How To Add a Touch of Victoriana to Your Home with Tiles

Victorian style is a bit of a catch-all term, often used to describe any interior scheme that has the slightest hint of ‘period style’ about it. The Victorian era (1837 – 1901) recalls elaborate decorative fabric schemes using multi-pleated drapes, tassels and lace trims, richly coloured velvets and opulent textures. Of course, that was for the wealthier members of society, poorer families literally had to make do and mend and were far removed from the often ostentatious displays of interior extravagance.

Today’s references to Victorian style are often tongue-in-cheek and ironic, with designers combining luxurious velvet upholstery and decorative tiles or wallpaper with pared-down, minimalist settings. If you are currently living in a renovated Victorian terrace you will know the feeling; clever design that addresses the potential lack of space (narrow halls, side return extensions and often no access to the back garden), has to take on board all aspects of modern living whilst keeping the essence of a Victorian home intact. Here are some of our favourite options and solutions to do just that…

Perfectly Patterned

Our extremely popular Riga Patchwork tiles are suitable for both walls and floors, and have a timeless patterned design that would fit in with a Victorian conservatory, hallway or porch, or equally in a little rustic cottage. There are 32 patterns available, which can all be mixed randomly together. We’re imagining them used as an upstand for a little Victorian washstand too, or as a splashback in a kitchen. We’d love to see some of your schemes using these tiles too…

Encaustic Style Tiles

Encaustic tiles were often used for Victorian homes, for porches, halls and conservatories. (The Victorians loved conservatories, in a rather show-off way!). Originally, encaustic tiles were moulded into patterns using different colours of clay, so the pattern runs through tile from top surface to bottom surface, consequently they are hardwearing but expensive to produce and were used in rather grand houses. Our Victorian Centro encaustic-style decor tiles are available in two colour variants and come at a very affordable price; currently £0.96 per tile; each is 200mm square. As you can see above, these designs can also add a hint of period style to modern homes too! What’s not to like!

Classic Colours

We like to have all the kit and convenience of a modern fitted kitchen, but in a Victorian home it’s a nice idea to just give the odd nod towards period style. So… yes, this is a gorgeous classic kitchen with Shaker-style cabinets and imaginative use of our Metro Tiles in Sage, but it does work as a contemporary interpretation of Victorian style – and all the elements would look perfectly at home in a new kitchen within a Victorian terrace.

Beautiful in Blue

Get your period kitchen kitted out in style with some of the classic Durham pieces from LochAnna Kitchens. This is a new item, a bi-fold door dresser, which can be a stand-alone piece or a top-piece only, depending on the look and layout you want to achieve. Shown here in Sapphire, it also comes in a glorious shades such as Dessert Pink, Damson and Lavender.

For a Busy Kitchen

We’re sure a grand Victorian kitchen would never have looked quite as clean and immaculate as this one (all that soot from open fires and a range cooker!) but we would quite like to think that this encapsulates a hint of period style whilst ticking all the boxes regarding beautiful kitchen design, great colour scheme and spacious layout. The floor tiles are our Black Slate Modular Porcelain, which are extremely practical for larger spaces, and the black design details are repeated for uniformity with the window frames and lantern.

Victorian Plum…

Purple, as well as shades of deep red, green, gold and black, was a favourite colour in Victorian times, considered to be luxurious and opulent. Here are some of our favourites: Back to Nature Purple Wallpaper by Mineheart, with a rather Gothic and eccentric theme upon closer inspection – the beautifully drawn creatures include rats and snakes among vines and flowers; Our Hampton Purple brick format ceramic tiles are just right for adding a hint of period style to any kitchen or bathroom; How about this outrageously opulent wallpaper, Fruits Blossom in Midnight, by Good & Craft. Take a look at the whole collection, it’s perfect for an eccentric, over-blown Victorian inspired scheme.

Period Details

When you’re planning a traditional kitchen, remember that it’s the tiny little details that can pin down the period flavour… look out for traditional style taps, perhaps a Belfast sink, brass cup-style drawer handles and maybe a timber drainer. Then you can still have modern, easy-to-maintain and clean surfaces whilst keeping to a period aesthetic. There are our Quartz Stone Grey  mosaic tiles, which have a hint of glitz and come in mesh-backed sheets.

And Finally

Here are three more suggestions for patterned tiles that will add a period-style finishing touch, whilst being affordable, practical and extremely easy to maintain. From left; Concretia Decor outdoor slab tiles in Back, also available in Grey and White – the range comprises 12 different surface designs with each box containing a random selection from the designs available; Lester Blue encaustic-style tiles with core-lines to give the appearance of grout lines. Rather perfect for a traditional-style conservatory, we think! Lastly, our Briana Rose tiles are suited to kitchens, bathrooms, utility rooms, halls, conservatories… the list is endless and we absolutely adore the soft pink ‘Rose’ colourway.

Will you be incorporating some Victorian style into your next renovation? If so then we’d love to see pics of your completed projects – share on Twitter @TileMountainUK or tag us on Instagram !

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