Get glamorous with Victorian-era red

If you’re looking for richness, drama and depth of colour in your interior, you’ll discover wonderful inspiration in the Victorian era. The age of travel and science, there was also much progress made in the development of paint colours – most pigments before 1850 were derived from minerals. As synthetic pigments became more popular and the hues became brighter and more durable, decorators flocked to deep reds such as ruby, garnet, vermilion and carmine.

To create a lavish look in your own home, you could use a strong Victorian-red to create an eye-catching feature wall – this will work particularly well in spaces where you want to make an instant impact, like the bedroom or dining room. If you’re aiming for period accuracy, use red from floor to ceiling and decorate with antique furniture and ornate light fittings.