Bridgerton, the American streaming television period drama, is set in the Regency era and follows a group of London’s ton (high-society). The sets feature a lot of 17th-century furniture that looks pricy or impractical for the modern era, but there are plenty of ways you can incorporate this decorating style. Plus, these following decorating ideas are inexpensive!
Start With a Pastel Base
Homes in the show Brigerton look like a pastel paradise once inside. In the 17th century, royals and high-class aristocrats flexed their spending power by using lighter fabrics because they require more extensive cleaning and sophisticated dyes. Nowadays, pastels like baby blue and seafoam green are inexpensive because they aren’t often used, so take advantage of this! Seek out a range of shades within the pastel family to create depth, and don’t underestimate the parking power of lavender, blue, mint green, and blush pink for accents.
Add Live Plants or Flowers
Plenty of scenes in Bridgerton show off a wide variety of plants and flowers, including white, yellow, and red roses. One of the houses often pictured (a red brick house with purple hanging flowers inspires beauty and grace thanks to the flowering climbing plant called wisteria. To add a bit of plant life to your living room, start with a flower delivery service that can bring fresh florals to your door. Then, choose tall statement vases or columns with a Victorian pattern for their elegance, height, and ability to hold multiple bouquets of colorful flowers and plants.
Choose Ornate Patterns
Speaking of Victorian patterns, Bridgerton is full of wallpaper, curtains, and rugs that feature damask patterns and floral motifs. These patterns are both unique, elaborate and create bold statements without needing any other art or drapery on the walls. Less isn’t more when it comes to designs. Apply multiple different patterns in the same time period across the entire room, but try and keep a large section of the space featureless. For example, if you want your chairs, couch, and walls to have a dramatic or bold pattern, keep a plain rug and curtains.
Hang Long Dramatic Drapes
Curtains, or drapes, need to be long and to the ground, no exceptions. You’ll immediately pull yourself out of the 17th century time period if you use blinds or a blanket to cover your windows. Drapes can have a pattern, in fact, it’s preferred, but they must always have a tie near the base of the window, so they buckle and form an elegant silhouette. Fabric ties can be made from the same color or created from a woven, golden rope that has tassels hanging at the lowest point. Keep curtains semi-open, never fully, to cast your room in a warm glow instead of a blinding light.
Choose Luxury Materials
Unfortunately, you may need to spend a little bit more here. Nothing looks more luxurious than decking your home out in linen, velvet, or silk, whether you’re using that material to upholster your furniture or as curtains. You can get away with using an imitation fabric, as fake velvet and linen tend to look pretty similar. However, artificial silk can sometimes look too shiny. Another alternative is to choose a fabric with bold patterns, as that can distract from its quality. When used in small doses, you won’t have to spend a fortune, so choose your textiles wisely.
Create Symmetry
Symmetry is very pleasing to the eyes and is a symbol of wealth and opulence. Poor classes in the 17th century usually had to buy furniture from separate sets or build their own, so they often looked asymmetrical. However, aristocrats could afford expensive woodcraft chairs, tables, and couches that looked identical to each other. Bridgerton homes studied formal furniture arrangement conventions to set up the space (two sofas, two sets of chairs, one coffee table) to make the area look more equal. Creating a proportional room is the ultimate goal.