Classic Victorian bathrooms feature pedestal basins, antique furniture, chrome fittings and a freestanding bath as a centrepiece. This guide explores the key features of a Victorian bathroom in more detail, as well as ideas for how to get the look on a budget. By keeping the colour scheme in mind, getting a little creative and investing in just a couple of timeless pieces will allow you to create a beautifully traditional bathroom without breaking the bank.
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What is a Victorian Bathroom?
Victorian bathrooms are timeless, stylish and can turn an otherwise boring room into something truly special! Proving more popular than ever, traditional bathrooms say luxury and regal, yet remain understated and fashionable. They’ll never go out of style, and strike the perfect juxtaposition between old and modern.
9 Victorian Bathroom Design Ideas
Choosing one or two period focal points and surrounding them with some more affordable bits and pieces will do wonders for making a gorgeous vintage bathroom on a budget. Read on to discover our favourite Victorian bathroom ideas.
1. Colour Scheme
The most popular colours for a Victorian bathroom suite include cream, greys and beige. These colours will give a vintage aesthetic and pair beautifully with white sanitaryware and period prints. Styling a room based on a colour scheme is a low-cost way to create atmosphere and ensure your finished room is something to be proud of. Colour scheme is especially important if you’re designing with a set era in mind, and neutrals create an elegant palette to build upon with accessories and furniture.
2. Freestanding Bathtubs
Another classic theme of Victorian bathrooms are roll top and slipper baths. These tubs will make a real statement in your bathroom, and act as a centrepiece for larger bathrooms that can afford to use the space for a bath.
3. Vanity Units
The right vanity unit can add an understated style to a traditional bathroom. Upcycling old furniture such as a chest of drawers is a cost effective and fun way of creating a traditional statement. Paring a countertop basin on top of an upcycled, wooden cabinet will give a modern twist on a Victorian bathroom design, or there's the option of going for a freestanding vanity unit like this stunning piece from our Butler & Rose Collection.
4. Traditional Sanitaryware
Pedestal basins and high level toilets are the perfect option for Victorian bathrooms. For the ultimate in timeless elegance, choose a high level toilet with a cistern mounted high up on the wall and an exposed flush pipe leading down to a low level pan sitting on the floor. Who knew that toilets could create a statement too?!
5. Period Accessories & Mirrors
Choosing the right accessories to compliment your more expensive pieces is an essential part of creating your Victorian bathroom suite on a budget. Going for a statement mirror will add style to your bathroom, and act as a feature as well as an essential bathroom accessory, and we have many cost effective mirrors, such as the likes below.
6. Traditional Tiles
Patterned tiles add another dimension to bathroom design and provide an eye-catching feature in whichever way they are used. The best tiles for a Victorian bathroom include patterned tile such as Cuban tiles, and Metro tiles which will give a timeless aesthetic to your space. Perfect for your Victorian bathroom, patterned tiles look great either on the floor or as a standout wall feature. Bathroom tiles can be an extremely cost-effective way to make a statement, especially if you're simply opting for a feature wall.
7. Lighting
If you’re looking to add an elegant, finishing touch to your bathroom, a traditional wall or celling light may be the perfect accompaniment to create the perfect Victorian bathroom. Take a look at our selection of Burlington wall lights that would look great either side of a mirror. Traditional bathrooms are still massively on trend, and wall mounted lights are great to highlight mirrors and frames.
8. Chrome Fittings
Chrome is the perfect finish for taps & showers as it gives a traditional elegance and a touch of sparkle to your bathroom design. Victorian bathrooms typically feature chrome fittings instead of more modern finishes such as matt black and brushed brass, and pillar taps are the most popular option for vintage bathrooms.
We hope this post has given you some design inspiration so you can create your own vintage, Victorian bathroom on a budget! Take a look at our guide on art deco bathroom ideas for more bathroom inspiration.
