Living and breathing Victorian interiors, buildings and history
Struggle to find the right antique lighting for your old house? You’re not alone! If you’re like me, you want lighting that’s practical yet faithful to your house’s history. I've discussed the lengths you can go to restoring your home in a previous blog post. I developed a passion for antique lighting when I moved... Continue Reading →
Linoleum was the wonder invention of the Victorian period and led the way for the vinyl flooring we know today. Unlike vinyl flooring today, homeowners up until the 1960s didn't just use linoleum in kitchens and bathrooms. The middle and working classes also fitted the product in bedrooms as it had antibacterial qualities. This was... Continue Reading →
When most of us think of ‘Victorian colours’ browns, darks reds and greens spring to mind, but not blue. Even The Victorian Society House Book of The Victorian House (usually very spot on!) said: 'Very few blues are evident in the Victorian colour cards that survive, which suggests that blue was not extensively used in... Continue Reading →
What comes to mind when you think of a Victorian kitchen? Knick-knicks, dark colours and fussy details? Not something you want in your kitchen, eh? However, whilst this was the case in Victorian living spaces, in domestic areas such as the kitchen this couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, it was often the... Continue Reading →
“If you can’t afford, fake it” was certainly the mantra of many Victorian homeowners with their love of wood graining and marbling around their home. It’s a design concept that continues to this day. Take a look at the vinyl and laminate flooring available today which are facsimiles of real wood or tiles. This post... Continue Reading →
When many of us think of the festive period we think of a Victorian Christmas. After all, the Victorians made Christmas trees and yuletide decorations popular and Charles Dickens's Christmas Carol is so closely linked with this period. Many Victorian Christmas customs that endure today originated in Germany. The turning point was the London News... Continue Reading →
Reinstating a Victorian fireplace can help bring back the character to your period home. It's also a joy to know you've put back a feature similar to the original fireplace sadly ripped out years before. However, it can be difficult to work out what the original fireplaces were like in your house. Don’t make the... Continue Reading →
Deciding to sacrifice our dining room into a vintage grocery shop was probably my maddest of ideas. Well, we all have mad ideas – well at least I hope so! My dining room was originally a shop which closed in the 1960s and the shop window was bricked up in the 1980s. It was originally... Continue Reading →
Who doesn't love the look of a Victorian pantry in a country house or museum. But is a pantry or larder a practical solution for storing your food items? Let's be clear from the outset, I’m not influenced by the likes of Kirsty Allsopp who bleat on about the benefits of their pantry! Many of... Continue Reading →
Victorian patchwork was the original form of recycling so finding a new use for your waste is nothing new. One of the things I love about the Victorian period is their hate of waste and making the most of what they had. We could all learn a lot about their penny-pinching ways! We’ve all heard of... Continue Reading →
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