Victorian window treatments coordinated with wall coverings and furniture upholstery.
The Victorian Era ran from 1837 through 1901. Its d cor was opulent and ornate featuring heavy, dark furniture, intricately carved and gilded picture frames and mirrors, leaded glass light fixtures and collections on every available surface. Rooms filled with possessions, crammed with furniture and ornate window dressings reflected this obsession with excess. The latter were fussy, frilly and many layered.
Draperies
Draperies in a Victorian home were formal in appearance. Often made with sumptuous fabrics like silk, satin, damask, velvet, and brocade, they layered over other window dressings and featured pull backs with decorative gold ropes, lace, and tassels.
Victorian draperies hung from ornate poles of brass or wood installed on the window molding. They reached the floor when tied back. You might pull the draperies back on either side or swept them to one side. Lining both blocked drafts and ensured that they hung correctly.
Lace
Few things are as quintessentially Victorian as lace curtains. Hung under formal draperies they provided privacy while allowing light to filter into the room. They were generally floor length but sometimes hung in tiers. Lace curtains added a touch of romance to the otherwise ornate window dressings. If hung next to the window glass rather than layered over blinds or shutters, Victorians called them glass curtains and lace as trim embellished draperies
Cornices
A decorative cornice, also known as a pelmet, was part of a complete Victorian window treatment. A wooden box located at the top of the frame and protruding from it, a cornice hid the fixtures at the top of a window casing. Cornices were painted, gilded or covered with fabric that coordinated with or matched the draperies.
Valances
A valance, also known as a lambrequin, hung at the top of the window and was sometimes incorporated into the cornice. Victorians sometimes swagged the window valances making them longer on the sides than in the middle, cut straight across or longer in the middle than on the sides. The valances often featured decorative fringed edging and were sometimes pleated.
Shades
The most common window shade style during the Victorian era was the basic roller shade. Layered under lace curtains and draperies, the shades rolled down at night for privacy or during the day to block out sunlight. Victorians made them at home from fabrics like linen and oilcloth and the shades often featured complicated patterns.
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