Victorian Interior Design - Wallpaper, Hardwood and More
Victorian interior design is very distinctive in its look and its feel and it is actually pretty hard to miss once you get exposed to it. We have all seen the pictures of the lady dressed in 1800's clothing holding her umbrella as her special someone helps her into a small rowboat for an afternoon of rowing on the lake. The Victorian interior design concept is extremely popular especially in the New England states of the United States and there are several key elements involved with Victorian interior design that you will need to stick with if you want the true Victorian feel.
History
The Victorian era was started in England and it is usually attached to the reign of Queen Victoria, hence the name Victorian, that was from 1837 to 1901. Queen Victoria had the longest rule in the history of British monarchs and the period of her rule is remembered so fondly because not only was it a time of unmatched peace in England but it was also a time of exciting innovation as the industrial revolution was beginning and fortunes were being made.
The general positive feeling of the period is something that people look at in a very positive light and even those people that never lived during that period find joy and happiness in images from that period. The architecture of the day was grand and Victorian interior design was very busy and could almost be considered clutter today. But it lives on and is preferred by people all over the world.
Stick It on Your Wall
One of the hallmarks of Victorian interior design was wallpaper. Wallpaper has been around since the Roman Empire but it was developed into the form we know now right around the Victorian period. People of means would use wallpaper as a statement that indicated that they could afford to paper their walls in these beautiful colors.
From this notion of wallpaper being a status symbol came the idea that Victorian interior design must include wallpaper. If you are going to start redecorating your home to be in the Victorian interior design motif then you will be hanging wallpaper. If you are not a big fan of wallpaper then you will probably not enjoy a true Victorian interior design concept and you may want to consider collecting Victorian era furniture.
The floors for Victorian interior design are usually well kept, and beautiful, hard wood floors with decorative throw rugs on them. Wall to wall carpeting is not very Victorian and if you have wall to wall carpeting then changing them to hard wood floors should be the first order of business. Circular picture frames, for some reason, are also associated with the Victorian look although the idea of circular picture frames has been around for centuries. All in all a Victorian look is about having means in the 1800's and while it can be a very cluttered theme, it can also be very beautiful.
