During the 1890s, both architecture and home decor were inspired by a variety of historical styles. However, the most popular decorating style at the time was Renaissance Revival. Homes featured wallpaper with wild, seemingly unstructured floral patterns, most of which depicted fantasy flowers. In addition, wallpaper imitations of rich textiles were popular as well. At first, the background colors tended to be dark, but towards the start of the 20th century, they became lighter. The most popular background color of the 1890s was light cream, which was a beautiful contrast to dark patterns and bright colors like red and blue.
Interior
Rooms
In the dining room, the dark paneling was complemented by wallpaper in the typical Renaissance Revival style, often featuring large floral patterns in strong colors like red, green, gold, and black.
The drawing room was often decorated in lighter pastel colors with touches of gold and patterns imitating silk and other textiles. The smoking room exuded an oriental spirit with motifs from exotic cultures such as Japanese cherry blossom patterns or woven patterns inspired by oriental rugs.
Floral-patterned wallpaper was often the preferred choice for bedrooms. If the kitchens had wallpaper, it featured small patterns with geometric shapes and was often varnished for practical reasons.
Woodwork
The woodwork, such as the baseboards and door and window molding was also consistent with the dominant style at the time, in other words, wide and heavily profiled. During the 1880s and 1890s, paneling was used in different heights and designs, depending on the type of room. In the dining room and main entrance, the highest panel featured a narrow crown molding that doubled as a shelf for ornaments. The paneling was painted brown or ocher, or in an imitation wood color to mimic oak or mahogany. The doors were also treated with a dark varnish or painted with a grained effect to imitate oak, walnut, or mahogany, and were often decorated with heavily ornamented crown molding.
Flooring
The floors were usually made of pine or spruce with offset joints. Along the walls, there was often a slightly wider board to frame the room. The floors were often treated with varnish or linseed oil paint. Many floors were intended to be covered with linoleum carpets, in which case, the wood used was usually of slightly lower quality. The linoleum carpet became very popular during the 1890s. These carpets were exclusively designed and could be used to cover the entire floor or as a smaller rug. They were often in different colors and the most popular patterns were imitation parquet, floral motifs, or textile patterns.
