Designing and revamping the interior of a home isn’t entirely focused on adopting the latest approach to make your house look modern and trendy. Interior designing also focuses on preserving the past by respecting the character of an old home such as a period house. While there are many ideas for decorating a period house that are being thrown around, you should select the one that suits your home.
If you’re lucky enough to be living in a period house, you should make sure that you value it and give it the makeover it needs while preserving the integrity of its past and practicality for the present and the future.
Ideas for Decorating a Period House
Here are a few great ideas for decorating your period house that will surely make this sacred space a head-turner for your guests.
Stick With a Single Color to Conceal Imperfections
If the paint of your house is wearing or chipping off, or if you’re just looking to create a different ambiance in your period house, you need to opt for a fresh new layer of paint! As easy it may sound, painting a period house is a pretty tough job. You can start from the most alluring and attractive details of your period house – the trim, moldings, and door details. Then you can proceed on to the walls and ceiling.
The best tip for you is to preserve and highlight these outstanding details by opting for a simple coat of a single shade of paint. Moreover, you can make the trims a teensy bit glossier in order to subtly divert attention to it. One of the best colors you can choose for your period house is dark grey.
Opt for a Neutral Contrasting Shade for Your Trim-Work
If the trim-work in your period house is in a good state and shape, you can choose to paint it a neutral or at the least, a near-neutral contrasting shade. This will really help you make your trims stand out by highlighting them. Painting the trims in all rooms will also help you establish a sense of consistency throughout the entire house. Moreover, you can use the same color shade for the ceiling, which will help you tie the entire look together for a well-stated architectural appeal.
Make Good Use of Your Stained Glass
If you’re blessed with a Victorian home decorated with gorgeous stained glass, the best thing for you to do is to preserve and celebrate it. You can highlight and enhance the look of stained glass by getting its surrounding walls painted white.
Use In-Window Shades
Another great idea for decorating your period house is to keep the vintage trim exposed by opting for an in-window shade. While many homeowners choose to put up hanging drapes, they often conceal the beauty of the vintage window trims. Using in-window shades will help you add a rather modern touch while maintaining the integrity of the old and original space.
Use Airy Shelving Units
An attractive yet functional idea that will add some style to the interior of your period house is getting airy shelving units. Not only do these shelves offer additional storage space, but they also help you display your decorating pieces and collectibles. Moreover, the best part about them is that they won’t disturb the original architecture of your home. On the flip side, they fit old homes like a glove while delivering a uniquely modern touch.
Opt for Simple and Contemporary Furnishings
Amongst other ideas for decorating a period house lays one of the greatest ideas that applies to modern homes as well. Simplicity is key! Opting for simple and contemporary furnishings and furniture can really breathe life into your period house. Moreover, this helps combine modern life with a traditional home brilliantly by ensuring that they don’t clash. You should opt for soft color furnishings with rich textures to achieve the look of your dreams!
Opt for Drapes in Certain Areas
While in-window shades are a great idea, there are some awkward windows that they fail to conceal. This is where drapery comes in! Period houses tend to have quirky windows located at fairly unusual places. Drapery helps cover up these windows, giving the room a clean look without blocking out all light completely.
Use Weathered Objects for Decoration
There are many options for you when decorating your period home. However, it’s best to stick to a soft and rustic vibe as it oddly falls in theme with an old home. You should opt for pieces that have been weathered outdoors such as vintage house numbers, wood, and woven baskets. Using these pieces as accents will surely give your home an old yet artistic look and feel.
Original and old floorboards are as good as flooring options can get. Many homeowners have even ripped out their carpet to show off their original wood flooring as a fashion statement. So, instead of changing the flooring on your period house entirely, you can get them repaired and patched.
Break Down Unusual Room Layouts
Many period houses often have unusual room layouts that don’t seem entirely practical in today’s era. These long and narrow spaces can be pretty hard to work with and can end up serving no purpose. However, you can choose to break these rectangular areas into multiple square zones. This will help you utilize these areas while ensuring that they serve better functionality.
You don’t necessarily have to build walls to establish different territories. You can simply opt for rugs or open-sided furniture like benches to define different zones.
Use Bold Colors
If you have a Victorian house, you should definitely opt with some moody dark hues. This combination works brilliantly as it not only preserves the past of your house but also gives it a modern feel. When painting your period house with a dark shade, you need to ensure that avoid cluttering the mantelpiece with decoration pieces.
Expose Brick Walls
If you’re looking to give your home a rustic and raw look, you should definitely consider highlighting its brick walls. You should expose one brick wall of your home or even a section of it to add a great touch to its interior.
Combine Old With New
You need to establish the perfect combination of modernity with antiques when it comes to decorating a period house. You should avoid going overboard by incorporating too many antiques or modern pieces in your period house. You should try to achieve harmony by getting contemporary furniture that has subtle echoes of the past in its detailing. For instance, exposed wooden furniture legs are a great way to combine old with new. Moreover, this won’t make your period house seem like a museum or a too-modern home.
Embrace Décor with Patterns
Bold patterns are the king in the world of classic interior. Incorporating patterned wallpapers can amp up the interior of your home by preserving its past. You can opt for some basic or funky colors combined with additional twists. You need to remember that there are far better options than geometric styles.
Amp Up the Lighting
The lighting of your home plays a major role in your period home décor. There are far too many options that you have when it comes to decorating your period house. If your period house has ornate ceilings, you should opt for huge, decorative chandeliers. Moreover, you can also opt for concealed lighting to highlight certain aspects of your home.
Things to Keep in Mind When Decorating a Period House
Now that you have certain ideas for decorating a period house, there are some tips you need to bear in mind as well.
Be Sympathetic
The most important thing you need to do when decorating a period house is to be sympathetic to its age. You can do this by decorating it in a way that will suit it well. You need to find the perfect combination of modern and classic interiors. For instance, you should stick to traditional tones when opting for original floorboards.
Conceal Imperfections
Since period houses are over a hundred years old, you can’t hide its imperfections as much as you try. While the old features of a period house are the ones that make you fall in love with them, they will need to be painted and restored.
Preserve
Revamping your period home will defeat the purpose of decorating it entirely! You don’t need to transform your house into a modern-looking one. You should rather try to preserve the beauty and integrity of your period house. For instance, you should maintain its original interior and fixtures such as doors and windows.
Conclusion
One can only dream about living in a gorgeous period house. The high ceilings, massive rooms, and stunning interiors can leave anyone stunned. This is why it’s of utmost importance that you maintain and preserve the integrity and character of your home by using ideas that will suit your needs well! You can use these ideas for decorating a period house!
