Classic Victorian homes and interiors bring premium prices in areas such as San Francisco. Decorating the interiors of period”Painted Ladies” or of contemporary reproductions allows a homeowner channel the Victorians’ preference for ornamentation and detail. An inside decorated to reflect the love of domesticity associated with the Victorian era can appeal to home buyers looking for a oasis of calm in a busy and sometimes chaotic world.
Ornate Furniture
Victorians never used a straight line where a curve could suffice. Dark-stained and intricately carved woodwork on seats and sofas created design announcements from practical seating. Since some vintage furniture is too heavy and big for many contemporary spaces, homeowners may find bargains when they hunt for antiques. Substantial armoires and cabinets are focal points at a Victorian inside –provided they will fit in non-Victorian-size accommodations. Combining wicker furniture and bentwood rockers with potted ferns onto a sun porch creates a casual look appropriate to the age –and will raise the market appeal of their house.
Velvets and Chintz
Victorian style engages all of the senses; tactile fabrics like silk or cotton velvets look and feel tender. Scarlet, emerald green and purple–rather all mixed together–create a saturated yet restrained color scheme. Abundant thick cloth can help to absorb noise and recreates the sense of enclosure and comfort associated with the Victorian inside. Chintz covered in traditional cabbage roses is a cloth and pattern usually associated with Victorian decor. Cover walls, windows and beds using an richly detailed cloth, and then set a vase full of legacy roses on the nightstands. Paisley fabric often appears in Victorian decor. The paisley design originated in India, and when British topics brought it back to England from the then British colony, the country embraced it with enthusiasm. Taking the opportunity to pick fabrics which epitomize Victorian style can pay off when the home goes on the market.
Bric-a-Brac
The Victorian passion for collecting and preserving resulted in homes chockablock with domestic and foreign decorations. Citizens returning from the colonies attracted back tropical plants, artifacts and decorative items. Ottoman rugs and chinoiserie inhabited rooms, together with glass globe lamps, lockets including hair pressed under glass, and Julia Margaret Cameron’s dreamy portraits of young girls. Contemporary homeowners seeking to decorate at the Victorian spirit of”more is more” can find mass-produced decorative items in import stores or vintage items in antique stores. Japanese fans look great on mantelpieces, cheap painted screens split open spaces and kimonos retrofitted as couch throws or cushion covers continue the decorative motif. Layer one kilim rug atop another to make a riot of feel and color underfoot. Brass lamps, decorative sculptures and containers out of India provide a textural contrast to soft velvet cushions and draperies.