Victorian Style Furniture: Key Characteristics to Consider

Are you interested in decorating your home with Victorian furniture? If so, scouring estate sales can be the quickest and most efficient way to find what you are looking for.

Named for Queen Victoria of England, this was the first style of furniture to be mass-produced. When you combine the formal appearance with elaborate detail, you end up with furniture that continues to be coveted by people from one side of the globe to the next.

Those who are familiar with Victorian style furniture can pick out these pieces without delay. Others, however, don’t have nearly as much knowledge.

Fortunately, there are key features that help set this furniture apart from the crowd:

1. Chair arms and legs. With Victorian style furniture, chair arms are curved outward. The legs are typically round, restrained cabriole, or elaborate turning.

2. Multiple types of fabric. When it comes to this style, don’t be surprised if you run into a variety of fabric types, with the most common including: braid, hair cloth, needlepoint, plush, tapestry, velour, and velvet.

3. Finish. Most Victorian furniture has one of the following finishes: oil varnish or gilding. Oil varnish is used to emphasize the grain of the wood while gilding offers a “gold leaf” appearance.

4. Hardware material. Most Victorian style furniture hardware is made of glass or wood. Transparent and translucent glass is common, as is a variety of wood.

Note: keep a special eye out for pieces that do not have the original hardware.

5. Types of wood. Many people are unaware of the fact that this type of furniture was made of many different types of wood, including: ash, black walnut, butternut, maple, oak, and rosewood veneer.

Just the same as mid-century modern furniture and revival style furniture this style has key characteristics that distinguish it from the rest of the pack.

Not sure if Victorian style is right for your home? Don’t worry, you can blend this style with others, giving you the final look you desire.

As you search estate sales for Victorian style furniture for your home, keep these characteristics in mind. It will make it much easier to pinpoint the pieces that suit your style

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