Victorian Elements of Design: The Flavel House

This summer, I have been enjoying the freedom to go on some short trips without worrying about catching up on homework. (Hooray for my first completely homework-free summer!) One of my favorite things to do on a trip is to visit historic houses. On a recent trip to Astoria, Oregon, a friend and I visited the Flavel House, which is a gorgeous Victorian historic house museum. As I stepped into the opulent hall with its massive proportions and towering ceilings meant to make one feel small and insignificant, I looked around in wonder and thought how amazing it would be to live in such a beautiful place. Of course, that could never be, unless I have an unknown rich relative who lives in a mansion… but that’s unlikely.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have been learning more about design recently. As I continued to survey my surroundings, I realized that, although I may never have a Victorian mansion of my own, there are some elements of design I could reproduce on a smaller scale to give the same feel to an ordinary house. I started taking pictures and mentally dissecting what made each space so beautiful. 

There were some things that particularly stood out to me that I thought it might be fun to share with you all just in case you, too, would like to make your home more like a beautiful and luxurious Victorian mansion!

·         Ovals: Everywhere I looked in the Flavel house, there were ovals: Oval mirrors, oval chair backs, oval picture frames, even oval floral motifs on the rugs! Particularly where furniture and frames are concerned, an oval shape is a good start when looking for that Victorian style.

·         Lovely Nooks: It seemed like every room in the Flavel house had a little nook with a small table and a couple chairs off to one side. This made the grand size of the rooms still seem inviting and cozy. In the larger rooms such as the dining room it was a small adjoining room, but in smaller rooms, the little nook was just a little table like the small lamp table pictured below but with a chair nearby.

·         Lace: It is no exaggeration to say that there was lace in every room. There were lace curtains, lace bedspreads, and nearly every piece of furniture had a lace doily on it. All of these lace luxuries can be easily found at a thrift store or made by hand, and can be an easy way of dressing up an ordinary window or piece of furniture and adding a bit of elegance to a space. 

·         Rich, dark wood: This was also an ever-present element of design in the house. From tables to chairs, bookcases to mantles, there were dark shades of wood as far as eye could see. Even the walls were clad in lovely wood panels in many of the rooms.

·         Velvet or Needlepoint: Many of the furnishings were upholstered in velvet, which adds a luxurious texture, especially when a velvet-clad sofa is draped dramatically with a silky velvet throw. But alongside this bit of luxury there were also chairs upholstered in needlepoint. I did notice that the needlepoint chairs tended to be upholstered only on the seat, and sometimes the needlepoint seat was paired with a velvet back. The needlepoint serves to ground the drama of the velvet and give more of a homey feel. 

From what I have observed, Victorian style is all about the details –the smallest detail can make a big difference in the overall look. So, even if you don’t live in a fabulous Victorian mansion built by an enterprising ship captain-turned millionaire, you can still enjoy the beauty and elegance of the Victorian style in your own home.