Skip to main content
Kingsland Road, London, E2 8EA; Tel: 020 7739 9893
Decorated as the morning room of a middle-class villa of the 1850s, this would have been where the lady of the house received visitors during the morning, interviewed servants, and supervised the household accounts.
It has a light and delicate air, typical of mid-Victorian taste. The later fashion for rich, dark tones in wallpapers and textiles and for large quantities of highly decorated furniture and ornaments became widespread in the 1870s.
Many objects in the room reflect the popularity of French style in England during the 1850s and 1860s, such as the exuberant, brightly-coloured curtains and the carving on the side chairs.
The availability of a domestic gas supply had revolutionised lighting in the home. Bold colour schemes, achieved by new chemical dyes, were a feature of carpets and furnishings.
