If you want to paint your Victorian home to reflect its heyday, you will probably want to use “authentic” Victorian-era colors and combinations. While many Victorian homes today are painted on neutral themes, this may not be the best course for a true Victorian atmosphere. “True” Victorian colors may surprise you, as they are not plain, nor always light.

In 1885, a critic writing in California Architects and Builders News had this to say about Victorian color schemes in San Francisco: “…red, yellow, chocolate, orange, everything that is loud is in fashion…if the upper stories are not of red or blue… they are painted up into uncouth panels of yellow and brown…” While he may not have appreciated the bright colors that were in vogue, there is a definite contingent of home owners today who want to paint their homes in authentic colors of the era and bold ones at that.

Contrary to today’s white Victorian, the ‘modern’ Victorian home in the mid-late 1800s was painted in dark, vivid colors. Earth tones held sway: rich browns, greens and brick reds were what dotted the Victorian middle-class neighborhood. Victorian society was interested in nature and this was reflected in their color schemes, both within and without. Rich colors were commonly used for walls and trim and were reflected in the interior of the home in harmonizing wallpaper prints and moldings.
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