Victorian kitchens draw their designs from the ornate furniture styles named after Queen Victoria of England who reigned from 1837 to 1901. Victorian kitchen cabinets are graceful and elegant with elaborate carvings and gothic ornamentation. 
Historical Remodel: While today’s large, open kitchens bear little in resemblance to cooking quarters of 19th century England, one can still tap into the historic beauty and flair of a Victorian style kitchen. With proper planning and execution, you can achieve a beautiful Victorian kitchen design that is both practical and picture-perfect, fit for the kings and queens of your house.
Choosing the Mood: Most Victorian kitchens have a formal, somber appearance, indicating a sense of royalty, wealth, and weight. Dark oil finishes and heavy proportions resembling gothic and empire styles contribute to this mood. Victorian kitchen colors are often rich earth tones like deep reds, greens, blues, purples, and browns. On the other hand, by using a brighter color palette, you can introduce a more comfortable, “English country” feel to the kitchen with less formality. The mood is entirely up to you.
Material Selection: Victorian kitchen designs incorporate a wide variety of materials, including wood, copper, brass, stone, and stained glass. The kitchen cabinetry can be constructed of Ash wood, Butternut, Maple, painted wood, Oak, Walnut, and Rosewood. An apron sink in cast iron or soapstone is my favorite choice for a Victorian sink. Excellent countertop materials include granite, soapstone, marble, and wood. To soften the look, introduce some plush upholstery and draperies made of velvet, silk, and tapestry fabrics in keeping with the Victorian style.
Delightful Decorating: Victorian kitchen cabinets often feature decorative corbels supporting the upper cupboards. Occasionally you will see carved cabriole legs with ball and claw feet beneath the kitchen island to make it look more like a piece of furiture. Gentle s-curves, angles, and straight lines are set off by inlay moldings, rosettes and wood carvings of flowers, leaves, or scrolls. Glass cabinet doors, dovetailed drawers, and brass or glass knobs complete the look.
Kitchen Design Photos: Below are some pictures featuring Victorian kitchen cabinets. If you enjoy the authentic beauty of these Victorian kitchens, you might also enjoy the historic Shaker, Craftsman and Arts and Crafts kitchen galleries as well.
