The Introduction of Victorian Interior Paint Colors

Whether you are restoring your Victorian era home to its original elegance or simply want to recreate a colorful period in architectural history, you will find modern versions of Victorian interior paint colors from most major paint manufacturers. For a true Victorian interior, choose heavy brocade fabrics and period-appropriate furniture to enhance the color of your walls. Greens Deep, rich green colors were often used in Victorian homes as the primary color for a room's color scheme. The deeper greens were offset by paler shades in the same tones, such as sage or sea foam colors. Greenish blues and grays also were considered compatible with the primary greens. Use dark stained or painted wood to trim your green rooms. One use of this color in a Victorian themed-room is to paint the lower portion of the walls with dark green and the upper portion with a medium-light green separated by a dark wood chair rail. Paint the ceiling a third, lighter shade of green. Dark wood furniture and green velvet upholstery complete the look. Pinks The Victorian era is well known for its use of a broad variety of pink shades, including purplish mauves, bright salmons and lightly-tinted pastels. As with the green shades, pinks are used in a three-tone color scheme that includes dark, medium and light tones. Cooler pink shades are best used for sitting rooms or small bedrooms while warm salmon tones are a better choice for dining rooms, larger bedrooms and kitchens. Dark wood also goes well with Victorian pinks, and interior fabrics are darker than any of the paint colors, shading into deep purples or burgundy brocades. Golds Gold was a common accent color in Victorian homes and is combined with green, pink or tamer yellow tones to create a rich feeling. Paint the occasional sitting room with bright gold walls, but it is more often used for trim and moldings to coordinate with gold threads in the upholstery and draperies used in Victorian decor. Blues Blue was used as both a primary and a secondary color, often for bedrooms or lounges rather than living and dining rooms or kitchens. Choose shades of blue that are rich but somewhat muted, more in the slate blue range than cobalt or peacock. Darker teal green-blues work well for the lower portions of walls, especially when combined with lighter gray-blues and grays on the upper walls and ceilings. Source: ehow.com