For Richard and others who like to decorate

I remember in a post awhile back several of you said you like to decorate. I need a little assistance.

I just purchased a beautiful Victorian couch and chair. It's covered in a light green brocade (I'd rather it be the dark velvet but a friend sold it to me at a VERY good price).

So, now I have to decorate the living room around these pieces. What is a good source for Victorian inspired decorating? I've looked at some Victorian magazines but it is to heavy and cluttered for me. I would like to try and put a contemporary spin on it.

Any ideas on where I can look?

Maybe this will help?

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGLL_enUS376US376&q=modern+victorian+decor

A contemporary spin on Victorian furniture? Tricky

Look first to your window treatments. I lived in a Southern Vicortian home for a few years and well remember Gone With The Wind - Scarlett and Rhett's Atlanta mansion - HEAVY curtains that went one for days. The reason for these heavy curtains is easy to figure out for any Southerner or Northern Californian - it gets HOT and then it gets COLD! The heavy window treatments were insulation for poorly installed windows. Plus a dark home is a cool home in the summer months ... no central air, no swamp coolers then. God Bless them - tough people.

So would start with window treatments. Plantation shutters MIGHT work if you have a window scarf or some other softening element. I cannot see any other blinds working. I would go with an under-curtain in the lightest white or tan of teh crocade with a light fabric primary curtain - BUT I would not want the curtains to drape onto the floor itself in this case (though I love that look with modern furniture.)

But I would find and install window treatments that I liked first.

Then the floors - a solid color, I believe, would modernize the look. I would not look to a pattern carpet but would seek to compliment a nice color in the brocade and keep it a VERY simple pattern or solid color.

A lot fo the "fussiness" of Victorian decor was in in theri heavy (oppressive?) window treatments and very busy carpeting / rugs ... wonderful old oriental motifs for example.

With windows and carpet you like to simply and modernize the color palette and the "business" of the brocade and furniture lines, look to your accent colors and pieces. Simplicity and modern colors are the key to acheiving a "modern Victorian" look that I hear you wanting.

Remember that in the late 1800's, the West (mainly Europe and USA/Canada) "discovered" Japan and all things oriental. You see the Asian influences in the later part of that centuries art and color schemes. You may look for some clean lined laquer ware to accent colors and shapes in the room. And work with the glow of the rosewood wood on the furniture (I am seeing a curved davenport with rosewood accents for your couch)

Pay special attention to your lighting in the room - well lit = modern ... dark and romantic = victorian. Strike a happy balance. Some wall sconces for candles could work. The lamps I would choose would have simple lines and clean colors ... I would avoid the burgandy shades and the bright white shades on the lamps ... a soft green may be better.

That is how I would go about it. Windows first, then floors, then lighting, then accents. I would look to the East for ideas BUT I would have some Wedgewood bas relief pottery and some cut glass in the room also - a nice mix of clean and fussy .... but my "fussy" would be in clear crystal or in the soft colors of Wedgewood. Wedgewood green (try Ebay for best prices) may match your brocade incredibly well.

Good luck ... I have enjoyed thinking about this. Thanks