Victorian decorative arts refers to the style of decorative arts during the Victorian era. The Victorian era is known for its eclectic revival and interpretation of historic styles and the introduction of cross-cultural influences from the middle east and Asia in furniture, fittings, and Interior decoration. In the late Victorian period the Arts and Crafts movement, the aesthetic movement, Anglo-Japanese style, and Art Nouveau style have their beginnings.

Victorian architecture

The term Victorian architecture can refer to one of a number of architectural styles predominantly in the Victorian era. As with the latter, the period of building that it covers may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria after whom it is named.

There are also Folk and Shingle Style Victorian Houses. Please note that the names of architectural styles (as well as their adaptations) varied between countries. Many homes combined the elements of several different styles and are not easily distinguishable as one particular style or another. Highly decorated houses are sometimes called gingerbreadhouses.

Notable Victorian era cities include London, Boston, Richmond, Saint Paul, St. Louis, Louisville, Galveston, San Francisco, Glasgow, Melbourne, Manchester, Mumbai, Pittsburgh and New Orleans.

The South End of Boston is recognized by the National Register of Historic Places as the oldest and largest Victorian neighborhood in the United States.  Old Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky also claims to be the nation's largest Victorian neighborhood.

Richmond, Virginia is home to several large Victorian neighborhoods, the most prominent being The Fan and Church Hill.Church Hill has the distinction of being the place where Patrick Henry gave his famous "Give me liberty or give me death" speech at historic Saint John's church. The Fan is best known locally as Richmond's largest and most 'European' of Richmond's neighborhoods and nationally as the largest contiguous Victorian neighborhood in the United States.

The Distillery District in Toronto contains the largest and best preserved collection of Victorian-era industrial architecture in North America.

The Old West End neighborhood of Toledo, Ohio is recognized as having the largest collection of late Victorian and Edwardian homes in the United States, East of the Mississippi.

Interior decoration and design
Interior decoration and interior design of the Victorian era are noted for orderliness and ornamentation. A house of this period was ideally neatly divided in rooms, with public and private space carefully separated. The Parlor was the most important room in a home and showcase for the homeowners; where guests entertained. A bare room was considered in poor taste, so every surface was filled with objects that reflected the owners interests and aspirations. The dining room was the second most important room in the house. The sideboard was most often the focal point of the dining room and very ornately decorated.

Furniture
There was no one dominant style of furniture in the homes during the Victorian period. Designers used and modified many of styles taken from various time periods in history with Gothic, Tudor, Elizabethan, English Rococo, Neoclassical and others. The Gothic and Rococo revival style were the most common styles to be seen in furniture during this time in history.

Wallpaper
Wallpaper was often made in elaborate floral patterns with primary colors in the backgrounds, such as red, blue and yellow and overprinted with colors of cream and tan. This was followed by Gothic art inspired papers in earth tones with stylized leaf and floral patterns. William Morris was one of the most influential designer of wallpaper and fabrics during the latter half of the Victorian period. Morris was inspired and use of Medieval and Gothic tapestries in his work. Embossed paper were used on ceilings and friezes.

Victorian Decorating For The Modern Home

Victorian decorating style is one that combines antique accessories with modern methods and can really make your house stand out. Whether you have an old Victorian mansion or a new home, you can decorating with a Victorian style by changing small things, for instance painting and hanging vintage accessories to bring some of the Victorian age to your home.

A major component in victorian decorating is what you put on the walls. For this style the room colors make a big difference - you should contemplate putting reds and dark colors and anything with vintage appeal and depending on the particular style many colors either in your wall color or your accessories. Try using an antique style wallpaper and border sets on the walls, or if you want something different go with paint and stenciling. You don't have to get too fancy or spend a lot of money and if you are afraid of a bit of color, merely paint the walls a neutral shade and let the accents in the room do the decorating.

The floor covering can make or break your decor, but if you can not buy new flooring then just use area rugs with a Victorian design. Oriental rugs are perfect for this type of decor and you can buy genuine antique rugs, or reproductions if you are on a budget.

Accessories are key to pulling your Victorian decor together. You'll be surprised at the impact a few alterations can make! Concentrate on buying old photos, artwork and mantle clocks that match your Victorian decor. Be sure to add in plenty of antiques as well as Victorian era curios. Additional touches like vintage fabrics and vases filled with flowers can add that special touch that gives your home a professional look.

You might want to consider light fixtures in terms of both style and type to go with your Victorian decorating style. Given that you are trying to get a Victorian look, you might want to take a look at using old fashioned ceiling lights with lamps with silk fringe shades but remember to pass up anything which is primitive or country looking. Don’t forget to include table lamps as well as wall sconces.

Furniture should be Victorian in style but you don’t have to use genuine antiques. For the sofa especially, you should consider a reproduction. This is because vintage Victorian sofas are very uncomfortable! Wooden pieces like side tables and curio cabinets would look best if you can buy real antiques - the new stuff is just not as beautiful as the old pieces with a rich patina. Always make sure you buy pieces that are in tip top condition.

How you dress your windows are important to your victorian decorating design theme. For a fantastic design in your parlor go with working with layered drapery or velvet curtains or heavy draped curtains with different fabrics. There are a lot of window treatments that can be paired with this design theme, particularly if you match fabrics to your window treatments, but you should avoid contemporary style window coverings.

One decorating area that is frequently overlooked when decorating is the wall space. Even the ugliest walls can be made to look good with great wall decor. Try adding vintage paintings and old photos to create an interesting look to your parlor walls to really bring out the charm of your Victorian Interior Design.

Putting together a perfect Victorian look in your home can be as basic as just buying new decorative accessories or as involved as replacing everything. Either way, working on the details and making sure to coordinate your furniture and decorative accessories will help you achieve a great new Victorian decorating look that you will be proud to claim you accomplished all by yourself!