Country Victorian-Style Houses

Background

• Queen Victoria reigned in the British Empire from 1837 to 1901, and during that time much changed in the style of architecture and interiors. Mass production meant that goods were more available. The new upwardly mobile middle class was eager to buy gadgets of the time that would make their lives easier and their homes more fashionable, such as pastry cutters, jelly molds, an early version of the automatic tea maker, gas bath warmers and mangles.

Architecture

• The Victorians borrowed heavily from other architectural eras, reproducing Gothic and Rococo styles in their designs. Each country house was built to its owner's whims and fancies and often looked like an eclectic mishmash of architectural styles. Typical Victorian features were small red bricks, often in Flemish patterns, which had become mass-produced, and bay and decorative stained glass windows. As there was no electricity, each room typically had a fireplace, and so the roofs of these homes had multiple chimneys.

Fabrics, Wallpapers and Paints

• Fabrics and wallpapers in Victorian country homes tended to be heavily patterned, often depicting flora and fauna. Although the Arts & Crafts movement was an attempt to get away from the overly embellished Victorian look, designers like William Morris, were popular with Victorian homeowners. His wallpaper designs were favored, and colors were rich and dark. Many interiors featured often ornate plaster decoration.

Interior Design

• The Victorians filled every surface with excessive ornamentation. Taxidermy was popular, especially of rare and unusual animals shot on safari. Furniture was plump and heavily upholstered, often with buttons, and rooms were filled with dark, wooden furniture. Large rugs covered polished hardwood floors. In the bathroom a free-standing cast-iron bath was standard.