Welcome to the Victorian home decor style guide where you can see photos of all interiors in the Victorian style including kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, foyers and more.
Victorian Style Interior Examples (by Room)
The following are photo examples of Victorian-style interiors (room-by-room). Below each photo are links that take you to extensive Victorian-style photo galleries for each room. The following examples are from this house (Design by Chango & Co.).
Living Rooms
Source: Factinate
Light and airy living room decorated with gorgeous artworks and a lovely chandelier that hung over the glass top coffee table surrounded by cozy seats. It has a fireplace and glazed windows bringing an abundance of natural light in.
See more Victorian-style living rooms here.
Kitchens
White kitchen contrasted by black dome pendants that hung over a breakfast island that’s lined with woven counter chairs. It has floating shelves and a stainless steel range hood fixed against the marble backsplash.
See more Victorian-style kitchens here.
Dining Rooms
Colorful wall art provides a nice accent in this dining room with cushioned chairs and an oval dining table illuminated by a unique chandelier. It includes a pair of wooden console tables and rectangular mirrors that add perfect symmetry in the room.
See more Victorian-style dining rooms here.
Bedrooms
This primary bedroom showcases a comfy bed and a white tufted lounge chair over a gray area rug. It includes a black and white artwork that hung above the dark wood console table flanked by full-height windows.
See more Victorian-style bedrooms here.
Bathrooms
A printer runner stands out against the white floor and walls mounted with black framed artworks. It is accompanied by a round side table and a freestanding bathtub with chrome fixtures.
See more Victorian-style bathrooms here.
Entry Halls
Victorian foyer illuminated by a wrought iron pendant light that hung from the ornate white ceiling. There’s a metal console table on the side that’s paired with a gorgeous mirror along with a bordered area rug on the opposite side that lays on the natural hardwood flooring.
See more Victorian-style foyers here.
What is a Victorian Style?
Victorian dรฉcor is a classic and gorgeous style that many people are drawn to for their homes. This style features an array of beautiful colors, plenty of attention to ornate details, and skills to create a Victorian-style home that is warm and inviting for your guests. The key to making your Victorian-style work is to create a high-style and a luxurious appearance, even if the items are not actually high-end with a high price tag.
For many homeowners, Victorian interior design may seem out of reach but you do not need a large budget or an old, Victorian house to be able to create Victorian style in your home, you just need to take some and utilize your creativity to form the look and style you are striving towards. The main key to achieving a beautiful Victorian dรฉcor is to make your house look luxurious without the expense of purchasing luxury items. The Victorians learned quickly how to decorate their homes in luxurious style without spending a boat-load of money.
Interior Victorian-Style Features
Prolific pollution and lack of air conditioning in the warmer months inspired some of the dรฉcor styles of the Victorian era which means many darker colors were used for wall-coverings, furniture, and window treatments. For todayโs homeowner attempting to achieve this type of dรฉcor, there are many options that can be used besides flowered wallpaper in dark colors and purple chairs. Here are some of the interior features that will please and inspire your guests when visiting your home that is decked out in Victorian dรฉcor.
The color of paint or design of the wallpaper you use is imperative in creating a Victorian dรฉcor style in your home. When most people think of a Victorian-style home, they think of floral wallpaper, antiques, and deep, rich paint, and furniture colors. Deep crimsons and darker greens were very popular during the Victorian time period since lighter colored walls showed dirt and pollution much easier.
Tapestries and leafy patterns of wallpaper were also popular and featured darker, earthy tones that went along with the Gothic-inspired era. Shades of red, green, and blue were very much in demand as were mood lighting and certain types of flooring.
- Start with the Lighting: The proper lighting is imperative to creating the right mood in your Victorian-style home. The Victorian-era propelled the popularity of owning a Tiffany lamp or sconce. Candles were used in wall sconces which can be created today but with light bulbs instead of flames. Bonus points for homeowners who can score a Tiffany lamp or wall sconce. Chandeliers were also extremely popular during the Victorian era and were installed in dining rooms, entryways, and hallways.
- Wall Coverings are Imperative: To ensure that you will achieve a true look and feel of Victorian style in your home, you can use an array of floral, pastel, or deep shades of paint and wallpaper. You can also use tan or brown-based paint on your walls since earthy tones were also popular during the Victorian era. From mauves to dark blues or a variety of shades of green and brown, you will have many options to choose from when it comes to painting or wallpaper. To add even more Victorian flair to your walls, you can use a gold overlay or simply order Victorian-style wallpaper from a variety of retailers. You will need to decide what will work best in your home for you and your family.
- Window Treatments: When it comes to curtains or drapes for your Victorian era inspired home, you will want to use heavier fabrics that are pleated and hung with gilded curtain rods to achieve the look you are going for. If the curtains are lined with wool or silk, your style will be even more authentic to the time period. Lace was very popular during this era and the most popular colors included pink, white, and gold. The more luxurious-looking, the better.
- The Best Flooring Options: There were several different types of flooring that were most commonly used during the Victorian era, including matting, parquet, tiles, drugget, and broadloom carpeting that was reversible and Venetian. Floorcloths, also known as oilcloths, were also used and are similar to todayโs linoleum.
- All About the Accents: One way, and one of the simplest, to add Victorian style to your home is to use accent pieces with pops of deep, rich colors. Items like a simple throw pillow that is outlined in beads or lace will go a long way in changing up the look and feel of your Victorian design. A statue of a Victorian woman or another piece of Victorian art can also enhance your Victorian dรฉcor. You do not have to spend a fortune on these items as many can be found at your local flea market or a simple visit to your favorite online home-furnishings store.
Exterior Victorian Dรฉcor Features
Victorian architecture is amazing and features dramatic cupolas, looming towers, fancy turrets, rounded porches, and balustrades. One of the most important paths to achieving curb appeal for your Victorian-style home is property maintenance. These gorgeous features must be maintained properly to ensure the beauty of your home will last for many more decades.
Another important and fun factor in achieving great curb appeal for your Victorian-style home is you get to use a variety of paint colors. Most Victorian homes feature at least three different shades or hues of color while others feature as many as nine or ten. Most of the colors that you can use are lighter or medium shades while utilizing the darker shades to feature certain architectural designs of your home.
Furniture is Important to Your Victorian Dรฉcor
Using the correct furniture options for your Victorian-inspired dรฉcor is extremely important to the overall look and feel of your home. Because the Victorian style came about during the Industrial Revolution, furniture was much more plentiful as more and larger pieces could be made quickly. Victorians looked to the past for their inspiration which propelled the use of 18th-century French furniture with rounded edges and scrolls.
The Eastern style of overstuffed furniture in rich colors also became very popular during this time period. To achieve this look, you can check out flea markets, garage sales, and antique shops along with purchasing newer pieces that are created in Victorian style from online shops such as Amazon. Here is a list of some pieces you can purchase online to complete your Victorian dรฉcor.
Furniture of America Gwyneth Victorian Style Padded Fabric Arm Chair, Antique Oak Finish
This gorgeous Gwyneth Victorian-style padded fabric arm-chair by Furniture of America is a perfect piece for your Victorian dรฉcor. It features the patterned fabric that was popular in the Victorian era and was created with a mixture of gold and red threading which is very distinctive to the time period. The curved chair arms and wood turned legs add more luscious detail to this gorgeous chair and a warm, antique oak finish completes the overall look of the piece.
This chair will look great in any Victorian-inspired home. You may also like Pinney House.
ACME AC-0 Sofa, 2Tone Brown PU and Chenille
Every Victorian-style home needs a sofa like this one. A mainstay in Victorian dรฉcor, this particular sofa by ACME is made of chenille. This bonded leather sofa is part of the Dreena collection and comes with five gorgeous accent pillows.
It is created in two tones of brown which is very much in keeping with the Victorian style of using darker, deep earthy tones in the design.
Household Essentials Trunks Standard, Small, Victorian
Many Victorians kept a wooden chest in their homes to store items, such as wool blankets for cold winter nights or keepsakes. This small Victorian-style wooden chest with feet also features two metal ring handles and sits low and wide for easy use. Its hinged lid opens all the way and stays open until you close it to prevent injuries from happening when you are putting items in or taking them out.
It has an aged-wood finish with decorative metal hinges on the corners and top to create a Victorian-era style for your home.
Signature Design by Ashley – Rafferty Traditional Round End Table, Vintage Brown
Great for an entryway or living room, this beautiful Rafferty traditional round end table is part of the Signature Design by Ashley Furniture collection. It is elegant and vintage with a rustic flair, scrolling metal legs, and antiqued finished to create a gorgeous signature piece for your Victorian dรฉcor. Made from wood and metal, this brown table is in keeping with the earth tones that were so popular in the Victorian era.
The decorative metal accents give this table the luxurious feel you will want for your Victorian-inspired home.
ACME Furniture 59390 Sharan Rocking Chair, Cherry
Every Victorian-style home needs a beautiful rocker and this one fits the bill. This Sharon rocking chair by ACME Furniture is the perfect piece to go with your Victorian dรฉcor and can be used in the living room or a bedroom. It comes in Cherry wood which is in line with the earthy tone and elements from the Victorian era.
Chloe Lighting CH33353VR16-TL2 Serenity Tiffany-Style Victorian 2-Light Table Lamp with Shade, 22.4 x 15.7 x 15.7″, Brown/Yellow
The styles of lighting were very important to the Victorians and so was anything Tiffany inspired. This Chloe Tiffany-style Victorian two-light table lamp will demand attention in your Victorian-style home while providing you with lighting in the area of the room you place it in. Not only is it gorgeous, but it is also functional and necessary!
Materials Used to Create Victorian Dรฉcor
Victorian-era designers, and todayโs designers who recreate the style, use many rich materials such as mahogany wood and ivory. They also use an array of rich colors in shades such as forest green, dark reds, and deep shades of blue. Since the Victorians had a more limited color palette to choose from before the process of chemical dying was discovered, todayโs designers and you can use a larger variety of shades in your dรฉcor, such as an array of shades of green, blue, magenta, violet, and raw pink.
Styles that Mix Well with Victorian Style
To honor the Victorian style of your home but to keep it more modern, you can use softer colors and materials than the Victorians used in their day. Using more lace and less velvet and other heavier materials will give your home a Victorian-modern look and feel by combining soft elements with the more dramatic ones. You can even mix pieces of furniture, Victorian and Modern, to give your home a fresh, clean look and feel while still keeping with the Victorian dรฉcor overall.
History of Victorian Interior Design
Victorian interior design was inspired during the Industrial Revolution. The invention of machinery offered an opportunity for middle-class citizens across the country to purchase highly ornate pieces. As the middle class accumulated more wealth, they began to purchase items that once only belonged to the upper class.
This is where the luxury look and feel of the Victorian era came from. These items include things like gorgeous wall sconces, tapestries wallpapers and drapes, and tin ceiling panels. Beautiful furnishings was considered to be a sign of excellent taste for Victorians.
Sparse furnishings became a sign that the home was owned by someone who was a member of the lower class.
Why Victorian Decor is Great for Your Home
Not only is Victorian decor beautiful, but it also honors our ancestors and reminds us of a simpler way of living. The style is elegant and gorgeous while still providing functionality. In today’s world, a Victorian-style can be mixed with a modern look to foster an array of accents, furniture, and colors that can be used in creating a beautiful, warm, and inviting home.
From the pretty pastels to the dramatic, this style of decor is an attention-getter while still creating a comfortable space for you to live in and for guests to visit.