About Victorian Style

“I am familiar with the term Victorian style but precisely what does that mean?”

 

History

The descriptive term, Victorian, takes its name after England’s Queen Victoria who reigned from 1837 to 1901. It refers to the art and taste of her time which were mainly results of industrialization, mass production and the power and majesty of worldwide acquisition.  It was said the sun never set on Queen Victoria’s Great Britain.

 

Description

The Victorian style is defined as being highly ornamental, massive in design of architecture and furnishings, showcasing rich materials - woods, silks, glass, precious metals, jewels and exotic artifacts from cultures around the world. Victorians loved showiness within formality, splendor, grand décor, carving, excessive adornment, colorful patterns, (12 to 15 in one room), and the displaying of many knick-knacks.  The Victorian style is a successful marriage of both masculine massiveness and grandeur with feminine demur in the curvilinear with elaborate detail and sentimentality.

 

Decorating

If Victorian is your cup of tea, you want to include Oriental carpets, stained glass lamps (introduced in 1890) and windows, travel memorabilia, plant stands and florals, paintings of pastoral scenes, family gatherings with cute pets, cherubs, architectural features and furnishings reminiscent of Classical Greece, sumptuous fabrics.  You want to create an ambiance that is luxurious, stately, colorful, yet delicate and eclectic.  A great example of traditional Victorian interiors is a home decorated for the winter holidays. (See magazines at Christmastime). For further information see my Newsletter: The Art Style that Put Tiffany out of Business.