A Victorian Renovation can be a big undertaking. When owning a Victorian property, keeping it looking traditional can run the risk of it also looking old and tired.
However, there are ways to keep the historical character of your Victorian renovation, whilst adding modern features that feel fresh and alive!
Rip out the carpets, keep the floorboards
Get those ugly carpets out of there and show off the floorboards underneath. Floorboards are still as popular as ever – people love the rustic look. In fact, there’s even a trend for making new floorboards look old. Feel free to lay down some rugs if you’re used to parading around the house barefoot. Also, make sure to lacquer up the floorboards if they look a little rugged.
Expose brick walls
Just like our strange love for floorboards, exposed brick walls seem to be another fad, some even putting fake bricks over plaster to imitate that barebrick look. Taking away the plaster will give your Victorian renovation an earthy feel. That said, you can go overboard and make your rooms feel like dungeons. Many choose to expose one wall in the room so that they can still keep some colour. Wall lights may also help to brighten up the brick wall.
Insert a gas fireplace
Natural fireplaces take a lot of maintenance. Why not try a gas log fireplace? Keep the Victorian aesthetics of your house whilst cutting out the need to throw soot all over your living room. You can also pay to get the chimney blocked up if you don’t use it – it will cut down on drafts, keeping your home more toasty in the winter.
Keep your bureau
With the invention of computers, many chose to dump their bureaus as office desks as they did not provide enough room for a computer, monitor and speakers. Now with most of us owning laptops, these bureaus can maintain their function again and help add a charmingly classic twist to your home office/study area. Their nifty storage space also makes them great for hiding clutter.
Use sash curtains
Heavy curtains can look too bulky and blinds can look out of place in a Victorian property. Use sash curtains as a modern and light alternative when decorating your windows. It is believed most traditional houses of the period used sash curtains anyway – albeit of an older design. Thick curtains were mainly for the winter, but some homes continued to use them all year round.
Use lots of colour
One of the biggest problems with a Victorian renovation is that homes can feel so dark. The dusky colours of the Victorian décor and minimal windows combined with high ceilings all contribute to this dingy feel. As previously discussed, taking down the heavy curtains can solve this, but also painting walls (non-barebrick ones) with bold colours can really energise the place. Avoid muddy and grey colours and bring in some bright greens and deep reds. Bright modern artwork on the walls and photographs can reinforce this feel.
Header image from White Pebble Interiors. Further Victorian renovation images from Alex Amend Photography, Just Joh, Eberlein, and Modifica Interiors. Please click image to go to the provider’s website.
