Edwardian Interiors,Edwardian Era Interiors

The transition of power from a female monarch to a male monarch brought about serious changes in the art and fashion of England during the 1900s. The period of King Edward VIIs rule, i.e. 1900 to 1910 is often referred to as the Edwardian Era. Some historians conveniently draw the demarcation to 1912.

The Victorian era was known for its serious and subtle fashion and art. The queen showed more interest in dark shades and complex structures. However, the new monarch felt at ease trying fresher ideas and was open to the not so formal fashion and art.

A typical Edwardian interior was something new and cheerful. Fresh and light colours composed most of the interiors in UK in this period. It saw the beginning of a deviation from the formal to informal. Furnitures started being made of bamboo and wicker. They were made in various styles which included baroque, rococo and empire. Modern creativity made these furnitures simple yet close to the elite. The wing chair can be cited as one of the best examples to demonstrate Edwardian furnitures.

Flooring of an Edwardian room was composed of highly polished wood blocks accompanied by oriental rugs. There was also a notable increase in the use of flowers and floral pattern in decorating houses. Ranging from wallpapers to paintings floral patterns could be seen all over England. Wallpapers started featuring floral patterns of rose, lilac and other bright flowers.

Lincrusta, i.e. embossed wallpapers were also widely used to decorate walls in this period. Its texture was like that of a rubber and it usually came in spectacular Art Nouveau designs. People also showed a renewed interest in pastel colours in this era. Colour schemes were mostly preferred in floral pastels. Living rooms were usually darker in colour than the other rooms.

Fireplaces became smaller that their Victorian counterparts. Iron and copper hoods were added to enhance the visual appeal of these fireplaces. With the introduction f electricity amongst the rich houses, lighting in the form of wall lights, and table lamps became quite popular. Central lighting was usually done in smoked glasses fitted in the ceilings.

Windows in this era were usually composed of hanging laces accompanied by floral curtains to supplement the wall colours. Simple roller blinds were also is use in the Edwardian interiors. Other decorations of the room included conical shell gramophones, silverwares like cake stands, photograph frames and candlesticks.