Modern Take on Victorian Style

Taking the crown at a tender age of 18, Queen Victoria ruled until she passed away in 1901. The Victorian Era, named after her, was a time of travel and technological advances that marked an age filled with eclecticism. Many cultural revivals, such as the Gothic Revival, played a big part during this period. Romanticism was popular during the middle of the Victorian Era, with arts and crafts dominating the end of the era.

These elements were integrated into interior design in order to provide homes with a cohesive yet sophisticated style – a fact that to this day still makes this style a preferred one. The Victorian Style very much encompassed bold choices of colours, which is still loved to this day.

The Colours of the Victorian Style

Intricate details and colours have always been an important factor for this style, with technological advancements allowing for a wider choice of colour palettes. In the past, these colours were limited to the available pigments from plants, which painters mixed to create earthy tones. Early revivalists often used varnished and painted woodwork, with a darker shade, to help conceal dirt.

The advancement of technology allowed for the ready-made paint to be affordable, alongside providing a wider colour palette. Polychromatic schemes, colour harmony, and colour contrast were experimented with on both the inside and the outside of homes. Throughout the Victorian Era, elements such as faux arts, William Morris wallpaper, and complicated stencilling were very popular, with furniture made to look more refined. Many surfaces were often sponged, wood-grained, marbleized, and spattered.

The Arts and Crafts period of the era made patterns such as leaves, grasses, stones, and barks popular, while leaving interior woodwork unpainted.

The Rise of ‘Modern’ Victorian

Although considered to be eclectic, combining both modern and Victorian styles is easy and stunning. Any home can adopt this style by meshing the two very carefully and using what the Victorian era best had to offer for interior design – tiles.

The Victorian Style used many tiles of different patterns and colours – often present in the home before the guests even went inside. Patterned pathways were popular, leading guests from the street to the front door. Kitchens often had white-tiled walls, a design style you can easily use and contrast against a contemporary kitchen and beautiful countertops.

Entranceways can have a few squares of coloured tiles for a more modern look; during the Victorian Era, black and white checkered tiles were more affordable and easier to clean, but coloured tiles don’t have to be reserved just for hallways anymore.

If you have a fireplace, Victorian tiling is another way of paying homage to the era. These titles used to feature designs of hobbies and interests, such as birds and instruments, which made the fireplace a central piece in the room. An indulgent nod to a great era, you can use Victorian tiles around your fireplaces as a pop of colour in an otherwise plain backdrop.

Bathrooms became a popular addition in wealthy homes during the late 19^th century, favouring plain and white tiles in order to protect the walls from damp. Modern homes, however, can easily integrate rich-coloured tiles without this fear.

One of the best ways to showcase these beautiful Victorian tiles is to contrast them against plain tiles or to display them in an unusual shape. You can create an oddly-shaped room that provides a harmonious style choice.

A Style of Many Tiles

Here at Roccia, we understand how important the Victorian Era was for interior design – and we also know that the Victorian style never really goes out of fashion. Our selection of Victorian tiles are ideal for your home – they allow you to create truly stunning and individual designs that fit your home’s design perfectly.

Milano tiles, for example, provide you with great Victorian floor tiles options. Expertly produced by Spanish masters, these tiles are 20 x 20 with blue, blanco, and antiqua colours that are showcased as a predominant grey-blue and cream colours. These tiles are stunning and contrast well with a simpler background, easily becoming the central piece that catches all of your guests’ eyes.

For a more classic style, Epoque tiles are 25 x 25 tile that offer a more simplistic design that imitates hydraulic decorations. This design offers a wide variety of similar patterns of both white and darker greys, which will transform any room into a Victorian haven.

Should you prefer a more decorative type of tiles, Barnet tiles are an ideal solution. Particularly striking in combination with plainer tiles, you have many colour combinations at your disposal. From grey and white, a colour between black and terra, and brown shades, it provides an elegant decoration for your kitchen or bathroom.

Victorian-style tiles are always a beautiful addition to your home, and we know how stylish they can look. You can pop by our showrooms in Preston or in Bolton to view these beautiful tiles in person. You can also get in touch with our friendly team to know more about our wonderful range of tiles.

Check out our Houzz page to see some of our projects.