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Home » Interior Design Styles » 9 Best Victorian Interior Design Ideas To Beautify Your Home

Victorial Interior Design

Interior design may have evolved through the generations to accommodate man’s need to harmoniously comply with technology. However, ask any interior designer what they find most appealing and they will tell you it’s Victorian design.

The perfect combination of elegance and modernism incorporated into an attractive design style is all that anybody wants. The Victorian decor features antiques alongside modern minimalist style and gothic artwork. It is where fantasy meets class and throws a party to celebrate the industrial revolution.

The Victorian era featured some of the best historic artwork known to man but it also birthed several crown moldings and jewel tones in the house for panache. Now, even though the 19th century and Victorian era may have passed us by a long time ago, the classic Victorian architecture and interior design trends remain a coveted form of displaying opulence.

Today, we will take some time to talk about the different decorative arts and furniture styles, along with William Morris’s ideas on textiles and upholstery to see if we can fuse Victorian interior design ideas in your home.

Read also – 10 Most Popular Types of Interior Design Styles

victorian interior design

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9 Best Victorian Interior Design Ideas for Your Home:

To profess this, we want to first tell you that a Victorian house doesn’t necessarily need to be a reminder of the industrial revolution. You can easily fuse Victorian decor with minimalism or contemporary motifs for a modern Victorian feel.

1. Choose the color palette

The first thing in any interior decoration is the color palette.

For Victorian decor, however, it begins with the wallpaper. This era featured everything from gothic damask to bold colors tied together with golden hues. You can choose the wall coverings that best suit your style though.

For instance, using jewel tones for paint colors and woodwork for furniture styles can work wonders. Add some paintings and Victorian decor to tie the place together.

Just remember, Victorian homes are all about elegance so maintain a balance between bold colors and home décor. The result should look sophisticated so don’t overuse anything.

Read also – Mediterranean Interior Design Style

2. Infuse wood paneling and flooring

Do you know the Dado paneling technique? Use it for a Victorian touch to your beautiful home.

Victorian homes almost always install wainscoting to introduce natural wood into the house. This feature adds the brilliance of natural materials, symbolizing the human evolution to live harmoniously in style.

Another excellent choice of using wood in the house is Parquet. The flooring system looks flawless and inspires elegance. It feels like being in Professor Higgins’ home, and we’re Audrey Hepburn.

Read also – Japanese Interior Design

victorian interior design flooring

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3. Midcentury crown moldings

Victorian architecture is big on crown moldings and intricate detailing on walls and ceilings. You won’t find a Victorian home that doesn’t feature at least some amount of precise decorative arts.

You can easily incorporate these features in a modern home or Asian interior design or even a country house. Just craft delicate patterns along the beams and the walls to uphold a higher standard of architecture and interiors. It’s all about the flash that subtly hints at wealth and exquisite taste.

Read also – Mid Century Modern Interior Design

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4. Remember the chandeliers and glass surfaces

If you walk into a Victorian house, you will find mirrors, stained glass panels, and sophisticated chandeliers everywhere.

These reflective surfaces are used to brighten up the house by simply refracting the light from various sources. The chandeliers themselves feature countless bulbs hanging from complex metal and glass structures. If you wish to incorporate these lighting options in a middle-class home, you can always choose the LED chandeliers and inexpensive glass work. They don’t cost a ton but they sure add valor to your Victorian home.

Now for the mirrors, you can hang as many as you want in the parlor, along the rails of the stairwell, in the living room, dining room, or even the bedroom. They don’t have to be very large. Just get some that have a beautiful framework and hang them around the house.

Lastly, you can use stained glass on doorways and cabinets, shower stalls, and even your window panels. All these reflective surfaces allow the light to travel to every corner thus making Victorian design seem so open and expansive.

Read also – Futuristic Interior Design

chandelier in victorian houses

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5. Textiles and window treatments

Textiles play a big part in Victorian interior design. You can transform a home from zero to elegant with simple touches of inexpensive fabric.

Consider the window treatments first. Victorian homes use long and thick window treatments in basic colors. One layer is bunched to the sides to let the light in but there is another layer, usually a velveteen upholstery of a bold color that adds texture to your design scheme.

Speaking of texture, think about the fabrics of sofas and ottomans. In most Victorian homes, their colors coincide with the curtains to die the room together. Be it the sitting room, the dining room, or the bedroom, these textiles add the special zing.

Then there’s the linen. Textiles play an important part in linen too. Victorian homes are all about elegance and opulence therefore, you cannot skim in this area. It’s not just about the look anymore. Silks and fur go a long way into making the space feel beautiful.

Finally, we address the home decorating section wherein you can hang tapestries along the wall around expensive paintings and furniture pieces. They help create a focal point in your room without being too obvious about displaying your wealth.

Read also – 9 Ways To Incorporate Modern Interior Design Style In Your Home

textiles for victorian interior design

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6. Introduce tons of light

If you recall Blair Waldorf’s penthouse home, you will remember how audaciously lit up it throughout the day.

Long, French windows and glass panels allow tons of natural light into Victorian homes, thus making them feel open and clean. The homeowners relish the brightness while enjoying their meals, sitting on the bay window reading a book, or even when they are entertaining guests in the parlor.

Aside from natural light and the chandeliers we discussed earlier, you also need quieter lights for evening entertainment. Accented lighting and yellow hues are best suited for Victorian homes. They feature the focal points with valor while still keeping the ambiance dull for nightfall.

The practice hints at development during the 19th century when people preferred going to bed early, and waking up early to start their day productively. This is the main reason for bright lights during the day and a dull glow at night.

Read also – 20 Best Interior Design Tips To Decorate Your Home

lighting for victorian house

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7. The dining room is not all there is to it

Victorian homes usually feature a dining area where people gather for formal meals. However, more often than not, there is a second breakfast table that requires less pomp and circumstance but always holds the basics in place. A fruit bowl in the center and decorative flowers lining the table greet the homeowners to a lovely day.

Aside from that, you will find a dedicated sitting area where people can read or work, even if they have a home office. It is not classy to lie in bed all day, which is why Victorians preferred sections of the house devoted to practicing elegant sitting positions.

Be careful when you pick out the furniture because it must support good posture.

Read also – 8 Best Creative Dining Room Design Ideas

victorian interior design dining room

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8. Design a classic bathroom

A classic bathroom entails a tub, preferably claw-footed and lined with a curtain rail. They also have elegant sinks with carvings and a mirror on top. The toilet is either separated by a door or placed at a distance from the bathing area.

Victorian bathrooms also have shower stalls that feature metal works all around. Think of the time period and how they installed classic architecture and fixtures wherever possible. Metallic works play a big role in the Victorian style.

If you’re at a loss, just use some DIY objects to beautify the space.

Read also – 14 Best Bathroom Remodeling Ideas

victorian bathroom interior design

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9. Don’t forget living things

Last but definitely not least, Victorian homes are always scattered with living things such as plants and flowers.

You can have long-stem flowers in vases all across the rooms. They can sit in the foyer and the living room, the dining room, even the bedroom. Victorian homeowners are partial to exclusive orchids, Juliet roses, Hydrangeas, Magnolias, and other such varieties.

Accompany these beauties with indoor plants, be it flowering or non-flowering. If you have a balcony, you can grow a small garden, and if you have a backyard, that’s just the cherry on top.

In order to reflect a modern touch of interior design, you can add succulents and rock gardens as well. The opulence of Victorian style is enriched by healthy living, and what is healthier than a source of clean and purified air in your home?

Additionally, these life forms also tend to add a bit of color to the household which only enhances the levels of sophistication. Fresh cut flowers are beautiful to look at and keep the house fragrant.

Read also – 14 Best Living Room Interior Design Ideas

victorian living room design

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Conclusion

If you are still uncertain, you can take a look at Queen Victoria’s room in the palace. It is a perfect combination of Victorian style and minimalism. The color scheme is classy and also reflects her personal style.

Like we said before, Victorian decorating ideas can be incorporated into any theme. You can add Victorian furniture to a dark-themed modern home or infuse it with rustic designs. Anything you want goes as long as it looks classy and clean.

Victorian style does celebrate one very unique point though. Everything in it has significance, they are not a result of mass production. Victorian homes relish in opulence, which means everything has a story behind it that initiates conversation. The Victorian period was big on discovering new things, be it art, literature, socializing, equal rights, design trends, or new horizons of status.

Now that you know, we hope you can inculcate some Victorian touches around your home to make it shine brighter than the northern star.

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