How to Decorate Your Home in Victorian Style

Maybe it was a movie or an old book that got the idea in your head. Perhaps you want to take your home back in time to a more romantic and beautiful point in history. No matter what the reason, if you are ready to embark on the process of decorating your home in Victorian style it is not going to be as difficult of a job as you may think.

Colors of Victorian Style

Before you begin your shopping, you should have a color set that you are looking for to make sure all the portions of the room you are decorating go together. This is vital. Think of Victorian homes where something obviously doesn't fit. You can't? That's because it is not supposed to happen. The theme is supposed to look as if it was painstakingly put together piece by piece, each a perfect fit.

Most of the colors of this period are light. Don't waste time on pigment if you don't have to. Even though they were available in Victorian times, the style was inspired by classical Greek statues and looks, and therefore is very scarce in using colors, at least not bright ones.

If you are creating a late Victorian look, you can use some darker colors as the second half of the Victorian era did see more rich colors in dining rooms, bedrooms and libraries.

Make it Luxurious

Whatever you choose, think luxury. Victorian style is meant to show off that you appreciate the better things in life and that your furnishings are those better things. In today's world that doesn't mean you have to spend a fortune, just keep your eyes open for items that while affordable look as if they could be priceless.

Wall Decor

Much of what makes Victorian rooms what they are is the way the walls look. From rich, lush curtains around the windows to wallpaper and wall decor there are plenty of places to show off the posh adoration of Victorian style on your walls.

If choosing wallpaper, look for floral scrolled patterns or even paper that looks like a trellis has been covered with flowers in the room.

If you really want to make a statement, consider a William Morris wall tapestry to add a rich and lush accent to the room that brings that time period to life.

Take your Time

The most important thing to keep in mind as you create a Victorian themed room in your home is to take your time. Many people want to rush renovating jobs to completion. Doing this, you may rashly purchase a piece to 'fill a space' and not find the piece that is perfect for that space.

The creation of a Victorian decorated room in your home should be considered a work in progress. Only put a piece in if you know it is the right piece to put in the space. If not, keep looking until you find the right one. It may take longer to complete the project this way, but once you are done it will be a room you are forever in love with.

Want to give your home a touch of elegance? Then see this range of William Morris tapestries including the Tree Of Life tapestry as elegant wall decor. Tom Matherson writes for Worldwide Tapestries which offers a wide selection of wall art for decorating your home.

The Bayeux Tapestry - A Brief History

Certainly one of the most magnificent embroidered works in all of history, the Bayeux Tapestry is 20 inches tall and 230 feet long. Through its many panels, it tells the story of the events surrounding the battle of Hastings, which took place on Oct. 14, 1066.

It was there that the Norman Conquest unfolded. On the one side the Anglo-Saxons, led by Harold Godwinson, recently crowned the King of England. Pitted against his army were the Normans, led by William the Conqueror. Even today, you can tell who is who in the tapestry. The Normans are shown with their heads shaved while the Anglo-Saxons have mustaches.

Amazingly, the Bayeux Tapestry contains the images of more than 600 humans, 35 dogs, some 200 horses, 41 ships, 500 other animals and 2,000 words in Latin.

Technically, the Bayeux Tapestry is not really a tapestry at all. The original was embroidered, not woven. But that doesn't affect its value to historians and art lovers in the least.

The tapestry is believed to have been commissioned by William's half brother, Bishop Odo of Bayeux and was to be displayed in the Bayeux Cathedral to commemorate his brother's bold victory. The tapestry was first mentioned in 1476 in an inventory of the cathedral. Two missing panels are believed to have shown William ascended to the throne of England.

The Bayeux Tapestry remained in the cathedral from more than 400 years, and then little is known of it for the next 300. The masterpiece almost ended its days as a cover for goods on a wagon. During the French Revolution, there was a serious shortage of cloth and a villager remembered there was some old cloth in the church. Lambert Leonard Leforestier saw what was happening and offered his own cloth as a trade for the priceless cathedral tapestry.

At one time, it was believed that Napoleon had used the tapestry to plan his own invasion of England. He had had the Bayeux Tapestry removed from the cathedral at one point and transported to Paris.

A replica of the tapestry is on display at the Museum of Reading in England. The brainchild of Elizabeth Wardle, a skilled embroiderer, she began her effort to reproduce the work after visiting the original in 1885. She felt strongly that England should have its own Bayeux Tapestry.
Thirty-five members of the Leek Embroidery Society completed the replica in a year.

As a nod to the morality of the Victorian era, the Museum of Reading reproduction has a naked figure that is in the original covered with clothing to cover his privates. Otherwise, the two works are almost identical.

Today, the original Bayeux Tapestry has been returned to its rightful home, the Bayeux Cathedral. There, it is proudly displayed in the village of Bayeux in Normandy, France and is open to tourists.

Individual panels and sections of the Bayeux Tapestry have been reproduced for home display as well. Chronicling specific key events within the battle, each tapestry is a faithful reproduction of the original and allows homeowners the chance to not only bring a magnificent work of art into their home, but a piece of European history as well.

Want impressive wall art for your home? Then see this fine collection of the latest tapestry wall hangings for ideas to inspire your imagination. Tom Matherson writes for Worldwide Tapestries where you can find a superb range of medieval tapestries and wall decor and other art tapestries to decorate your home.

by Tom Matherson