My Loft Bedroom needed an Update! In keeping with my Victorian House, I gave it an old time makeover with a modern twist! Read on to see how I created an Opulent and stylish bedroom on a small budget. A room, I hope, my favourite Victorian Authors Charles Dickens and Charlotte Bronte would feel at home in!

In with The Old!

I like old things! Furniture, fabrics, ornaments, books and lamps. I love the feel of them, the history attached to them and even their smell! Old book smell is my favourite! Can you imagine the wonderful stories these decade old pieces might tell if they could!

Today we live in ‘throw away’ times, most homes are now filled with flat pack, chipboard furniture that would struggle to survive a glass of spilled water, let alone decades of wear!

There is absolutely nothing wrong with flat pack furniture, I have some myself, its affordable and convenient…but it has its limitations! Especially when pitted against kids! I have 4 children and I cannot tell you how many beds, drawers and chairs I have replaced over the years! The only things that have survived my rabble is the ‘old stuff’

Back in the day, furniture really was built to last! How many of you have something in your home that once belonged to your grandma? It seems to outlast the rest doesn’t it? That’s because long before the invention of chipboard (thanks sweden), furniture was made with solid materials such as Mahogany, Walnut and Rosewood and pieces were held together with strong interlocking dovetail joints.

You can of course buy modern day versions of this practice…but it will cost you! Have you seen the price of wood lately? Your talking at least £400 for a small set of drawers…I could decorate an entire bedroom for that..and still have change!

Head to facebook !

When I say Facebook, I refer to the hidden gem within it, which is of course… Facebook Marketplace! It is an Aladdin’s cave of treasures and is fast rivaling Ebay for its Bargain buys and freebies!

Take The Dresser below for Example…FREE! Yep, totally free!

victorian bedroom — Free Dresser Facebook Marketplace

A very nice gent just 5 miles up the road listed the dresser as ‘Free To Collector’ on Facebook Marketplace. At that same moment, I had searched ‘dresser for sale’. I am a great believer in the universe provides, sometimes things are fated to find you and if you’re very lucky, like I was…it won’t cost you a penny!

Not everything can be free! But it needn’t be expensive either…

The walls ‘Boho Berry’!

The traditional Victorian colour palette was dark and moody, consisting mostly of jewelled rich tones like Maroon, burgundy, red, chestnut, dark greens and browns and blues. I went with a beautiful rich Jewelled Berry Tone From French Chic ‘Boho Berry’

The Curtains

Do You Know what I Love? I love Heavy, thick, luxurious damask, silk or velvet curtains…Gone with the wind type drapes, that block the light, stop drafts and hug the room! Do you know what I don’t have? The budget to pay for it!

Truth be told, even if money was no object, I still wouldn’t spend it…There is so much satisfaction in the hunt! The choice of old vintage curtains on Ebay is immense! You are guaranteed to find exactly what you’re looking for with a little bit of searching.

I Love, Love, Love my Vintage curtains…tassels and all! They really emulate the graceful victorian aesthetic I was hoping to achieve. They Cost The Grand Total Of £20! Unbelievable! Got to Love Ebay! Each Panel is 101 inches wide and 60 inches long..Perfect!

The Victorians loved to layer! Their window dressings would often combine 2 fabrics with swags or frilled sections framing the curtains. The finishing touch would generally be an ornate brass curtain rod, combined with decorative holdbacks.

My Curtains fit the Victorian ideal with a layered tasselled section, a heavy damask fabric and a brass Curtain Rail. There are no Holdbacks, because my curtains don’t actually cover a window, but a wardrobe area.

The Cost of the Rail was £22 add that to £20 for the curtains =£42.00

Modern Elements

I like mixing old with new, modern elements have to sneak in at some point! If I was following the victorian way of living to the letter, i’d be lighting my bedroom with candles and oil lamps and papering it with arsenic based green wallpaper! Not all Victorian practices should be resurrected!

Gold Console Table

Buy VASAGLE Console Table, Tempered Glass Table

Simple but elegant, the table has a glass top and gold frame and cost £39.99

Chairs

The Green Velvet Chair was originally bought off ebay, similar can be found for around the £30 mark

The Rattan Chair was £5 of Ebay

Oriental Area Rug

Buy Oriental Large area rug kerman beige

If your attempting to follow the victorian aesthetic opt for busy elaborate designs, oriental or persian like patterns work best. Layer rugs on bare floorboards or wooden floors. My rug Cost just £30! See link above to buy.

Lamps

Victorian lamps were show offs! Usually adorned with beautiful intricate fabric shades, made from various fabrics such as silk, lace, cotton or velvet. Often beaded and fringed, sometimes brash! Pure opulence!

I have 3 lamps In the Bedroom, each of which represent the victorian look in varying degrees…

Lamp 1 :

The first Lamp was dug out from under the stairs! It originally had a modern white base, which I painted black and a white shade which I sprayed gold. A simple but beautiful lamp with a lace trim

Lamp 2 :

I bought an old lamp base off facebook Marketplace for £5 and painted it green, the Lampshade was kindly given to me by my Aunt. This lamp represents the intricate and detailed lamps of old. Similar Vintage Lampshades can be found on Ebay

Buy Frenchic Al Fresco, Constance Moss, Chalk and Mineral Paint, Weatherproof, For Inside/Outside

Lamp 3 :

My Favourite! I call this Gothic Victorian, brash and bold with an imposing height and unique shade! The lamp was free and the base originally silver, I painted it gold. The Shade was stained, white and originally had a fringed edge (unfortunately sections of the fringe were missing, so I removed it) I painted the shade black

Buy Black Jack French Chic Paint

The Bed

My Little Nest, my nook… I feel cocooned and completely content in this space. Which I think is the perfect ratio for a good night’s sleep!

Victorians favoured Metal Bed Frames…I do not! I like to sit up and read in bed and so I wanted a cushioned back for comfort! I opted for a deep button headboard with a hydraulic lift base (perfect for storage in my compact loft bedroom)

Bedding

Staying with jewel tones, I chose a bold Emerald Green cotton duvet cover with a floral/cheetah print from Habitat . I find it works really well against the moody Berry coloured Walls.

The Bed runner is simply burgundy Muslin Fabric I bought off ebay

Art

All the Art I have chosen for my bedroom are tapestry prints I bought off Shein and then framed. Prices start at as little as £2.00…the most I spent was £3.25!

There we have it, a Victorian style Loft Bedroom on a small budget! Take a look at My Victorian Bathroom Renovation for more budget interiors inspiration!