About Victorian Nested Decorative Boxes

Victorian homes had few closets, so nesting boxes were used for storage.

The Victorian era, which lasted from about 1825 to 1900, was as well known for its fashion as it was its architecture. A proper Victorian lady never left the house without her hat or bonnet. Hats came from the milliner in lavish boxes, decked out in the style of the day, which included lots of flowers, colors and embellishments. These hat boxes came in various sizes, so, when the hats were being worn, the empty boxes could "nest" inside one another to save space.

History of Nesting Boxes

Victorian hat boxes were colorful and feminine.

Real estate taxes during the Victorian era were based on the number of rooms a home had and closets were considered rooms. Consequently, few Victorian homes contained closets. Instead, the owners of these homes used armoires or wardrobes for their clothing, with hat boxes sitting on top of these pieces of furniture to store the many hats and bonnets worn by the ladies. These colorful boxes became room decorations as well as performing a storage function.

Features

Hat boxes came in different sizes and styles.

Victorian ladies lost no opportunity to add embellishments to their decor. The Victorian era was one of elegance, femininity and romance. Floral patterns were in abundance in every aspect of the home, from wallpaper to pictures to fabrics. Burgundy was a favorite color choice and is widely used today when recreating nesting boxes to add to a Victorian-style decor.

Significance

A Victorian-style Hat

Having a set of nesting boxes in a bedroom is essential to reproducing the look of a Victorian lady's bedroom. However, because most Victorian boxes were made from lightweight cardboard and not wood, there are few originals remaining.

Options

Ribbon finishes off the look of a Victorian nesting box.

If you can't find any vintage nesting boxes, you can make your own. Kits are available in most local craft stores. Keeping in mind the Victorian elements of luscious floral prints, burgundy and pink colors, ribbon and romance, you can easily create boxes to match your room. They make a perfect finishing touch to any Victorian-style decor.

Potential

Roses are a perfect embellishment to your reproduction nesting boxes.

The advantage to making your own boxes is that you can perfectly match them to your existing decor. Tea-dying the fabric before you apply it to your box is a good method of making the selected fabric look vintage. Add ribbon, tassels, roses or any embellishments that you want. You can personalize your boxes to suit your taste and to complement the room.

References

• Victorian Station: Architecture
• HGTV's Front Door: Victorian Architecture
• Deanna's World: Victorian Treasures