What is Eastlake?

One of the things that attracted me to MiniEtchers when I was a customer, was Shellie’s beautiful Eastlake Victorian dollhouse furniture. The pieces are unique in the dollhouse industry. They’ll be the first MiniEtchers designs to be re-released in both 1:24 and 1:48 scales using the new laser cutter this month. 

There were a wide range of furniture styles popular during Queen Victoria’s long reign from 1837-1901. “Victorian” was not so much a style but a “period”. Eastlake is a style of Victorian architecture and furniture, which peaked between 1870 and 1890.

English architect Charles Eastlake published “Hints on Household Taste in Furniture, Upholstery, and Other Details," in 1868 (1872 in the US). The book was incredibly fashionable and influential in furniture design. It was a counter to the more fanciful Victorian styles, with plain lines, incised carving, and geometric shapes; it foreshadowed the Arts and Crafts movement and Modernism.

Eastlake designs were featured at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition in 1876. My great great grandparents lived there and 100 years later I inherited their Eastlake bedroom set. I’ve loved it ever since.

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Here are some links for more pictures on my Eastlake Pinterest board and further reading about Eastlake furniture:

https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/identifying-eastlake-furniture-148840
https://www.truelegacyhomes.com/eastlake-furniture/
https://www.heirloomsathome.com/eastlake-furniture-identification-guide/