Help Stamp Out Beige – Decorating dollhouses with intense colors
The first part of the title was the catchphrase in a paint manufacturer’s ad in the 1970s, promoting a new line of vibrant colors. “You don’t have to settle for ‘pale paintings’ anymore,” was the joke.
I got thinking about that ad while flipping through a pile of old Better Homes & Gardens at a yard sale. Which led me to wonder why so many miniaturists are a bit color-shy, almost as fearful as some of my interior design clients. Which led me to think of Victorian dollhouses. How is that for a stream of consciousness?
Victorians certainly weren’t afraid of color. The CCC (Compatible Color Combinations) rule was rarely observed. Do the following image search on the Internet: “Victorian Painted Ladies San Francisco”. Be prepared to be amazed by the quirky color combinations that come up.
Or follow the example of Atlanta residents in the 1870s. The Civil War left the city in ashes. Those who could afford to rebuild their spectacular Victorian houses did so with the enthusiasm of a defeated people who refused to be conquered. If you’re visiting Atlanta, take a historical tour to see some well-maintained masterpieces.
The Queen Anne style of Victorian homes became popular in the 1880s, which coincided with the development of synthetic pigments. Vivid blues, greens, purples, and yellows were now possible. Multi-tone schemes accentuated the corbels and columns, or the fish-scale tiles under the eaves. Ornate friezes painted in light and dark colors stood out in stark contrast against darker-toned backgrounds.
Technology created other new materials and methods of production, and the cost of ornamental elements was reduced. The architects and builders applied the decoration generously to the houses, creating styles that no one had seen before, combining features from different eras with their own flourishes.
Are you excited that a Victorian dollhouse is your next project? If so, first you have to decide: Which Victorian?
The era lasted from roughly 1840 to 1900, and historians more or less agree that the following individual styles evolved:
Italian
British arts and crafts movement
Gothic revival
Italian
Jacobethan
Neoclassicism
Gothic revival
Painted ladies
Queen anne
Victorian folk
Renaissance revival
Romanesque Revival (Richardsonian)
Second Empire (Mansard style)
Octagon style
Palo-Eastlake
Industrial architecture
Research these styles and choose one that grabs your attention. Don’t forget the interiors. The owners of a twenty-room mansion could enjoy twenty different styles. Or mix and match in the same room. To quote Cole Porter, “Anything goes!”
Now you have a general decision about color: Do you want your project to look as shiny and new as the day the painters packed up and left? Or you want to put a little “age” on the dollhouse, giving it a look of faded gentleness. Both are authentic; it is a personal choice.
So fear not! If your next project is Victorian, it can be so subdued (but not down to beige please). or as lavash with color as you like. Some may question its taste, but no one can accuse it of being historically inaccurate.
