If you are moving home soon or want to transform your existing living space, you might have considered all sorts of design options. A key question will be whether you want your décor to be ultra-modern and sleek, or have some distinctly retro touches.
What you can do may partly depend on certain aspects of the home in question, such as whether the building itself is old or new, as well as the question of whether you want to retain some elements of the present décor.
If you are using our tool to create your own wardrobe, you can take control of this aspect of the process. Rather than simply getting (or keeping) a free-standing rectangular container for keeping clothes hung up, which may be a very basic, mass-produced item with few if any distinguishing characteristics, you can build something with ample space and lots of style.
At first, this may seem a tricky thing to do with the kind of materials we provide. High-quality, made-to-measure materials transformed from the design you create to the thing we make at our factory in Berkshire might contrast a bit with the kind of rustic item made long ago, but the high quality you get from us can be combined with all sorts of retro touches.
A hint of the Victorian is one distinct possibility. Partly, this can be done by incorporating the right sort of accessories, such as a Victorian cupboard knob on the door.
This is just the start of what you can do, and how you might approach the incorporation of Victorian style could depend in part on whether you are in a Victorian home to begin with, which may reflect in elements of the design and décor.
Victorian interior design was somewhat eclectic, but common elements include a lot of ironwork and patterns such as the fleur de Lys. The use of metal elements like handles on the cupboard will aid this look (although the metal will be of a higher quality than iron made in Victorian times, which was limited by less-developed manufacturing techniques).
The contribution of Victorian times to wardrobe history is highly significant. Until the 19th century, the idea of having a large cupboard to store clothes in was a luxury reserved for the richest in society. Not only would many homes have too little space for such a thing, but the residents would not have a lot of clothes.
It was in the 19th century that this changed. Many people remained very poor, of course, but the number of people with at least a reasonable standard of living was growing and continued to do so throughout the century, all as lifestyles changed in an age of increasing industrialisation and urbanisation.
This happened alongside the increasing sophistication of design in Victorian homes, as the same affluence that permitted people to own more clothes allowed them to spend more on interior design. During this time, wall art, ornate furniture, dark colours and decorative woodwork were among the fashionable characteristics of interiors.
Wardrobes of the time were made of wood, of course, with oak and mahogany being among the popular materials. These are rather heavy, however, but the virtue of our modern materials and design is that you can replicate some of the appearance without the weight and bulk that would make assembling the final product harder.
At the same time, a Victorian wardrobe will retain some simplistic elements that fit with what we provide. For instance, the doors will swing open like a door to a room, with no sliding doors involved. This immediately gives the wardrobe a more imposing, classy look.
Indeed, it is worth noting that while the Victorian era contributed massively to the transformation of the wardrobe from being the preserve of the few to something most people had, it was not until the middle of the 20th century that homes started to come with fitted wardrobes built into them.
What that means is that a self-designed built-in wardrobe with Victorian stylistic touches manages to be several things all at once. It simultaneously includes a 19th-century style, a 20th-century idea and a 21st-century method of DIY design.
This design can also be complemented by other Victorian design touches. You might not go for gas lamps or an old-style coal fire, but you can do much to capture the style of the period. Since this was eclectic, you can combine it with the more obvious modern elements your bedroom will have, like a TV and radio.
Your home will not be a Victorian house for a Victorian lifestyle, but you can certainly enjoy some of the style of the era, with your self-designed wardrobe being a significant part of that.
