18 Elegant, Victorian-Inspired Dining Room Designs

The Victorian era may have passed more than a century ago, but there are still lessons to be gleaned from the designs of the time. With rooms marked by rich jewel tones, pattern layering and no shortage of wallpaper, there's plenty of inspiration to be found in vintage-inspired spaces — especially for your dining room. Even if you don't sit down for a meal there every night, a formal dining room is a natural place to let your design scheme lean a little, well, formal. And nothing feels as refined or timelessly elegant as a room that reflects Victorian charm. Read on to see how designers today are using these century-old styles in modern spaces.

It’s safe to say that when this space was built in 1886, it boasted neither an oceanic teal ceiling nor a quartet of sculptural magenta chairs. That said, its spectacular molding and period-appropriate mirror, chandelier and sideboard look right at home with a few well-chosen young roommates.

Oversized, unapologetically romantic floral prints are a hallmark of Victorian style; in this modernized space, a strategically moody wallpaper updates the look. A bubble chandelier floating and sleek dining set introduce elements of contrast to the blowsy roses behind them.

The dining room in this 1890s Gothic Revival feels steeped in history — because it is. The original millwork and coffered ceiling was restored with rich stain and the leaded glass doors on the built-ins remain in tact. Overhead, a crystal chandelier sparkles with Victorian elegance.

The heavy window treatments, cut-crystal chandelier, mercury glass wall and original fireplace in this generously sized dining room are all congruent with traditional Victorian style. The organic color scheme casts those classics in a new, more contemporary light.

Homemakers in the 19th century would have gone wild for this vivid wallpaper: Its deep tone echoes the arsenic-based pigments that were all the rage at the time. In the company of a thoroughly modern bubble chandelier, a glass table and lacquered chairs, it’s a knowing wink at the past.

Most of the finishes in this Victorian home's dining room skew modern (like the curved velvet chairs, streamlined wood table and wall art), but the homeowners worked to restore lots of the lost charm in this space. They added decorative trim and an ornate mantel that right at home here. The circa 1900 oak pocket doors were found in the basement!

Many designers relegate look-at-me patterns to smaller spaces like powder rooms — a waste of blooms, one might argue. A dining room can be a modern Victorian jewel box as well, no? Layered florals on the antique dining chairs and wallpapered ceiling add undeniable Victoria-inspired style to this jewel-toned space. The luxurious velvet curtain that separates this space from the living room feels very Victorian, too.

Classically inspired wallpaper and seat silhouettes reference the past in this dining room, while the showstopping, nickel-finish steel drum chandelier blazes into the space like a technological breakthrough. (It’s also a clever echo of the rounded backs on those leather-bound dining chairs.)

This elegant dining room takes traditional Victorian elements like the chair shapes, pendant lighting and floral art and administers contemporary polish; in lieu of intricate wood- and metalwork, the room boasts clean lines and abstract blooms. The Chinoiserie on the table sideboard time travels in the other direction: It was originally popular in European-style interiors in the 17th and 18th centuries.

The stately, pattern-backed chairs, gleaming wallpaper and intricate mirror in this dining room all lend it traditional appeal. The unexpected, rough-hewn concrete mantel and fantastically odd chandelier skew it in a delightfully new direction: Charles Dickens’s Miss Havisham would love this space.

This spacious dining room draws its neo-Victorian appeal from its spectacular floral wallpaper. Opulent accessories like the mirror on the rear wall and the three(!) chandeliers are a generation or two younger, and would be more closely associated with the art deco movement. The dark, rough-hewn beams between the room and the rest of the home, in turn, take the space in a third direction. Isn’t style-hopping grand?

Victorian standards like the damask-slipcovered dining chairs and feminine pendant find unexpected partners in this quirky dining room. A pair of slipcovered chairs soften the head and foot of the dining table, which happens to be … glass? The unexpected combinations are, somehow, just right.

The deep aubergine, russet and olive tones in this dining room make individual appearances in traditional Victorian spaces all over the world. In combination on nearly every surface (and punctuated with modern art on a feature wall), the drama they create is utterly of-the-moment.

Leanne Ford updated this Victorian dining room with her characteristically crisp, monochromatic palette. Instead of jewel tones, the room now boasts white walls and cabinetry. The intricate area rug is the sort of piece one might have originally found in this room; the chandelier situates this space firmly in the 21st century.

The balloon silhouettes and button tufting on these dining chairs situate them squarely in the Victorian tradition, while their pale wood and upholstery fabric tip them in the direction of French country style. Comparatively rough pieces like the iron chandelier (as opposed to a brass pendant) and distressed sideboard create casual contrast with the chairs’ more formal tone.

Traditional blue-and-white scenic paper forms a stylish bridge between the wainscoting on the lower third of this dining room’s walls and the magnificent details on its gleaming white ceiling.