I have had a life-long love affair with dollhouse miniatures, and careers in art education and interior design. I hope to combine these life experiences to help other miniature enthusiasts get more out of this wonderful hobby we enjoy, a hobby that often reaches the level of an art form. Susan Downing
Thorne Room (unidentified)
Mid-Victorian furniture design continued the practice of reviving and blending old styles. Add to that, increased world trade introduced middle-eastern and Asian elements to the mix. No particular style dominated. Rather, furniture designers drew inspiration from Elizabethan, Neoclassical and other periods. And it could all be done with machines.
Miss Amy Miles Dolls’ House, at the Victoria & Albert Museum
Queen Victoria’s reign over the British Empire lasted sixty-four years (1837-1901). Many styles of furniture rose and fell in popularity in that time. Combined, they have earned the generic classification – Victorian. There is one common thread, however. Victoria loved ornate styles. Generally, think of cluttered rooms, full of heavy furniture, and surrounded by plants, bulky fabrics and lots of china and glassware. The later Victorian era saw a modest lessening of overcrowded rooms until her son Albert (Bertie) succeeded to the throne as Edward VII and extravagance became the decorating principle.
Thorne Room – Georgia Double Parlor, found at the Chicago Art Institute
This article by Stephanie Watson on mahogany, Maple and painted Victorian furniture is informative and concise. I hope you find it useful.
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Categories: furniture, room boxes
Akameru Kawaii Fainting Couch & Video Tutorial
The fainting couch was designed primarily for women who were feeling … well, a bit faint! An off-shoot of the chaise lounge, it not only had a raised back at one end but that back wrapped around one side, giving the 19th-century lady with a touch of the vapors a safe place to land. Gracefully. (more…)
