Victorian Design Ideas for the Eclectic Bohemian

This article is all about Victorian design in 2024 home decor and how you can recreate it. 

The Victorian era of 1800-1900 was a time of mass intellectual and societal evolution. The move from an agrarian society to a complex city society led to many new technological innovations and burgeoning art styles that are still celebrated today. The distinct home design style of the Victorian era is easy to spot and define. Inside the home you can find ornate floral designs, lots of brass accents, intricately carved wood details, ruffles, and lace accents. The inside architecture of a Victorian home will showcase a lot of wood paneled walls, winding staircases, and lots of windows. The architectural style can be easy to spot from the outside too – ornate carved trim in sometimes pastel colors, large bay windows and steelply sloped roofs.

As eclectic, bohemian design has resurfaced over the years, Victorian design has also resurfaced. Much like bohemian design, Victorian design philosophy embraces the ornate and the art of collecting and curating an eclectic array of worldly, found treasures. Bohemian and Victorian design both encompass a “more is more” mentality, and a focus on abundant ornamental objects with nostalgic elements. Combining Victorian elements into your home creates an environment that reflects a free-spirited atmosphere and an appreciation of heirlooms from a bygone era. 

Whether you own a Victorian home or not, you too can bring in the luxe, opulent elements of the Victorian style to your boho designs. Read on for tips on taking the best from Victorian home design and replicating it in your home. 

Ways to Incorporate Victorian Design into Your Home 

The difference between a modern home and a Victorian one lies in the small, shiny details. Victorian hardware adds warmth, beauty, and charm to your home. Beautifully ornate, and typically made from high-quality metals like brass and bronze, these tiny details will make your space truly shine and be the finishing touches that your home needs. Consider installing vintage hardware like towel hooks and racks, soap holders and furniture pulls. 

Victorian Doorknobs 

If Victorian hardware is the jewelry of the home, then Victorian doorknobs are the crown jewel. There is nothing more beautiful than a Victorian doorknob. Ornate designs are molded into metal and crystal. Whether it’s shiny from use or has acquired that deeply desirable patina, all antique door knobs add character to your home. Fortunately, you can easily replace your existing doorknobs with Victorian ones, which are readily available secondhand. Give new life to antique door knobs by souring them from junkyards and antique shops. 

Clawfoot Standing Bathtubs 

During the Victorian era, indoor plumbing was first introduced to the home, and with it, came stylish-looking indoor bathtubs. There is nothing more iconic than a Victorian clawfoot tub. Clawfoot tubs are an essential part of Victorian bathroom style. Install a Victorian clawfoot bathtub if you enjoy bathing in a luxurious tub. 

Vintage-Style Sink Faucets

A Victorian standing sink and faucet can add such charm to a bathroom. Vintage faucets with exposed plumbing look so charming, and can be styled in so many ways. A standing sink can look so charming when styled with a tiny floral arrangeent, an antique silver cup to hold toothbrushes and other aesthetically pleasing toiletries. Add extra character to your bathroom with a vintage standing sink. 

Source Antique Silver Items

Antique silver items are the key to Victorian-inspired decor. Antique silver items like trays, utensils, vases, and candlesticks are the key to luxe, elegant home design. These antique silver objects will add shine and metallic accents. Luckily, these can be sourced secondhand with ease. Thrift stores, yard sales, antique shops or online stores like Ebay have an abundance of silver items to add to your home decor. Special, silver items add shine and added elements of design to your space.

Victorian paintings or prints of Victorian paintings can be easily recreated. Source antique, ornate frames of different shapes and sizes and add art or art prints to match. Curate them and hang them in a group on your wall for an eclectic, Victorian-inspired art gallery wall. 

Maximalist Collections of Books and Objects 

If Victorian charm is what you’re after, the solution is simple: start collecting. Keeping a collection of books, art, and other decor objects stacked in shelves provides a feeling of a layered, eclectic home. Amassing books, art, kitchenware, and other decorative items not only fills your home with personality but also pays homage to the layered, maximalist essence of Victorian homes. 

Ornate Victorian-Style Mirrors 

As with every Victorian item, the more ornate the better. Gilded mirrors with golden, elaborate designs are a great way to add more old-world charm to your home. Whether the mirror is big or small, these Victorian-styled gilded mirrors are great pieces to add throughout your home and can create focal points in a space. Consider styling multiple in different shapes and sizes for a unique gallery wall idea.

Add Victorian Crown Molding 

Ornate crown molding is a fundamental ingredient of Victorian design that cannot go unstated. Elaborate molding and trim is a stately detail that can tie an entire room together. Dark, ornate wall trim frames a room perfectly and adds eye-catching details in your space. To add lavish details like this to one’s home, consider adding crown molding to your ceilings and walls. 

Victorian Ceiling Medallions

Like crown molding, Victorian ceiling medallions are another element of Victorian style that showcases the attention to detail that is present in every area of the home. It was common in Victorian homes to have decorative medallions on the ceiling that surround a chandelier’s canopy. Fortunately this can be an easy DIY project that anyone can do. Sites like Anthropologie even sell decorative ceiling medallions to add to your ceiling. Adding architectural features like this one to your home add depth and a feeling that your home has history and character. 

Checkerboard Tile Flooring 

While wood flooring remained the most ubiquitous, checkerboard tile flooring is also a type of quintessential Victorian flooring that was found in many Victorian homes. Kitchens and mudrooms and other areas of the home with large foot traffic often were paired with marble tiles in checkerboard patterns. The tile was a easy to clean and maintain, making it the best choice for areas like the kitchen, mudrooms or bathrooms. The back and white pattern is not only timeless, and made of quality materials, but can make a beautiful statement in your home. Consider adding this type of patterned flooring to your home.

Vintage- Inspired Wallpaper 

One detail that is often forgotten about in home renovations are your walls! Especially if you are inspired by Victorian design, there are tons of vintage-inspired wallpapers that you can install in your home to add extra character and charm to your space. Floral designs with moody, dark colors feel cozy and make your space into a true statement. Rebel Walls is a wallpaper company with tons of vintage-inspired motifs for your space. Tight, repetitive patterns like florals or even animal prints like this one in jewel tone colors can make your space feel like it has historic roots. 

Dark Moody Walls 

However, if you don’t like patterned wall paper, maybe an easier trend is to paint your walls a dark, moody color. Dark greys, greens or navy can make a space feel super cozy and full of warmth and character. In addition, if you have any crown molding, painting your walls a dark color will really make them pop. If you’re unsure about what to do with your walls, opting for a statement, moody color is an excellent choice. 

Stained Glass Windows 

Stained glass windows were a new design option that became much more accessible to the average person in the Victorian era due to advanced technologies in glass making, and therefore were frequently used throughout Victorian homes. Stained glass windows add color, design, and privacy, while still offering light to pass through. If you have the option to re-install new windows, think about adding some stained-glass windows into your home. Stained glass windows in your entryway can be quite welcoming. 

Brass Kitchen Accents 

While the brass kitchen trend has dominated the design world for the past decade, its roots can be traced back to the Victorian era. Brass and copper metals have a long history in Victorian design as being valued for their functionality. These warm metals are known for their durability and ease of molding into intricate designs, making them ideal for a wide range of applications, such as  doorknobs and chandeliers to furniture and decorative items. Brass as a metal finish has made a major comeback in kitchens for a reason: it’s classic. Brass and copper accents also don’t have to be limited to hardware—try displaying copper pots and pans to add a touch of color and vintage charm to your kitchen.

The Victorian era is an era known for its opulence and luxe. If you’d like to add any Victorian details to your home, look to this list for sprucing up your home with Victorian elements. Victorian elements can add that special touch of grandeur to your home.