The Edwardian era is associated with the reign of King Edward VII and was a fairly short period of time lasting only from approximately 1901 to 1910. The actual beginnings of this period started in the early part of the 1890s when pertaining to style.
Due to the technological advances that were made the Edwardian lifestyle was much improved over the Victorian age. Homes were more advanced with the invention of the furnace and indoor bathrooms. Apparently this was the beginning of the self help guide to decorating as thousands of magazines on the subject were published. The interior decorating business was taking off in a hurry.
Along with the inside of the home, architecture took off and the focus was more for the high end homes. For those who could afford to hire an architect, times were good. The home started to take on a Gothic look, almost the manor house of old where the lord of the manor ruled and everyone else was subservient.
Artsy looking cottages were another style that became popular during this time. With modern looks the ‘four square’ home was born. It was basically four walls with an upstairs. They became very popular as people looked for something a little different from the mainstream.
Edwardian homes were built with an open plan. One room opened to the next, and the arched doorways made them feel more like a separate room however, they were not. Central heating made all the rooms in the home more accessible as they did not have to close off half the house to stay warm. Fireplaces were still used.
The kitchens were still not the large ones that we typically think of today. Edwardian times did not think the kitchen needed to be any larger than was necessary. The fewer steps the better was the motto here. Electricity was available at this particular time in history however, it was not something everyone could afford. They would have been shocked to see the electricity used today because their ideas of lighting considered a luxury at the time, was no more than a 25 watt bulb which was probably hanging from a very high ceiling. This does not compare with the blazing lights we use today.
When it came to style one thing they were not stingy with equipping were their bathrooms. The indoor plumbing was something of a ‘I’m a little better than you are’ attitude. The bathrooms were not huge but they had the latest innovations available. Heated towel bars, showers, mosaic tile floors, and the separation of the bathtub and toilet in a area closed off from the rest of the bathroom.
This era was responsible for the closets we have in our homes today. The closets for linens, the kitchen closet for brooms, mops and such, the closet for jackets and coats by the entrance door, and the innovative idea of a medicine cabinet in the bathroom. Before this time closets as we know them were not heard of in homes.
The kitchens and bathrooms were whitewashed several times a year as the Edwardians were somewhat obsessed with the idea of cleanliness and white meant clean. Spring cleaning derived from the Edwardians. The home was on its way up with more modern conveniences during the Edwardian era.
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