Interior Design & Decor

Interior design and in-style vogue have been intertwined for decades. In this article series called “Secrets of Polish and Flair,” I examine the meaning of flair for interior design professionals today. I reflect on my professional know-how from collaborating with many of London’s top interior design mavens. This is article number two in my series, in which I expose historical/timeless design, with special insight into the Jacobean and Victorian styles.

Traditional interior design relies on fabrics, woods and glassware that echo the fabulousness and sumptuousness of days gone by. London interior design professionals will recapitulate the most attractive elements from decades long gone, and masterfully match them up with today’s best practices and modern materials. Historical interior design projects often focus on sophistication, aiming to recreate spaces in which to luxuriate in splendour and grandeur – though sometimes echoing a touch of vulnerability as well.

Jacobean styles are a huge hit in massive London mansions and similar residences that carry major historical context. When I hear the word “Jacobean” I immediately think of weighty woods – inkily dyed mahogany with plenty of varnish is characteristic for panels that are often used on walls and for floors. Oak is commonly seen in the furniture, with a resulting interior design look that calls to mind both vigour and resilience. The furniture items are comfortably-dimensioned, taking up the space and making their presence felt. Thick embroidered textile fabrics are a critical element of the Jacobean – today’s interior design teams often use these for upholstered furniture or curtains, echoing the “tapestry” design style of ages past.

I tell my interior design students to take care with Jacobean designs because the style does demand heaps of natural light, or otherwise the overall look can be slightly drab. This is mostly an issue with more cramped London flats, and is not a concern for the massive castles or manor homes outside London with their enchanting wall-to-ceiling windows and expansive acreage.

By way of comparison, the Victorian interior design style is rather more sedate, respectable and unadventurous than the Jacobean. Imagine tiny circular tables, often fabric-covered, together with plump buttoned-down chesterfield sofas. It was in Victorian times that London first really started to feel like a city – and the result was that the Victorian “designer look” began to incorporate wildlife as a textile scheme, balancing out the capital’s encroaching feel of rapid industrial growth and mechanisation. If you walk into a London bathroom and see flowers, plants or birdnests stencilled on the tiles you can be sure that Victorian inspiration was at work somewhere!

In my next and final article in “Pulse of the Interior Design Profession: Secrets of Polish and Flair”; I will shift over to another historical style that plays a major role in London’s interior design scene – the Georgian.