Gothic Home Decor: Tips To Bring This Dramatic Look Home
Anticipate seeing more Gothic home decor as Gothic style takes off over the next couple of years. Modern-day Gothic style is so much more than skulls and black wall paint.
According to Trend Book, Gothic style is misunderstood to just mean spooky and niche. Instead, Gothic home decor is intricate and classic, think historic Gothic architecture and design and you begin to get closer to the core idea.
What Are Important Elements of Gothic Home Decor?
While some people focus on the dark and macabre side of gothic home decor, it has a much wider appeal. Gothic home decor does have a classic and yet opulent twist.
This could include dark and moody color palettes, elegant fabric choices, the use of vintage and antique furniture, the love of the unique and unexpected. You can also include elements from Gothic architecture such as pointed arch windows and elaborate molding.
Brief History of the Gothic Style
The Gothic style comes from a Medieval architectural style that was popular between the 12th and 16th centuries. It was defined by features like stained glass, vaulted arches, statuary, intricate tracery work, and ornate decor.
One of the most famous examples of Gothic architecture is the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, and Westminster Abbey in London, England.
This style was once again popularized in the early 1900s in the Victorian era and became known as the Neo-Gothic style.
The Neo-Gothic style became popular in North America in both architecture and interior home design. You can see elements of the modern gothic style in historic Victorian gothic home decor and American gothic home decor.
Gothic Home Decor Ideas
All-encompassing Gothic home decor will not appeal to every person’s taste. But there are elements that everyone can use to make their home just a bit more whimsical and classic.
Moody Color Palette
Utilize a dark and moody color palette for your walls. This does not always have to mean black. Choose a more subtle tone like gray or even green. Deep and cool jewel tones work well in Gothic inspired homes. Some of the best to consider to create the Gothic look are aubergine, deep sapphire, and rich emerald. Add in accents of ruby red and even whimsical pink as desired.
For this look, it looks fitting to paint the molding and the doors a deep color too. Paint them the same color as the walls or choose two deep tones that accent one another.
Or, if you don’t want to paint your entire wall a deep color, paint just your molding a dark color to channel the home decor gothic style in a more modern way.
Luxury Textiles
The use of luxurious textiles is an important feature in gothic home decorating. These include textiles like velvet, satin, furs, silk, tapestries, and brocade. Use these types of fabrics to create wall hangings, curtains, furniture upholstery, and bed coverings.
Notice this bedroom design from Katie Scott Design. They used a luxury fabric to create the dramatic window coverings. They hung the curtains far above the window to create a look of even great luxury.
Wallpaper
Use wallpaper rather than paint to get the same dramatic look that embodies Gothic style home decor. Choose rich florals and damasks for a classic Gothic decor style or choose a more modern but moody hued wallpaper for a modern gothic style.
Buster and Cogdell Builders used a deep gray damask wallpaper to create this classic Gothic style powder room.
Notice also the decorative features including the gothic wall decorations like the wall sconces and the intricate mirror.
Decorative Windows
When you consider Gothic and even Neo-Gothic architecture, one of the most distinct elements is the windows. Lancet and stained glass windows dominate both the churches and houses that feature this style.
You can add actual windows that feature arches and stained glass to your space to complement your other Gothic style decor. Also, you can add decorative elements like pointed arch mirrors or wall decor that exemplifies this style.
Decorative Lighting
Ornate lighting was common in the Neo-Gothic home decor style. Maximalist lighting like crystal and gold chandeliers are common in elegant gothic home decor today. Use one central chandelier with more contemporary home decor to create a modern gothic style or use it with other lighting for a traditional approach.
Be sure to add as much ambient lighting as you can as gothic home style thrives with moody lighting. Don’t forget to utilize candelabras and wall sconces to create a more layered lighting landscape.
Cochrane Design uses a gorgeous crystal chandelier and blends it with other Gothic design elements including the intricate molding, ceiling medallion, and deep and rich blue wall color. These Gothic elements combined with the modern armchairs and the parquet flooring creates a multi-faceted style.
Vintage and Antique Pieces
Modern Gothic style is all about mimicking the style of the past. Therefore, the use of vintage and antique furniture looks right at home in Gothic home decorations. Choose pieces with curves and swirls rather than straight lines for the most authentic looking gothic style furniture.
You don’t need to replace all of your furniture with vintage pieces. Just a few well-placed antique items of dark wood or dark painted furniture will give your room a Gothic feel.
Unique Decor Elements
If you prefer dark gothic home decor you can add in choice elements to your home decor that look interesting rather than kitschy. Think wall art in gilded frames, books, sculptures, taxidermy, and even the odd skull.
Use of Woodwork
Details that are ornate and elaborate wooden molding looks wonderful in gothic designed rooms. This is ideal DIY Gothic home decor because you can add wood molding pieces on the wall and then paint it to make the wall look more intricate and detailed.
If you want to add more historic Gothic style, consider adding faux wooden beams along the ceiling. If you have a vaulted ceiling, it will work all the better for the Gothic style.
Different Styles of Gothic Design
Some common gothic home decor styles include Victorian Gothic home decor, modern Gothic home decor, American Gothic home decor, and Southern Gothic home decor, just to name a few.
Modern Gothic style and Victorian Gothic style are quite different in how they play out in contemporary interior design. While both feature dark and moody color, Modern Gothic style is more minimalistic.
For example, Modern Gothic may use just a few elements of Gothic home decor and mix in other modern elements. Victorian Gothic is more connected to a historic style. This is more maximalist in style and features more elements of classic Gothic home decor.
Incorporating Gothic Style Into Your Home
Gothic home decor is easy to mix with other styles of home decor. This is because it doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing type of style.
Instead, you can just add some Gothic features including dark and moody colors, antique furniture, cozy ambient lighting, and some luxury fabric choices to other home decor styles.
The great thing about Gothic home decor is that it warms up your space in ways that other decor styles lack. This is a valuable addition no matter what your base style is.
There are many misconceptions regarding Gothic home decorating style. One of the most widespread is that this style has to be creepy or overdone.
Instead, anyone can add elements of Gothic home decor and blend them with almost any other style. From the use of luxurious fabrics to beautiful vintage pieces, there is something for everyone to love above Gothic home decor.