Victorian Bedroom on a Budget

1. Headboard or Canopy BedYou may not be able to afford a four poster bed (unless you inherit one or visit a really good estate sale), but you can have a strong visual impact by upholstering a large piece of fiberboard and adding buttons for a bit of elegance. There are many ideas for a headboard that can hold it's own in your room. One idea pictured is a wicker basket turned upside down and suspended from the ceiling. Lace or sheer curtains are attached and draped to the side for the look...MORE of a coronet. These ideas will give you the look of a bigger bed, at a small price.

2. Trims and UpholsteryOne of the best sources for trims and upholstery for a Victorian bedroom is the thrift store. Old damask or velvet drapes can be used to make rich upholstered chairs or pillows. (Even a dress - remember Scarlet O'Hara?) And lace doilies or remnants from projects will trim pillows or lampshades. You can even find hand embroidered pillow cases that will add to the nostalgic feel of your room.

3. AccessoriesAccessories can make or break your room. For Victorian rooms, lace trims, roses, crochet, and vintage or reproduction vases can be arranged on tables and bureaus. Buying reproduction pieces at yard sales or thrift stores can help with the budget, but adding a little do-it yourself project like the rose print lampshade. But be sure to follow principles that will ensure that your accessories successfully walk that fine line between design and clutter.

4. Rugs

The look of Oriental rugs are part of the Victorian style. But authentic antique or even reproduction rugs can be expensive - way out of your budget. But you can get the look with a solid colored carpet remnant and small reproduction area rugs. The carpet remnant can be bound with an oriental print or damask or brocade from a thrift shop curtain sewn together in long strips.

So go ahead and plan that dream bedroom. If you look to reuse, repurpose, and recycle is a properly Victorian kind...MORE of way, your bedroom will look and feel luxurious without undue damage to your piggy bank.