center of the ceiling remains more of a formality than the main light source.

At the same time, table lamps with magnificent shades gained popularity in England due to the development of trade. They were made by hand. The figured bases were made of bronze, painted or inlaid with colored glass, ceramics or semi-precious stones. Lampshades were sewn from rich fabrics: silk, velvet, satin. Complemented with fringe with beads and embroidery. So the lighting items in Old England have become a real element of decor.

Decorative elements

The British have long been in the habit of collecting collections – a matter of pride in front of guests. Painted snuffboxes, caskets, porcelain or ceramic figurines, clocks were displayed above the fireplace or on special shelves.

And with the expansion of the market for home decorations, the British reached out to buy them. So the mansion of every wealthy person resembled a museum hall. Mirrors and paintings in carved wide baguettes also served to decorate the house.

But despite the heyday of technological progress, some things did not go out of use. For example, forged candlesticks.

Victorian style in the interior: a modern look

Deciding to breathe into the house the spirit of the British dwelling of the 19th century, you should remember the details:

• The rich stucco and chic chandeliers of that era require high ceilings. In their absence, you need to carefully think over the design so that the interior looks harmonious.
• Dark shades in the decoration and furniture are compensated by wide windows and an abundance of daylight.
• A variety of accessories and collectible elephants look beautiful on a large area of rooms. Accents are placed in a small room with the help of finishing elements, antique lamps, elegant armchairs.
• The mantelpiece is a “showcase” for figurines, souvenirs, photographs.

A Victorian-style house requires special attention to the design of the living room: guests should not be bored, and the owners can clearly show the material condition. Therefore, the room is richly furnished.

Furnishing starts with a fireplace. Everything else is like an appendix to it. Chairs are placed in a semicircle around the fireplace. They add a coffee table, a sofa with a lot of pillows.

The kitchen is not combined with the living room. In the era of Victorian England, this room was considered an exceptionally functional room where guests almost never entered. But today cozy evenings are often held in kitchens, so they pay no less attention to the design than the living room.

Household appliances are not put on display, but are built into niches and closed with cabinet doors. The headset and apron are made of wood. Although there were tiles in the kitchen in the houses of the British, modern designers suggest abandoning it in favor of real parquet or imitation materials.

For a Victorian-style bedroom, you need a wide bed made of expensive woods. The British did it once for a lifetime, often inherited. Bedside tables with lamps are required next to the bed.

The color scheme of the bedroom is bright and warm. In dark colors, floor decoration, curtains and furniture items are allowed. The walls are decorated with hand-painted textile wallpaper. A chest is used for storing things. Built-in wardrobes or wardrobes do not correspond to the spirit of the era.

The bathroom is decorated with light-colored tiles with Oriental ornaments or heraldry plots, adding red and brown accents. The window in the room is decorated with stained glass. The bath itself should be chosen in an elegant shape, preferably on curved legs.

Often, in Victorian bathrooms, a table with drawers and a mirror was placed by the window to prepare for going out in one room. Whether to repeat it in today’s house or not is up to the owners to decide.

The atmosphere of England is in the details. Grandfather clocks and antique lamps with fringe on the lampshades. Cozy fire in the fireplace, chests and sculptures. Ottomans. Potted plants. Forged candlesticks. The elements will add color to the room. You will always want to return to such a house.