Decorating like Disney- Grand Floridian- Victorian Style Living Room

DOES YOUR HEART GO PITTER PATTER WHEN YOU THINK OF DISNEY LIKE MINE? THIS SERIES TAKES YOU BEHIND THE MAGIC OF THE GRAND FLORIDIAN'S VICTORIAN STYLE AND SHOWS YOU HOW YOU CAN ADD A LITTLE PIXIE DUST IN YOUR SPACE. 

Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa in Orlando, Florida is the exquisite Victorian themed hotel on Disney property. It opened its doors in the fall of 1997. The Grand Floridian is designed after the Victorian Era beach resorts that were built along the Florida coast in the late 19th century and early 20th century. The exterior is designed after Hotel del Coronado in California, Mount Washington Resort in New Hampshire and the Belleview-Biltmore Hotel in Florida. Victorian interiors include multiple pieces of furniture, almost excessive, as well as warm and subdued colors. Multiple types of fabric and patterns are used on furniture, rugs and other textiles. Although multiple colors and patterns are used in one room but the space still has a feeling of unity and softness.  

Let's look at this room which is the main living area in the one bedroom villa. 

  

Seating: - At First glance, this room flows together in unity. All interior design has one basic common denominator... A comfortable seating grouping. This space has plenty of creative seating for vacationers. A pull out sofa, a chair with an ottoman and two small ottomans to the right. This small room can easily seat 8 people comfortably. The sofa and chair are set up just like any other living room adding the two end tables, lamps and coffee table. The sofa is a tan corduroy and I love how they placed the pillows in the middle. 
  

Fabrics: Another trick in the design world is MIX YOUR FABRICS AND PATTERNS.  Not everything should be matchy matchy.  The same exact shade of colors, That is a No No! Again, you will create more visual interest to the eye if you use different hues of a color.  Look above, you have two pieces of green furniture on OPPOSITE sides of the room.  Your chair and ottoman are soft tufted velvet and your storage seating ottomans are a shiny green polyester with a white pattern, yet they blend beautifully. 

Floor:  Typical Victorian Era is wood floors.  These wood floors are tile and look and feel wonderful and clean up like a charm.  The patterned, octagonal rug is yet another pattern and shape! 

Hardscape Pieces: These include the end tables and the coffee table. Look closely.  This is a small trick you can do at home to create more of a designer look.  Many times designers use different shapes of hard pieces because it allows more visual interest.  The coffee table is oval, one end table is round and the other end table is square.   Very subtle but doing this creates a custom designed look. All of the furniture pieces are brown, that is what makes them unified and match.  The square one on the right is likely a bedroom nightstand because it has storage drawers. 

Lamps: The lamps are green like the chair and ottomans.  Notice that they are green but notice the small difference?  The lamps are different shapes!  They are also placed on the outside of the room so the green pieces anchor the room like a square.  You can literally draw a square from chair to lamp to lamp to ottoman, just like dot to dots.  This anchors the space.  

Carpentry: Don't forget the crown molding!Look at the drawers to the right by the ottomans as well as the detail work dividing the kitchen. 

Round frames were all the rage in Victorian Times. To find out who I think this little girl is in the photo, look up "The Teddy Bear Lady".  In Victorian times, most photo frames were oval.  They are always brown and have a small ornate carving.  These photos are mostly painted pictures and the photo is shaped like a half of an egg.  

This is the same type frame but we know who these silhouettes are! What I like is all they did was attach them to a piece of wide fabric and hand them from a knob.  You can find knobs like these at Hobby Lobby and other stores on line. If you visit the Grand Floridian, they have someone that draws your silhouette in the lobby and you can purchase one of these frames!  They also have this same service in Paris in Epcot but the frames are black. 

                  

When looking at this photo, let's first look at the wall composition. Notice something???  It is a TRIO.  The rectangle mirror adorned with the oval pictures on the side.  Did you know adding three things in a wall or table composition adds more interest?  I love odd numbers! Let's also look at the six patterns in the room. The rug, the ottomans, the border on the curtains and the pillows....  Can you find the other one??  It's small but it's everywhere!!  You got it, the wallpaper.  Also, there are no more than two colors in each pattern.  The large yellow and cream pillows have smaller other colors but the dominant ones are yellow and cream!

These ottomans are great for sitting and storage, GENIUS!

I have created a similar room for you! If you love this look, check out the items I have picked out.  Click on the picture to be taken directly to the manufacturer!  Hope you enjoyed the article.  The next one will be the Kitchen.  Can't wait for you to see it.   

Engeham Convertable SLEEPER SOFA!  

Safavieh Table Lamp

Mercury Row Table Lamp

Ave Six Hour Glass Storage Ottoman

Winslet Velvet Arm Chair

Carolina End Table

Rosiland Wheeler Melchior Oval End Table

 

Ashley Two Drawer Night Stand

Valencierre Camel Area Rug

Buckeye Lake Bass Outdoor Throw Pillow

Vivi Pillow Cover

Crackled Brushed Framed Mirror

I couldn't find any old oval framed portraits for either side of the mirror so I found these cool art pieces could go.  The mirror is 24 x 36 so its pretty large.  For the art on the sides, do not go over the height.  You want to stay a third in between. 

Botanic Wall art- Place 2 Vertical on each side

Kravet Silvan 116 Wallpaper

You can also purchase old oval wall frames on ebay.  Another idea is to add some oval and round plain empty frames on either side.  You can either put a nice patterned wallpaper in them or have a photo of a relative enlarged to fill the frame. 

For accessories, head to the thrift store and pick up an old silver tray, some mis matched china to hold candles and some of your favorite decorating books or magazines.  Milk glass vases are everywhere as well as glass candle holders.  You don't want to add too much to the end tables just an item or so.  Place the silver tray on the coffee table with a few old vintage books and a few simple candles.  

I truly hope you enjoyed and learned something about Victorian Design and maybe add a few of these ideas into your own space.  I enjoyed photographing and reviewing the room and would love to meet the design team who created this amazing space! Next time.. The Kitchen at the Grand Floridan Resort and Spa Villas.  

Start Small, Great Design Takes Time- Enjoy!