Styles Morphed by History
Have you ever thought about the connection between history and style? It’s so obvious with styles like Victorian and Edwardian style. As I’ve worked on the Style Defined series I’ve been fascinated by the history of the various home decor styles and how they morph into the next style. That’s exactly what happened here – Victorian styles morphed into the cleaner, lighter and more elegant Edwardian style.
Influences
People wanted something a little lighter after the heavy darkness of the Victorian era. Design styles like Chippendale and Hepplewhite were updated to make them more comfortable and less formal. Other influences of this style are art nouveau, arts and crafts and Queen Anne.
Furniture
Edwardian furniture pieces were produced when large scale mass production began in the early 1900s. Mostly large scale bedroom and dining suits produced in walnut, satinwood, mahogany and oak. Pieces were curved, floral and inlaid. This style era also introduced bamboo and wicker furniture.
Color Palette
The colors of this style reiterate the desire of the people to have a lighter, cleaner style in their homes. Colors seemed to vary from room to room. You might find wood paneled walls and red paint and fabrics in a dining room. White chintz drapes on windows and deep gold fabric covered walls in bedrooms. The color palette of Edwardian home decor style includes:
pastels, gold, primrose yellow, leaf greens, lilac, gray, olive, ivory, blues, terracotta, dark green, cream
Details & Patterns
While they were after a cleaner look than the Victorian style, there were still a lot of patterns and details in this style. Don’t you see a few of these in the currently popular shabby chic style:
chintz & damasks fabrics
furniture, drapes, and lampshades decorated with tassels or fringe
floral fabrics and paintings of roses, lilac, wisteria and sweet peas
trellises, ribbons, bows, and stripes
Lincrusta, embossed wallpaper in art nouveau designs, which can be painted
embroidery and needlepoint with floral motifs in art nouveau style
walls were painted or papered or both
wood paneling
stenciling
parquet floors, highly polished floors, oriental rugs,
Tiffany lamps, gramophones, tiered silver cake stands and silver photo frames
loosely arranged bunches of sweet peas, roses and lilac
house palms
You could easily walk around Home Goods, Pier One or Target and see the influences of the Edwardian style. What’s in your home that brings this beautiful style to life? I’d love to see pictures (tag @dancingdishanddecor on Instagram) or share your thoughts in the comments below.
Blessings,
Lauree
…keep dancing the dream
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