12 Victorian Living Room Ideas to Add Elegance to Any Style
The Victorian era was distinguished by opulent and grand interiors, and it left a rich design legacy that included motifs such as intricate patterns and lush textures. People are craving more colorful and luxurious spaces, so these ideas are once again gaining traction.
Victorian-inspired design in the living room can invite you to create a sophisticated yet cozy space by striking a balance between luxury and coziness. Drawing inspiration from the classic style will open up new possibilities for combining tradition and personal expression. Whether you want to evoke a sense of authenticity in a traditional living room or add depth and luxury to a modern design, Victorian ideas can turn any living room into a haven of beauty.
Even if you do not want to go all-in on Victorian ideas, you can use them to add texture and visual interest to any living room, regardless of style.
Mix in Ornate Furniture
Living rooms in the Victorian era were designed to show off wealth and status, so when it came to furniture and decor, the more ornate the better. With the rise of machine-made rather than hand-built furniture, ornate furniture became cheaper and more accessible to everyone, making it popular everywhere.
To evoke a Victorian aesthetic without overwhelming your living room with tufting and rolled arms, consider blending a few ornate pieces with modern designs for a balanced look. Incorporate a statement armchair with tufted upholstery and pair it with a sleek sofa or a contemporary coffee table. This mix of styles will allow the richness of the Victorian style to stand out and prevent the room from feeling overly formal or outdated. Blending styles will also give your living room more depth and nuance.
Use a Rich Color Palette
Saturated and moody colors are the design darlings of the moment as they were in the Victorian era. Consider using deep colors like hunter green, burgundy, and sapphire blue as the backdrop for other colors, such as using them to color-drench the walls. You can choose several as accent colors by using them on furniture upholstery or on other soft textiles like throw pillows, rugs, and curtains.
To keep your home looking fresh and stylish, try complementing these rich colors with lighter neutrals. Pair them with soft creams, warm beiges, and pale gray on walls or on pieces of furniture to keep the space feeling balanced and open.
Incorporate Wallpaper
Victorian-style wallpaper was known for its intricate patterns and motifs, often in floral, damask, or geometric patterns inspired by nature or Gothic architecture. This wallpaper commonly featured rich colors like deep red, emerald, and navy and sometimes featured metallic accents in gold and silver.
Today, wallpaper is available in an endless variety of colors, styles, and patterns. If you want to evoke a Victorian aesthetic, look for ornate patterns in rich colors and use them in strategic spaces. Even if you don’t want to cover all the walls of your living room, consider installing a high chair rail and wallpapering just the top portion. You can also consider wallpapering the backs of a built-in bookcase or an alcove in your living room.
Use Layered Textiles
Victorian home decor featured lush textiles such as velvet, damask, wool, and chintz. They were used as curtains, upholstery, blankets, and floor coverings.
To adapt these textiles for the modern home, choose luxury fabrics in streamlined styles or pair them with modern furniture. Choose a deep-colored velvet for throw pillows or simple panel-style curtains. To anchor a living room design, add a plush area rug with intricate patterns, or use a decorative chair with a ruffled skirt or an embroidered design. Balancing rich textiles with more modern colors and styles will create an effective interplay and highlight the layered textiles.
Install Decorative Molding
Molding became even more decorative during the Victorian era because carpenters were able to use machine-fabricated pieces, which were less costly and easier to replicate. Molding is an effective way to give your home a more elevated style.
Consider installing crown molding, chair rails, or wainscotting in your living room. You can paint this molding in deep, saturated colors to create a dramatic effect, or go with something more subtle. Painting the molding the same color as the walls adds texture and depth to the walls while simplifying the look. Paint the molding a different color, such as white or off-white, to highlight it and make the room appear more formal.
Incorporate Decorative Lighting
Intricate and elaborate lighting featuring brass and crystal elements was a hallmark in Victorian interiors. Incorporating Victorian-inspired lighting can give even a modern living room a distinctive style. Consider using a central chandelier, wall sconces, or table lamps with stained glass shades to add soft, filtered light to dark corners in your living room.
For maximum effect, place your Victorian-style lighting in key locations. Combine your Victorian-inspired lighting choices with less formal or contemporary lighting designs to harmonize the appearance. Install dimmer switches so that you can adjust the lighting in your living room based on the time of day or mood you want to create.
Choose Victorian-Inspired Accessories
A few carefully chosen Victorian-style pieces can help to elevate a living room without overpowering its design. Focus on pieces that you can put in highly visible locations, such as over the mantle or on the coffee table. Consider decorative pieces such as an ornate brass mirror, vintage picture frames, or a delicate mahogany-encased clock. Porcelain figurines, glass vases, and antique books can all help to elevate the Victorian aesthetic.
Keep your space modern by avoiding cramming knick-knacks onto every surface. By carefully choosing your pieces and switching them up to create new looks or with the seasons, you can keep your living room functional and fresh.
Enhance Fireplace Features
In Victorian homes, fireplaces were gathering places for warmth and cheer. Even today, the fireplace is often the most prominent focal point of modern living rooms. Victorian fireplaces featured decorative mantles and elaborate tilework. You can echo this look by revamping your mantle with more intricate woodwork or creating a tile surround.
If modifying your existing fireplace is not an option, you can decorate your mantle with a large mirror, wall art, a pair of tall but narrow lamps, or a floral arrangement. Whatever you do, make sure the decorative elements enhance the appearance and visibility of the fireplace.
Create a Gallery Wall
Gallery walls are an excellent way to incorporate Victorian style into a modern living room. The Victorians loved to display portraits of family members and decorative paintings in ornate brass and wooden frames. To adapt this look for a modern aesthetic, create a gallery wall that mixes different styles of pictures together, including painting, photography, and digital art. Incorporate artwork with Victorian themes such as botanicals, still life, or landscapes with more modern pieces in both simple and elaborate frames.
Install Built-in Shelving
Built-in shelves are the ideal way to blend modern functionality with Victorian-inspired design. In a Victorian living room, built-in shelves would display a range of objects, including collections, books, vases, and art. If you already have built-in shelves, make the most of them by carefully curating your items, adding more as needed, and arranging them so they look appealing. Include a variety of antiques, such as ceramic figurines, framed art, and greenery. To make the shelving stand out, paint it in bold, deep colors that complement the color scheme of the room.
Even if you cannot add built-in shelves into your living room, you can achieve a similar look by placing freestanding bookcases in strategic locations throughout your space and arranging them as you would built-in shelves.
Use Botannicals
Victorians were fascinated by the outdoor environment, and the more exotic, the better. To bring this element into your living room, consider ways to incorporate lush greenery and florals into the design. Choose romantic plants such as ferns, palms, and ivy, which were popular in Victorian homes. Display them in decorative pots that complement your living room’s style. Terrariums were another favorite of the Victorian era, which are miniature gardens in glass containers. You can also create the look of a terrarium with potted plants topped by glass domes.
Botanical prints, paintings, and textiles were also popular, so incorporating floral fabric touches and wall art with floral and foliage is a way to achieve this look without using live plants. Combining these elements with modern furniture results in a lively, inviting space that honors the Victorian era while remaining contemporary.
Mix in Metallic Accents
Metallic accents are a subtle yet impactful way to bring in Victorian flair. The Victorians embraced gold, brass, and bronze accents in their home design, using them in everything from lighting to accessories. Gold and brass accents are popular right now, making them an easy addition to any modern living room. Incorporate metallic accents into hardware, lighting, and furniture accents. These accents complement both saturated and neutral color schemes.