About Tiffany Style

“What specifically defines Tiffany style?”

 

History

The philosophy that art should be a way of life became known as the “Tiffany style” due to its association with Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933). Tiffany certainly had the wealth to build and live within his creative fantasies being the son of the famous jewelry business, Tiffany & Co. and also a successful purveyor of fine goods in his own right. He is known as the leader of the Art Nouveau movement that overran the decorative arts and architecture during the late 1880s until the end of WWI, 1918.

 

Art Nouveau was influenced by Japanese art with its whiplash lines, insect, flower and fauna motifs. Tiffany successfully adapted these themes into his home decorative goods causing a sensation with the iconic Dragonfly, Bat and Spider lamps. His floral lamps depict mainly Oriental flower motifs such as the famous Wisteria, Poppy and Cherry Blossom lamps.

 

Description

The Tiffany style was fantasy over the top. A setting out of the Tales of Arabian Nights with a touch of Gothic.  It was cluttered as is typical of Victorian décor with an overlay of the exotic. For example, a fountain in the middle of a room, structural columns ending in glass daffodils supporting a porch roof, lattice partitions hiding stair cases, lots of indoor plants, long stained glass windows with magnolia branches or perched peacocks and stained glass lamps everywhere.  Rooms glittered with gold and silver tiles and colored lights highlighted areas. Tiffany’s decorations brought the outdoors inside and with no expense spared visiting his mansions was a wonderment to experience.

 

Decorating

Although you don’t have to go over the top as Tiffany did to decorate in his style, you can start with a basic Victorian interior and accent with some classic objects to achieve the luxurious Tiffany effect such as Oriental carpets, overstuffed furniture upholstered in velvet, indoor palms, displayed objects of art as iridescent vases and bowls, a peacock stained glass window and a few Tiffany replica lamps such as a Peony floor lamp, a Daffodil hanging lamp and a Dragonfly table lamp.  Refer to coffee table books about Tiffany - they have original interior photos of his mansions.