Victorian Style Furniture

Victorian Style Furniture Basics

The Victorian period of 19th century Britain was a time of great change and social turmoil. There were enormous economic shifts that paralleled advancements in manufacturing and the creation of a new social class. As more people became able to afford extravagances, there was an enormous societal push for people to instead return to basics and traditional values.

The great cultural push and pull can be seen in many items from the Victorian period, including fashion and interior design. As Britain expanded its empire, influences from the Far East began to creep into British decorating styles, and many people adorned their homes with bold new colors. Furniture, however, was perhaps one of the most changed items during the Victorian period.

The biggest revolution in Victorian style furniture was the new manufacturing techniques that were introduced during the period. Previously, a piece of furniture traditionally had to be either handmade by a family or craftsmen or artisans had to be commissioned to make a piece of furniture to order. The crafting process had to be done completely by hand, making furniture very expensive and hard to come by – because a piece took so long to create, it was hardly widely distributed.

Thanks to the Industrial Revolution, however, mechanized, mass production techniques for furniture production became the norm. It was now possible to produce knock off styles modeled on the furniture in the best and wealthiest homes in Britain at a price that many families could now afford. Because production was so easy, furniture was more widely available than ever, as well. The wide availability of furniture lead to a democratization of style and certain looks became fashionable in the way limited availability of furniture in the past did not allow.

The irony about Victorian furniture is that despite the modern revolution in production techniques, in terms of styles, people looked almost exclusively to the past for inspiration. These styles were called “revival” furniture styles, and they took a few different forms. The most popular was furniture based on 17th and 18th century French styles from the “Louis” kings – furniture modeled on the designs in the great palace of Versailles. Neo-rococo was a popular sub-theme in the Louis styled furniture.

The British colonies also provided design fodder for furniture manufacturers and designers. Middle Eastern themes in particular were in favor during this period.

If you want to see some pictures of original pieces from the Victorian furniture period, check out Victorian Station. You’ll find a wealth of photos of period pieces, plus plenty of information about the Victorian period in general and Victorian decorating.

Buying Victorian Style Furniture

Original pieces of furniture from the Victorian times do come up with relative frequency at auctions and estate sales, but these can be extremely expensive. If you want the look without a price to go down in history, give these websites a try. Keep in mind, however, that many Victorian pieces are meant to be investment furniture pieces, and even reproductions aren’t cheap. These sites are good places to find a fair shake, however:

• Magnolia Hall – Magnolia Hall offers faithful reproductions of classic Victorian designs for every room in your home. The prices can vary greatly, but you can find some good deals here.

• Victorian Furniture Company – The flashing neon pink and banner ads at Victorian Furniture Company won’t exactly put you in the mood for 19th century shopping. If you can get past that, you can find some good stuff on this site, with discounts on many items.

• Martha M. House – Another poorly designed website, but don’t let that fool you. Martha M. House has a longstanding reputation in dealing reproduction Victorian furniture and original pieces.

• Ethan Allen – Ethan Allan stocks lots of Victorian inspired furniture and is easily accessible either online or in store.