The Victorian Era of the late 1800s typified the aesthetic of romance and embellishment. Nowhere was that more apparent than in the bedroom's decor.
First the Furniture
The Victorian bedroom can feature either the traditional four-poster canopy bed or, for a less-feminine look, a sleigh bed, for example. The Victorian bedroom often featured a dressing table for the lady of the room, complete with mirror and stool, and a highboy or armoire for the gentleman. While antique, Victorian-era furniture is difficult to find and expensive, you can achieve the look with new furnishings, if you are mindful of the color, size and style you choose.
Victorian wood furnishings are almost always dark, as in mahogany, walnut and dark cherry. Accents of brass and porcelain are common. Victorian-style furniture often featured carving or even glued-on designs. In other words, a sleek Art-Deco dresser would be out of place in your Victorian room. Victorian furniture often went from one extreme to the other; beds, armoires and vanities are very large pieces, while bedside tables, lamps, and other decorative furniture are more delicate.
Then the Textiles
Victorian linens, bedspreads and window treatments are often a mixture of different textures, fabrics and patterns.
For the bed: While comforters and quilts are commonly thought of as "Victorian," both were often considered "common," and therefore would have been under the spread or coverlet for extra warmth. Most Victorian beds featured ruffled or lace-trimmed sheets, with velvet or tapestry spreads or coverlets over them. Satins and silks were less common, but were occasionally used for details, such as a silk fringe or border on a velvet or tapestry spread.
For the windows: In the Victorian era, window treatments served to keep the air and light out. Therefore, Victorian-styled window treatments are often layered, with a heavy velvet, tapestry or watered silk drape over a lighter sheer curtain, then over a lace curtain. Dark colors were most often used on the outermost drape, with lighter colors underneath.
Other textiles: Victorian bric-a-brac often showed up in the bedroom in the form of needlepoint or crocheted decorative pillows on the bed; doilies on the tables and other furniture; and even doilies on stools and chairs. Rugs were also common in the Victorian bedroom, and were usually made of cut-wool pile with floral or other designs.
Colors: The Victorian style favored deep, rich colors, like burgundies, dark greens and purples paired with lighter colors. Patterns were often floral, but tapestry patterns and Oriental patterns in rugs were also common.
The Final Touches
No Victorian room is complete without decorative items. In the bedroom, collections of perfume bottles, vanity brush sets, hatpins and other feminine items were common. However, for masculine rooms, use collections of maps or books, for example.
Victorian rooms were often wallpapered. Figured or patterned wallpaper was the most popular, with textures like velvet and gold-leaf common. Don't forget the lighting; soft, diffused light mimics the gas-lighting of the era. Try lamps with dark-colored silk shades, or stained glass lamps.
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