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Interior Victorian Paint Colors

Choosing Authentic Historical Paints for Your House

Apr 9, 2009 Mary McCarthy

Are you interested in painting an interior room of your Victorian house in appropriate historical colors? Here are some tips for choosing the right shades.

Victorian homes, whether authentically historical or modern replicas, look best when painted in historically appropriate colors. Choosing hues that blend with the architecture of your house will produce a pleasing palette in your home’s interior.

Victorian Architecture

If your home was built between the years of about 1850 and 1920, primarily during the reign of Queen Victoria, chances are it is Victorian in appearance. There are different types of Victorian architecture, such as Gothic Revival, Queen Anne, Second Empire, Stick-Eastlake, and Italianate. These particular types are determined mainly by construction date and architectural detail. Particular colors accompany particular architectural styles, so the first thing you will want to do is some research into when your home was built and which style it is.

Colors From Nature

Generally, when choosing interior Victorian house colors for the interior of your home, stick to hues found in nature. Victorians loved all things nature (they collected butterfly specimens, ferns, and even bugs) and wanted their home's colors to match the great outdoors. Deep shades of green, brown, rust, ochre, red, and tan are always good choices for interior rooms in a Victorian house. Trim colors should either be dark-stained natural wood or deep brown or mahogany.

Sample It

Two paint companies, Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore, have excellent collections of historical paint colors, and each company offers brochures about Victorian periods in particular, even noting different Victorian architectural styles. If you have one of these retailers located near you, it would help to obtain these materials, as well as some paint samples. Paint a few swatches of colors you are considering onto your wall to determine its shade upon drying and decide if you like it for the room you are going to be painting.

References

Check the internet to see if there is a Victorian house museum near you where you can see authentic paint colors in a historical setting. One thing to consider is buying a book on authentic Victorian paint colors. Paging through a book that exhibits historical colors in place in a Victorian house is sure to provide inspiration. One website that is also an excellent resource is TheHistoricInterior.com. Here are some books to look for:

Victorian Interior Decoration, Winkler, Gail Caskey and Moss, Roger W. Moss (New York: Henry Holt & Company, 1986, paperback edition, 1992).
America's Painted Ladies, Pomada, Elizabeth, et.al. (Studio, 1994)
Victorian Exterior Decoration: How to Paint Your 19th Century American House Historically, Moss, Roger & Winkler, Gail Caskey (Henry Holt, 1987)
Authentic Color Schemes for Victorian Houses, Comstock's Modern House Painting, 1883, Rossiter, E. K. & Wright , F.A. (Dover Publications, 2001)

Read about exterior Victorian house colors.

The copyright of the article Interior Victorian Paint Colors in Home Renovation/Repair is owned by Mary McCarthy. Permission to republish Interior Victorian Paint Colors in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.