Tips on Creating a Victorian Style Kitchen

Do you want a kitchen that’s fit for royalty? If yes, then a Victorian style kitchen will definitely suit your taste!

The Victorian era, also known as the golden period in English history, isn’t only famous for its contribution to industrialization and literature, it is also well-known for its art, fashion, and architecture. In fact, when people hear the word ‘Victorian’ the first thing that comes to their mind is architecture. The most prominent styles during the time include Queen Anne, classical, gothic revival, arts, and crafts among others.

Up to this day, many homeowners use these styles because they think that modern kitchen designs look too plain and artificial. However, if you’re torn between vintage and modern designs, you can mix both!

Make your kitchen stunning and ready for a #throwback caption through these tips:

Details, details, details!

As mentioned earlier, industrialization flourished during the Victorian era. Various machines were invented and sold to factory owners, including wallpaper printing machines that can print four hundred rolls per day, giving rise to the wallpaper industry. Most patterns during the time were either symmetrical, embossed leather, floral and nature-inspired. To achieve the Victorian style, you can try a wallpaper with a pattern of your choice. Aside from its affordability and it’s also an easy DIY task.

Another option that you can try is to add more detail to your kitchen is to focus on furniture leg styles for your dining area. Ornate styles like cabriole, Adam leg style, and the reverse scroll will give a historic vibe to your kitchen.

Focus on Cabinetry

During the Victorian era, homeowners, especially the ones who lived in the city avoided using light colors for their homes due to rampant air pollution. As a result, many people used vibrant colors even for their home exteriors.

You can use darker colors like brown, maroon, and black for your kitchen cabinetry. Dark-colored kitchen cabinets can be painted with gold accents especially those with recessed panels.

You can also try distressed kitchen cabinets in tarnished and faux-finished shades of olive green, sage green, grey or off-white.

While choosing a door style, you can select almost any kind of kitchen cabinet door style, except for flat panels because its polished look fit modern kitchens better.

Elegant Lighting

What else can make any place look like a palace other than chandeliers? If you want a simple kitchen chandelier to draw more attention to your walls or your cabinetry instead of the lighting, you can try a bowl chandelier. Despite its simple design, it can still compliment a Victorian kitchen because of its rustic look.

However, if you want to make your kitchen look majestic, you should make your chandelier the center of attention. You can try either a crystal, candle or Tiffany chandelier.

Dress it up!

Since the Victorian era made a huge influence on fashion, why not dress up your kitchen’s windows (if you have one)?

First off, let’s differentiate curtains from draperies. The two terms are usually used interchangeably by most homeowners because they both cover windows, but in reality, they are different. Curtains are made of thin and sheer fabric while draperies are made of heavier textile-like silk and velvet.

Although curtains will do, drapes will make your kitchen look more formal and traditional, just like a Victorian kitchen.

If you have a small kitchen window, you can stick to using toppers like valances and jabots while if you own a big one, you should go for a full-sized drapery and layer it with toppers.

Think Regal

It is a common knowledge that royalties, then and now, are given flowers as presents and as a sign of respect and admiration, and these flowers either end up in the living room or the kitchen. Although you are no royalty, you can decorate your kitchen like one. You can buy either fresh or artificial flowers and place it in an antique vase. Lastly, go for kitchen tools, hardware, and accessories that look regal and let it wrap the look! Just be careful on accessorizing so that it won’t look overdone.

Are you ready to start working on the kitchen of your dreams? Get in touch with us today at (714) 961-1900 for a free estimate!