The era of the reign of Queen Victoria in the UK is one of the most significant and even revolutionary. The second half of the 19th century was a time of rapid transformations in all spheres of British life, and this could not but be reflected in architecture. Let's talk about what the Victorian style in architecture is, what are its specifics and what variants of it exist.
History of the era
In 1837, the young Queen Victoria ascended the throne. She faced various trials, she was in power for 60 years and was able to make the country prosperous, cultural, civilized. (years - from 1837 to 1901) is not a homogeneous period of history. At this time, there was a rapid development of industry, culture, and the economy. Britain over the years has completely changed its way of life, its mentality. The country becomes one of the most powerful empires in the world, increasing its influence in Asia and Africa. In the last years of Victoria's reign, development slows down, but many of the achievements of that era are still important for modern Britain. was an active propagandist of strict morality, which is perhaps the main sign of this period. She also considered important technical modernization and cultural development. Therefore, it was during this period that the rapid flowering of English literature and architecture falls.
Victorian culture
The features of the period of the reign of Queen Victoria are the absence of wars and the technological boom. The British are becoming quite a wealthy nation, and the growing middle class is the main locomotive of social development. During this period, there is an active development of education, there is such a phenomenon as tourism, a new way of thinking is emerging among the inhabitants of the empire. Following the example of their queen, the British profess strict and conservative moral views, they are abstinent in entertainment and hardworking, and all this is another reason for the country's economic growth. The new worldview becomes the basis for a breakthrough in art. The ideological basis of Victorianism was a fusion of utilitarianism and evangelism. English literature played an important role in culture. C. Dickens, W. Thackeray, K. Doyle, the Bronte sisters are typical authors of that time. The visual concept of the era is embodied by the Pre-Raphaelites. Of particular importance for world architecture is the Victorian style in architecture. The British of that time paid great attention to their home. Therefore, architecture and decorating become a very important part of the new lifestyle.
Common features of Victorian architecture
The term "Victorian style" is trying to designate a huge period of time, which is characterized by strong heterogeneity. Therefore, in a strict architectural sense, there is no such single phenomenon. In the English-speaking countries of that era, eclectic retrospectivism dominated, uniting several similar, but still independent trends. This is the Italian style, neo-Gothic, the style of the period of the Second Empire, the Indo-Saranthian style and other varieties.
The architecture of the Victorian era is imbued with practicality, like all culture, and eclecticism. It has such features as the combination of elements from different historical eras. The buildings were made using a large number of details, rich colors, carvings on the facade. Towers, balconies, friezes, pointed roofs, many windows of various sizes, terraces, high entrances with a porch, an abundance of textures and decor - all this is Victorian.
Periodization of Victorian architecture
The so-called Victorian style in architecture arises as a response to previous eras - Georgianism and the style of Queen Anne, which were distinguished by great rigor and restraint. In the architecture of the times of Queen Victoria, three main periods are traditionally distinguished:
1. Early (1835-1855). This is a period of neo-styles, fascination with historicism. At this time, options appear with the prefix of neo-famous styles such as Gothic, Rococo, Moorish, Byzantine, Chinese.
2. Medium (1855-1870). At this time, the Pre-Raphaelite movement flourished, the work of the artist W. Morris. During this period, there is a return to the value of uniqueness and handmade, as opposed to the earlier period when things of mass production dominated. Once again, individuality is recognized as the main value.
3. Late (1870-1901). This period is also called the Victorian Renaissance. There is a rethinking of the traditions of baroque, gothic. Architects recall the Tudors and use some of the techniques of the 16th century era in new buildings.
Gothic Revival
In the architecture of the whole world, after the era of "great" styles, there was a periodic appeal to one or another tradition of architecture, and England did not escape such "returns". The 19th century, especially its second half, is a time of rethinking and unusual reading of the techniques and solutions of different styles and historical eras. In the 1940s, a neo-Gothic wave swept over. Lancet windows, spiers and turrets, arches in the spirit of the Middle Ages are becoming extremely popular. Moreover, various elements of medieval temples were now actively used to decorate residential and commercial buildings. In England, during the reign of Queen Victoria, many neo-Gothic buildings were erected. The most famous of them are the London Parliament with the famous Big Ben clock tower, the complex of the Royal London Court, which looks like a fabulous medieval palace, and the brightest red brick St. Pancras station. This style was so popular during the Victorian era that the two terms are sometimes synonymous.
Italian Victorianism
The Victorian era is characterized by eclectic architecture that seeks to combine details of different styles and national characteristics. At this time, the Italian style gained popularity, it was especially well manifested in residential architecture, in country houses in the United States. Its main features are a low, wide roof, colonnades, arches, Roman pediments, as well as rich decoration of facades. This style was ideal for the design of cottages, which were built by the middle class in the provinces and suburbs of London.
Second Empire style
French culture and architecture of different periods had a significant impact on world architecture. England could not escape this influence, the 19th century in which became the time of the fascination with the Empire, the so-called Second Empire. Despite the complex relationship between English and French cultures, in the period from 1855 to 1885, the British pay tribute to the architecture of the time of Napoleon III. Mansard roofs, which were considered very functional, as well as high, narrow doors and large curved windows, became the main feature of this style. The style did not last long in England and was mainly used to decorate public buildings and tenement houses.
Queen Anne style
The reign of Queen Anne is the beginning of the 18th century. This was the heyday of the English Baroque, with its passion for wealth and luxurious decor. The architectural masterpieces of that time were rethought in the time of Queen Victoria. The main ideologist of the revival of the style of the time of Queen Anne was the architect Richard Norman Shaw. Through his efforts, many residential buildings appeared in England, which became a real classic of British architecture. These include the Swan House in Chelsea, the first block of flats in the area, a few houses on St. James Street, much of the development in the suburb of Bedford Park, many cottages in different parts of the UK, as well as in New Zealand and India.
Roman style
The Victorian era tried to find new interpretations of the finds of architects of bygone times. At the end of the 19th century, architects remembered the ancient Roman tradition of building temples and castles of the 11th-12th centuries. In Victorian times, brutal stone buildings were mainly created for human habitation or for public needs. Later, Henry Hobson Richardson actively promoted this style in residential construction in the United States. Conciseness, monumentality and integrity became the main features. Solid houses with gray stone towers were very fond of the representatives of the emerging bourgeoisie.
folk style
Folk (folk) Victorian style in architecture has become an organic combination of old cottages for the construction of working families and new technologies at that time. This is how mansions appeared, decorated with wooden siding or wooden tiles (shingles). This style most of all took root and gained enormous distribution in the Emigrants from Britain wanted to build a piece of good old England on the new land, so spacious wooden houses with turrets, balconies, terraces and cornices appeared. Cheap materials made it possible for working-class families to obtain separate houses and approach the middle class in terms of living standards.
Stick
In the Victorian era, especially the later period, architects sought to find new combinations of elements from different styles. So, at the junction of Gothic and the style of the times, a stick appears - a kind of half-timbered construction. Architecture, as the art of combining ancient traditions and new technologies, sought to find new solutions for beautiful and comfortable housing. Stick-style houses were built almost entirely of wood using frame technology. But to simplify and reduce the cost of construction, rack technologies were mainly used. This style is more prevalent in the United States.
Indo-Saracenic style
The architecture of Great Britain not only sought to interpret the styles of European architecture, but also turned its attention to the national traditions of the colonies. So in British India, the Indo-Saracenic style appeared, with the help of which the colonialists wanted to show their continuity in relation to the indigenous rulers of the country. The British are building luxurious palaces-residences, stylized as Mughal buildings. This tradition was eagerly picked up by the local aristocracy, who began to build their palaces in this pseudo-national style. Later, the motifs of Indian and Saracen architecture began to penetrate into residential construction, especially in the cottages for the provincial middle class in Britain and the United States.
Houses and apartments decorated in the Victorian style are reminiscent of the luxurious English castles of the old era. The Victorian style in the interior of modern premises is slightly different from the family palaces of the past, but it remains just as magnificent and delightful.
Sophistication in the design of space came into vogue during the reign of Queen Victoria in England. This woman had excellent taste, and in all her life spheres he was invariably felt.
The bourgeoisie in the second half of the 19th century became rich through colonization, which made it possible for these sections of society to acquire expensive items. Elements of other cultures also influenced the formation of the Victorian style, since the British, who loved to travel around the world, often brought household items purchased from other countries from their trips.
Victorian style can be called a harmonious combination of several interior solutions - classics, rococo and elements of some exotic styles used in China and India.
The main feature of the interior in the Victorian style is a special division of space - each room is decorated in a single style that is clearly maintained, but at the same time a different direction prevails in other rooms. For example, a bedroom is decorated in, an office in the rococo style.
Materials and interior items must necessarily emphasize the high level of wealth of the owner, so designers prefer furniture made of precious woods, luxurious textiles, and antique accessories. The main thing is the high cost and high quality.
People with low and medium incomes often do not have the financial opportunity to create a real Victorian interior in their house or apartment, so such chic and luxury can most often be seen only in the homes of businessmen, politicians, movie stars and show business.
Small spaces simply don't allow for a Victorian setting indoors, as only large apartments and country houses can emphasize true luxury. It is better for owners of small apartments to take a closer look at the classic or design style.
The key elements of interior design in the spirit of the Victorian era include:
- A harmonious combination of quality materials and ancient traditions
- Careful attention to each of the many details
- Windows in the form of arches or made in the style of "Gothic"
- Rectangular doors
- Massive furniture made of precious woods
- Ceiling moldings with ornate patterns
- Pretentiousness of patterns on the cornices
- The predominance of elongated or vertical elements in the interior
- Expensive art canvases in massive expensive frames
- Vintage clock on the walls
- Fireplace located in the center of the living room
- The presence of bookshelves and racks in the interior
- Lots of indoor plants
- Numerous vases, massive ashtrays and stationery sets in the office, antique boxes, poufs, screens, large full-length mirrors framed in luxurious frames
- Curtains, bedspreads and canopies from expensive curtain fabrics
- Lace tulle curtains hanging from windows under heavy curtains
The Victorian style, unlike, for example, from, puts forward clear requirements for the color scheme of the room. The main rule is that colors should be saturated, but absolute harmony, overall balance and complete symmetry should be observed.
Furniture for such an interior is usually selected in brown shades: either dark reddish or light. Other decorative elements should be combined with furniture: if it is light, then interior items are selected in soft pink, lavender, pale almond tones, and if it is dark, then in red-brown.
Luxurious inlay with precious stones, gold, silver or bronze gives the rooms a special chic. Drapery of emerald and ruby color also looks great in the interior.
When creating a Victorian interior for wall decoration, wallpaper or fabric with the following patterns is used:
- Delicate floral patterns
- Strip
- Image of birds and animals
- Bas-relief volumetric ornaments
You can decorate the walls in a modern room with the help of British wallpaper that is popular today, imitating fabric with leafy, floral and berry ornaments.
Another characteristic feature of wall decoration in houses of the Victorian era are special wooden panels with ornaments, which are fixed over the wallpaper at a third or half the height of the wall. In no case should they be covered with a glossy varnish.
The perfect solution is the combination of traditional Scottish plaid with floral ornaments.
The Victorian style uses only high-quality and natural materials, so the best flooring solutions are:
- Natural wood parquet
- Ornamental or patterned tiles
An expensive floor is a sign of a good wealth of the owner, so designers never use cheap materials and simple tiles to decorate it. The patterns on the tiles must be artsy, expensive, so you can use gold embossing.
In the Victorian style, only two ceiling design options are used. The first is painting with ordinary white paint, without any patterns and elements. The second is ornate stucco molding in the English style.
When you mentally transport yourself to the good old England, the first thing that comes to mind is the luxury of the most beautiful old palaces and family castles.
From the history…
The refined Victorian style, which was formed in the second half of the 19th century during the reign of the English Queen Victoria, always emphasizes the excellent aesthetic taste of the owners, as well as their respectability and stability in all areas of life.
It was during the reign of Queen Victoria that the bourgeoisie began to actively grow rich, thanks to the existing colonies and the rapid development of industry, and, as a result, they had a wonderful opportunity to surround themselves with expensive luxury goods. The British began to travel a lot. On numerous trips, they came into contact with various exotic cultures of the East, with pleasure they acquired their favorite ethnic objects of art and everyday life, with which they lovingly decorated their homes in their native land.
As a result, in addition to the classical canons, eclecticism, which is characteristic of the Victorian style, partially combined elements of the exotic (Chinese and Indian style), Gothic and Rococo.
Characteristic features of the style
For the interior in the Victorian style, deconstructivism is considered characteristic: each room is decorated in a certain style. For example, the Gothic style is maintained in the design of the library, and the boudoir (ladies' room) is decorated in the Rococo style.
Decorating, furnishing and furnishing rooms with precious woods and expensive textiles emphasize the status and level of wealth of the owner of a noble house. In a Victorian interior, almost all materials and antique accessories used in decorating rooms cannot be replaced by more economical options. Everything must look expensive and reliable.
Not every person is ready to incur such high expenses for the expensive decoration of his home, but artists, politicians, businessmen and other accomplished people who value antiquity and tradition are happy to give preference to the splendor of the Victorian style:
- an exquisite combination of impeccable quality with ancient traditions;
- vertical, elongated forms of house elements;
- Gothic and arched windows;
- the use of straight and curved lines in the interior;
- massive rectangular doors with a spectacular brass finish;
- heavy furniture made of oak, walnut or mahogany;
- ornate stucco on the ceiling;
- intricately complex patterns on the cornices;
- expensive paintings (landscapes and plot sketches, portraits);
- antique wall clock;
- careful finishing of numerous details.
A granite fireplace, enclosed by a metal fence, is the central, integral part of the living room, which is always a source of pride for the British.
For the Englishman, the book is sacred. Therefore, the presence of a library in the house, a large number of shelves and racks, abundantly filled with books, is also a must.
Also characteristic of the Victorian interior is the abundance of indoor plants, which are usually grouped on the floor in one of the corners of the room. Pots are selected, as a rule, clay, plain, in harmony with the color scheme of the room's decoration.
An abundance of vases, screens, caskets, ottomans, ashtrays made of expensive metals and stones, cabinet sets (pencil and pen holders), full-length mirrors bordered with beautiful frames, like paintings - all this you will surely see in an authentic Victorian interior.
An important role is played by canopies, curtains and bedspreads. The rooms are decorated with the finest curtain fabrics, skillfully draped and decorated with fringe or pom-pom braid. Heavy curtains must be combined with light lace tulle curtains.
Color spectrum
Victorian style always involves harmony, balance and symmetry. In such a house, everything around is permeated with a sense of proportion, despite the simultaneous saturation.
As a rule, furniture is selected either in light brown or dark red-brown shades. And, accordingly, the rest of the decor elements will be selected from pale pink, lilac (lavender), delicate almond tones in the case of light furniture and to red-brown colors for mahogany or oak furniture.
Gilding, inlay with precious stones and metals, as well as drapery in ruby red or emerald green tones give a special sophistication to an expensive interior.
Wall decoration with striped fabric or wallpaper, or with a delicate pattern of blossoming roses, realistically painted animals and birds - all this is an integral part of the Victorian interior. Often the walls are decorated with wallpaper with a complex, unusual ornamental three-dimensional pattern, reminiscent of a bas-relief.
These days, wallpaper made in Britain is very popular, imitating fabric, which depicts maple, oak, birch leaves, ferns, or forest flowers and berries.
Panels made of precious wood are mounted on top of the wallpaper, half the size or a third of the height of the walls of the room. Such panels do not have carvings, but are decorated with elegant ornaments. In no case should the panels be varnished, as a glossy sheen is alien to the Victorian interior.
Pictures with paintings, as a rule, are hung on special rails made of the same type of wood as the panels.
Interestingly, the unusual combination of Scottish plaid with floral patterns fits perfectly into the refined English style.
Floor decoration
Parquet, made of natural wood, is also characteristic of the design of the floor in an English wealthy house. But tiles with an original pattern or ornament can also serve as a floor covering.
The interior of the Victorian era can be described as luxurious, cozy and at the same time restrained and austere. But, undoubtedly, one thing - this style of interior is an expensive pleasure, which only accomplished and respectable people can afford.
A photo
Video
You can see a few more examples of interior design in the Provencal style by watching the video:
Wealthy luxury or clumsy bad taste? Absurd pomposity or a reference example of aristocratic taste? None of the styles of past eras has yet caused such conflicting opinions of the public. Rather "culturological" than "stylistic", the concept of the Victorian style combined all the new architectural trends and manifestations in the interior, which the English-speaking Europe of that era succumbed to.
History of the Victorian style
The beginning of the nineteenth century brought the industrial revolution to Europe and played in favor of class equality. By the ascension to the throne of Queen Victoria, an active modernization of existing architectural styles had developed and reached its climax in England. The excessive splendor of the interiors was a logical consequence of the opportunity to decorate the ascetic life of the working middle class.
Characteristics
- Mix of styles. The era of steam engines provided access to trips to neighboring countries, where everyone got the opportunity to take something out of a foreign culture, the main feature that replaced it at the end of the 19th century.
- pretentiousness. Furniture acquired smooth lines, acquired ornate patterns and engravings. A large number of curls and complex elements decorating a piece of furniture was considered a qualitative sign of good prosperity.
- Ornament. A complex pattern adorned the upholstery, embroidered on curtains and canopies, and loomed on linoleum. The wallpaper of the early "Victorian style" was full of images of flowers and leaves, frilly lines were applied to mirrors, fireplaces and window panes.
- Stucco moldings, sills and cornices. Architectural elements, previously used only in exterior decoration, have become an integral part of the decor of any room.
- Overcrowding. Each room was "littered" with furniture, decor items, figurines and knick-knacks. The sense of proportion in the design of the room was rather the exception to the rule.
Architecture and house designs
The battle "" and "in the architecture of England was short-lived.
After a skirmish that arose between followers of different schools, the churches were given over to gothic decoration, and most of the administrative buildings were overgrown with elements of Greek architecture.
The speed of exterior decoration of buildings was high. Factory decorations lost wear resistance and individuality, but allowed dressing up the country for half a century.
Eclectic retrospectivism
There are two options for emulating architectural styles:
- Retrospectivism is the reproduction of decorative elements of a certain style.
- comes down to mixing several styles within the same building.
Ideas for decor, tirelessly brought to Victorian England from different countries, formed an explosive, but quite attractive mixture with neo-Gothic, which occupied a confident position in British architecture.
neogothic
The fashion for Gothic forms was started in the 18th century by the English Earl Horos Walpole. He used bold solutions for that time in the interior decoration of the house. And the son of the mayor of London, William Backford, is considered the pioneer of neo-Gothic architecture. It was the scandalous fame of his estate with a high octagonal tower that marked the beginning of the active work of the British engineering school on the restoration of the Gothic.
Neo-Gothic received official support from the government only in the middle of the 19th century.
The Palace of Westminster, created on the site of the burned-out building of the British Parliament, was recognized as a model and launched a series of reconstructions throughout England.
Art
The decor of the Victorian era has almost lost its artistic value. Furniture makers, glassblowers and weavers were forced out by cheap factory production. The designers and artists were replaced by a machine tool that quickly stamped out the required number of “decorations”. For half a century, there has been a rapid decline in the priority of high-quality manual work and the depreciation of creative professions.
Figures
- Joseph Paxton. A modest greenhouse engineer created his most ambitious project commissioned by the organizers of the First World Exhibition. "Crystal Palace" surprised the public with the concept of respect for the environment, simple but effective planning and the use of completely unusual materials in the construction.
- Sir Charles Barry. The restored Palace of Westminster, complete with the Big Ben tower, brought fame to the architect and London in the future.
- Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin. The architect became famous thanks to the reconstruction of Nottingham Cathedral and help in the work on the project of the parliament building.
Interior
Merchants bringing souvenirs from different countries to their homes could not in any way suspect that their collecting would turn into a fashion trend. In the photo above, you can clearly see how the houses were reconstructed in the style of Queen Victoria. at first succumbed to neo-gothic changes, more about the gothic style in the interior. Stucco columns and sills grew inside the room, a fireplace was laid out in the living rooms, carved animals and birds began to look from the walls and cabinets. A huge role went to the ornament, which occupied every surface that could be painted. Stained glass, an intricate legacy of the Gothic, did not take root well in residential buildings. Its echoes were occasionally found in the decoration of floor lamps and mirrors, entrance doors, sometimes interior doors.
The painting of glass surfaces with oil paints had nothing to do with stained glass art, but was preserved in everyday life due to demand at the end of the 18th century.
By the middle of the Victorian period, the comfort of the rooms was complemented by rugs and paintings with Indian motifs. Bamboo from the Far East was used in the furniture business, and the range of draperies was replenished with light, dense fabrics from abroad.
Style Features
The eclectic confusion of style still gave rise to some patterns:
- Each room in the house was individually designed and decorated in an original way. In each of them there were decorative neo-Gothic stucco moldings under the ceiling.
- Massiveness was inherent in all key interior items - from the piano to the chandelier. Large items created a feeling of financial reliability of the owner of the house.
- Each element had to carry a drawing or ornament. Their ornateness and complexity served as an indicator of high aesthetics.
- The status was emphasized by the abundance of paintings, figurines and objects of antique value.
- The fireplace and piano were taken out of the Gothic style by the British and chosen in the new interior. The legs of the musical instrument arched bizarrely, and the mantelpiece acquired bizarre decorations.
Color spectrum
There were also trends in the choice of color palette. In the early period of the era, light and delicate in the type of modern, or bold and bright colors were popular. Over time, muted and pale colors began to be considered sophisticated, and the most gloomy tones were already inherited by the Edwardian era.
A Victorian can be accused of ignorance of measure, but never of ignorance of colors.
The "soft" contrast, built on a combination of light woods and colorful wallpapers, was strictly maintained in one scale. Dark and gloomy men's rooms, dressed in dark leather and strict wood of classical forms, have become the standard for the office of bosses and directors in the modern world.
Furniture
The style variety of furniture sets was united only by the presence of smooth, curved elements, patterned carvings and lush upholstery. The verandas of the country estates were decorated with light rattan chairs, the dining rooms were dominated by a massive wooden table and no less massive chairs. Leisure rooms were lined with soft sofas and armchairs upholstered in velvet, silk or leather. Flirty screens were popular with fashionistas, an intricate hat shelf became an obligatory attribute of the hallway .. These could be embossed canvases with a repeating color geometric ornament, images of nature and animals. In a modern design, you can often find wall-mounted wooden panels. This element, like furniture without drapery, is an echo of the classical style, almost supplanted by the then fashion.
Floor decoration
In the decoration of the floors, the townspeople were not so radical. The hitherto unknown curiosity "linoleum" made a splash. The patterns printed on the canvases could be formed into a composition that created the illusion of the absence of seams and the presence of carpets. However, wood has not disappeared from the list of popular flooring and was not even disguised with fabric, as happened in the furniture industry.
Unglazed floor tiles were a characteristic feature of decoration in temples and cathedrals. Rare aesthetes risked laying out the floors in their homes with it.
Video
findings
The concept of contemporaries about the prosperity of the English of the nineteenth century is still different from the vision of the average tradesman who received sudden access to previously inaccessible benefits. An avalanche of novelties engulfed the suddenly wealthy middle class, diminishing its ability to feel the brink of bad taste.
Reenactors and restorers tried to recreate, which is very evident in modern designs of living rooms in private homes. And those adopted in the era of evolution are well displayed in high-tech interiors. Designers use exclusively natural wood, select expensive fabrics, avoid vulgar gilding and excess of decorative elements. There is no favorite linoleum in the reference compositions, the curtains lose the abundance of folds and the feeling of centuries-old heaviness.
The Victorian style in the interior appeared in the UK at the beginning of the 19th century. It combines the most striking historical and exotic styles. Mass production made it available to a large number of people.
The history of the origin and spread of style
The era of Queen Victoria was a golden age for Great Britain.
The development of industry and numerous colonies made it one of the richest powers in the world. The bourgeoisie prospered and wanted to get closer to the aristocratic circle. The puritanical austere style of the Queen Anne era is a thing of the past.
Early Victorian style interiors
Historical and exotic styles have come into fashion.
Neo-Gothic, Neo-Baroque and Neo-Rococo demonstrated the wealth and refined taste of the owner of the house. Moorish, Indian and Chinese alluded to the fact that this man had seen the world and brought out of the way outlandish gizmos.
Machine tools have made available things that used to be the lot of the aristocracy. Baroque papier-mâché carvings and rococo tinplate stucco work appeared in houses. Ceramic services at first sight were difficult to distinguish from porcelain ones.
The middle period of the Victorian style in the interior
In the 50s, the British began to get tired of mass imitations and fakes.
The first interior companies appeared. One of them belonged to William Morris.
His goal was to find a balance between high art and everyday life. He set up manual production of furniture, stained-glass windows and products in the medieval style.
Especially popular were fabrics, wallpapers and tiles based on Morris's drawings.
In his ornaments, he tried to combine Gothic with naturalism and believed that nature is the best source of inspiration. On the first wallpaper, Morris depicted rose bushes from his garden.
At Whitewick Manor, curtains and fireplace trim from the designer's sketches have been preserved.
Late Victorian period: Deconstructivism
Deconstructivism is a decomposition into elements: in a Victorian house, rooms were decorated in different styles. Imagine that your bedroom is neo-rococo, your study is neo-gothic, and your living room is colonial. Different styles were combined even in furniture. The classic back of the chair was complemented by baroque legs. The combination of different historical and exotic styles is the most striking feature of the interior of the Victorian era.
Characteristic features of the style
"Fear of empty space": decorations, furniture and plants completely filled the rooms
The abundance of ornament on the walls, ceiling and furniture upholstery
Pictures in massive carved frames and tapestries
Rich drapery: thick, dark velvet and corduroy curtains
Collections of ashtrays, photographs, porcelain figurines and busts
Color spectrum
During the Victorian era, different color palettes were popular. In the early period, the interior was decorated in rich colors of precious stones. Intense burgundy, ruby, gold:
In the middle period, the interior became more restrained. Preference was given to more elegant colors: from pale sand and beige to shades of dark wood.
In the later period, bright colors came back into fashion. In this living room, an azure fireplace stands out against the backdrop of sand-colored furniture.
Wall decoration
The design of the walls in the time of Queen Victoria was approached in a big way. Factory wallpaper was a practical, inexpensive and beautiful solution. Preference was given to bright colors, with patterns and ornaments. Contrasting paintings in massive wooden frames or tapestries were hung on top.
At the end of the century, the English engineer Walton invented the linkrust. This is a wallpaper consisting of three layers:
- paper base;
- a thick solution of natural ingredients from which a pattern is molded;
- coat of paint
It is these wallpapers that decorate the interior of Buckingham Palace.
These wallpapers look really luxurious, they are used to this day.
Floor decoration
The floor in the era of Queen Victoria was covered with parquet.
Or tiles, if you wanted to embody the colonial exoticism of the East Indies in the mansion. Tiles were commonly laid in corridors, bathrooms and kitchens.
Carpets of light shades with floral patterns were very popular.
Fireplace as an indispensable element of English decor
The heart of a Victorian home is the fireplace. Decorated with natural stone and wood, decorated with carvings, matching the color of furniture and wall upholstery.
And it could stand out with an unusual color scheme or catchy design. These fireplaces are eye catching.
Wood - the main element in the decoration of the room
The Victorian-style interior is filled with wood, always matte. Lacquer was not used in the 19th century.
On top of the wallpaper, the British often applied wooden panels to a third or half of the wall. The panels were made from expensive types of wood and decorated with ornaments.
Victorian style lighting
In the era of Queen Victoria, lampshades and table lamps came to England from France.
The bases of table lamps were smelted from bronze, giving it the intended shape. Then they were painted by hand and made inserts from semi-precious stones, colored glass and ceramics. It turned out to be a real work of art.
Luxurious lampshades were made by hand from silk, satin and velvet. They were decorated with embroidery, fringe and glass beads.
Victorian jewelry and accessories
Every Englishman considered it his duty to collect a collection. Most often, not one. Items of the collection, which were exhibited on the mantelpiece and special racks. It could be: caskets, snuff boxes, porcelain figurines or mantel clocks.
Victorian style in a modern interior
If you decide to embody the dreams of good old Victorian England in your apartment, do not forget a few important points:
- Dark tones in interior decoration ask for large windows and natural light
- Bulky Victorian chandeliers and stucco imply high ceilings
- A large number of accessories look harmoniously on a large area
Remember, the atmosphere is in the details: large outdoor clocks, chests and ottomans, plants in outdoor pots, sculptures and vases. Choose any style popular in 19th century England and feel free to choose accessories for it. Convenient, right?
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