Victorian Pink Vintage Style

A few years back I had a bit of trouble with a leaky roof. When the roofer decided to save himself some effort by nailing down only every other tile, the Santa Ana winds unfortunately unseated and broke a few of them, leaving the paper exposed to the sun which quickly disintegrated it. And since I don’t spend much time on the roof—okay I’ve never even been on the roof—I had no idea of the problem until we had some significant rain fall. A few water spots on the ceiling of the living room quickly turned to steady streams of water I had to collect in buckets by the gallon full. It was a huge mess, requiring significant repair of the room—carpet, wallpaper, drywall, and paint, not to mention a new roof! Oh the joys of being a home owner… But after all the trauma and drama of having everything ripped out, and then having to endure the constant parade of insurance adjustors and construction people traipsing through the house, I actually enjoyed the opportunity to redesign.

I picked out new carpet, wall covering and border, and then upgraded with a new chandelier, dining set, hutch, and side board. Recently I completed a pink drape over the lace sheers, which have long been in need of an appropriate swag. With this addition, the room is now complete and decidedly pink, pink, pink! While it is technically the living/dining room, I like to call it the drawing room or the front parlor as these seem to be more appropriate titles considering the Victorian and vintage style décor. So I invite you to pour yourself a cup of tea and take a pictorial turn around my drawing room!

Above the sofa hangs my favorite painting, “The Commission” by Tom Dubois. Filled with vibrant color, the scene depicts Noah and his family building the ark. The piece is full of symbolism, like the offering of water in the center of the painting which points to Christ as the water of life, and the shadow of an angel at Noah’s side representing God’s presence and direction.

The seating area features a floral sofa and a rose colored chair. Both are antique reproductions I purchased in the 1980’s.

The antique drum table and vintage telephone were purchased at antique stores. The Victorian-style lamp shade is one of my own designs.

The new window drape is made from a chiffon ombre ribbon rose fabric made by David Tutera, and available at Joann’s. The lace sheers were purchased at JC Penney.

Nothing says Victorian like floral carpets! This pattern is Clarissa Opal, made by Milliken. All of the carpets throughout the house are made by Milliken and I love them! The French-style mirror was purchased from Home Decorators, and the pattern name is Garin II.

I just love these vintage china pieces! The paisley bullion cup/saucer and tea plate were made by Theodore Haviland, Limoges, France. The pink and gold chintz dinner plate was made by Dorothy C. Thorpe, California.

The painting on the far wall is “Beyond Spring Gate” by Thomas Kinkade. The print on the opposite wall is “In the Woods” by Elizabeth Gardner. The Portfolio chandelier was purchased at Lowes, and features mottled gold glass, Greek style stenciling, and hanging pineapples. It is especially lovely at night.

The wall tapestry was made from a print called “French Door” by Susan Mink Cololough.

I love this wall covering and border combination! The wallpaper is called Chateau and it was purchased from American Blinds. The border is Silk Elegance made by Rasch in Germany, and it has an interesting story! After finding and ordering it online, the vendor canceled my order when they found they could no longer stock it. After having my heart set on this design, I could not find a suitable replacement. I contacted another company in Canada who told me it was not available anywhere in North America. However after much internet sleuthing, I eventually found a design studio in Ireland who was able to order it from Germany and ship it to me in the US! I think the pink French swag design complements the wall covering very nicely, and it also matches the design of the mirror.

This vintage style reproduction dining set was made by Orleans International and is part of the La Seine Collection. The chairs have a taupe tapestry design.

The hutch was made by Universal, and is part of the Grand Mansion Collection. When the freight haulers moved it off the truck and into my living room, one commented, “It should be illegal to make furniture this heavy!”

This hutch holds about half of my vintage china collection. A second built-in kitchen hutch holds the rest, aside from the several pieces scattered around the house. I use vintage pieces as décor in every room, mostly because I have so many of them! It’s my cousin’s fault—she introduced me to eBay way back when, and the rest, as they say, is history! However, I am a bit more discriminating now, and try to keep the buying threshold at “exquisite” rather than just “pretty.”

This is another of my favorite vintage finds! It is a taupe silk hand-embroidered piano shawl that I purchased at an antique store. The craftsmanship is just amazing.

Thanks for joining me on this little tour. I hope these pictures provide great ideas for you to use for your own vintage room makeover! I’m linking up today for Pink Saturday!

On the journey toward Home,

Tagged as: chiffon, china, drawing room, floral, furniture, pink, redesign, Victorian, vintage