Victorian Design Style 101
We define the Victorian era most literally as beginning with Alexandrina Victoria’s coronation as Queen of England in 1837 (Fun fact: Victoria was her last name!) and ending with her death in 1901. More loosely, the time period begins around 1820 and ends at the beginning of World War I in 1914 — and aesthetically, well, that’s a third set of parameters.
Victorian exteriors (like the one above) riffed on Gothic architecture with details borrowed from French, Italian, Tudor and Egyptian traditions, and they boasted components that were fanciful rather than practical. Industrial-revolution innovations made it possible to create intricate decorative elements more cheaply and quickly as the 19th century wore on, and the mass-production of architectural trim meant that even families of limited means could add flourishes to their homes.
Communities across America (and on the other side of the Atlantic, of course) still boast historic beauties like this home, and they’re as easy on the eyes as they were 150 years ago. Floor-to-ceiling, period-appropriate Victorian interiors, on the other hand, make fabulous museums and what we’ll call challenging homes. Want to channel some of the good-gracious-we-can-decorate-everything exuberance of the era with 21st-century creature comforts and aesthetics? Read on for a closer look at quintessential Victoriana and how to make it work for you.
