How to Decorate a Home Office in Victorian Style

Pull together an efficient, comfortable and nondistracting home office while keeping within the dictates of Victorian style. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Modify a Victorian-era kneehole desk by hinging the lap drawer's front - the drawer can then pull out as a platform for the computer keyboard. Or select a reproduction style, such as a rolltop desk with cubbyholes for the telephone and computer equipment as well as a keyboard tray.

2

Choose a chair with comfort as your first priority. Depending on how frequently you use the home office, you may want either an antique wooden office chair that tilts backward, a recent reproduction or a modern-style office chair.

3

Reduce the clutter usually found in Victorian rooms, which would be distracting in the office environment. This includes the pictures and mirrors (Victorian favorites) on the wall; select just a few favorite pieces, which may be in elaborate frames with gold curlicues.

4

Put a low-pile Oriental-style rug on the floor (make sure your chair can roll on it). A painted canvas floor cloth is another option - it could be a trompe l'oeil Oriental motif with faux tassels or a design evocative of a needlepoint-floral look.

5

Dress a window with a swag treatment, possibly with a tasseled cord draped in front of the swag, and then use companion tassels as tiebacks for the curtains. Curtain fabrics include velvet, damask and lace.

6

Stash metal file cabinets in a larger cabinet or closet. Or buy a file cabinet that fits Victorian styling, such as one with a hand-painted Asian or floral motif, or use a wicker file box.

7

Set the printer or fax machine on a petite marble-topped night table or carved occasional table if your desk won't hold all the equipment.

8

Light the desktop and room adequately. A banker's lamp (brass with a green-glass shade) works well on desks; ceiling-fixture options include multibulb styles, with faceted-crystal or frosted-glass shades.