Victorian Fabrics

Our collection of Victorian fabrics.These beautiful and historically authentic fabrics will look wonderful in any property from that period.

Victorian Upholstery Fabrics

The floral, striped, and patterned upholstery fabrics on this page are perfect for period Victorian homes. The Backhausen designs have been in production since the late nineteenth century and so are historically accurate.

Victorian Curtain Fabrics

Most of the fabrics on this page are dual purpose and are equally suited as Victorian curtain fabrics.

Victorian period interior decoration and design is notable for orderliness and ornamentation. Houses, during this era, were divided in rooms with public and private space carefully separated. The most important room in the house was the parlour - the showcase where guests were entertained. Bare rooms were regarded as in poor taste, and so every surface was adorned with items or textiles that revealed the owner's interests and themes. The second most important room was the dining room, in which an ornately decorated sideboard was often the centre piece.

In the Victorian era it was important to choose good curtains. Today, by choosing an authentic Victorian style fabric, you can help to recreate the Victorian feeling of your period home.
 
Let us not forget that Victorian times were the days before central heating and double glazing. Consequently, the first and most important function of Victorian Curtain Fabric was to keep out te cold. To this end Victorian curtain fabric was usually thick and the curtains themselves were made in a generous style so that the folds of cloth effectively trapped the air and acted as insulation.

The Victorians were very keen on privacy, and so the second major function of Victorian curtains was to keep out prying eyes. A further aspect of this was to prevent damage by strong sunlight to the furniture, rugs and painting which adorned the walls and floors of the Victorian home.

Finally, and most importantly, the Victorians enjoyed showing their social status by the quality and good taste of the furnishings. Having rather spendid curtains was an ideal way to achieve this. Curtains in that era were intended to last a whole lifetime and were a considerable expense. Today's fabrics are, in real terms, less expensive.

Victorian curtains often used a lightwieght muslin or net fabric as an inner curtain, with the heavier curtains on the outside. Curatins would be suspended on brass poles with brass curtain hold backs.

In terms of colour, Victorians often chose darker colours with dark patterns, perfect for not showing dirt.