French Gothic Decorating

Gothic Space

• Gothic interior space was very plain. Neutral walls and dark wood floors will evoke the days when even fine homes were made of dull stone or unornamented plaster. Whether large or small, Gothic room surfaces were spare and plain. One welcome interruption of space was the predominance of strong vertical lines. Pendant lighting fixtures, heavy full-length drapes, wall tapestry and decorations above windows and doorways draw the eye up, just as French Gothic religious architecture pointed the eye and spirit toward heaven. Tall candlesticks and tall vases create more vertical lines.

Gothic Furniture

• Gothic-style and antique pieces from England's 19th-century Gothic Revival also emphasize strong vertical lines, along with surface intricacy and imposing solidity. Chair backs are straight and tall; posts, finials and back panels imitate carved stone church decoration. Oak predominated and dark finishes were strongly favored. Both castles and the homes of a newly developing urban artisan and merchant class had no closets. Large wardrobes, chests and other storage pieces held a growing assortment of family possessions. Carving enriched even fairly humble pieces; a kitchen dresser might be ornamented with a row of pointed arches. A wardrobe from a wealthy household might have animal-paw feet, recognizable wildflower carvings at the door handles and fantastical but very human faces grimacing down from the upper corners.

Gothic Fabrics

• Both visual intricacy and color use reflected the spread of merchant trade and the development of the cloth industry. Intricate tapestry patterns convey the feel of medieval fabrics. From the Gothic middle ages came such allegorical tapestries as The Lady and the Unicorn, which emphasized virtue, entertained the eye with brightly colored animals and plants and simultaneously insulated castle-dwellers from cold stone walls. Fabric hangings, especially on dark wood or wrought iron poles, epitomize the Gothic spirit. As commerce and trade brought wealth, rich fabrics like velvet no longer identified royalty but rather prosperity. Oriental and floral-patterned rugs grew large enough to cover major seating and sleeping areas.

Gothic Colors and Light

• Deep, rich, jewel-like colors produced the astonishing stained glass windows for which religious building was known. Both the use of glass and the means for making rich colors spread rapidly to those who could afford them. While you do not need stained glass windows for a Gothic look, consider stained-glass lamp shades and sun catchers for the intense, transparent Gothic experience of light. Artificial light needs to imitate fire- and candle-light, soft and uneven. Cluster candles in shadowy spots and consider a number of small lamps rather than large brighter ones. Add light with small mirrors, enamel, brass and other reflective materials. Wrought iron and glass shades often imitate the intricate stone-carving, or tracery, that characterized Gothic windows.

Gothic Intricacy

• Gothic decorating tolerates a high level of little touches. Although major surfaces are plain, richly patterned and lushly textured fabrics, intricate braid, polished stone surfaces and small sculptures, boxes or other keepsakes evoke the spirit of Gothic times.