demode nineteenth - century abode decor is resurging with a few present-day touches thanks to the advanced Victorian aesthetic .

ANNIE SCHLECHTER

hundred after they were originally inclose , the iconic homes of the Victorian era remain relevant and revered in the internal conception domain . Theirintricate details and sensational craftsmanship , seldom incur in contemporary buildings , make the architectural style instantly recognizable . Though classifiable , the style is interpreted and applied in many way , which is one reason why it ’s still so popular in inner decor . From a delicate , prickteaser look to adark , medieval vibration , the modern straight-laced artistic works with several micro - esthetic . In fact , the manner is build on the duality of opposites — predominantly the premix of old and Modern , which uplifts the peach of inheritance figure and New luxuries .

Hallway with colorful floral wallpaper and a modern Victorian aesthetic

Credit:ANNIE SCHLECHTER

However iconic , Victorian conception can experience date without midland styling finesse . There are elbow room to modernize the 19th - hundred aesthetic without turn a loss its darling charm , whether you ’re considering adding just a few subtle feeling or going all out with the modern Victorian style — and we talk to an expert to learn about the many slipway to achieve the look .

Bethany Adamsis an NCIDQ and Kentucky Board of Architecture Certified Interior Designer and the founder ofBethany Adams Interiors .

What Is Victorian Design?

Whenever Victorian computer architecture is foreground in pop culture , whether infashionor interior excogitation , there ’s a resurgence of close - general love for the style . From the pretty Painted Ladies of San Francisco to the refined rest home of American Girl Doll Samantha Parkington , the aesthetic is perennially pop .

Taking its name from Queen Victoria of England , the Victorian architectural period of time spans from the belated 1830s to about 1910 . Since the stop covers nearly 100 class , it take a crap sensation that several way subcategories fall under the prudish umbrella — Gothic Revival , Greek Revival , and Queen Anne are just a few . Each stylus has its own hallmarks , but the varied looking at also share some design similarity . sheer uses of color , sweeping porch , and decorative woodwork are commonly colligate with Victorian design . to boot , Victorian buildings often have pitched roofs and intricate stained glass windows , tot up to their telling character .

What Is the Modern Victorian Aesthetic?

The beautiful contingent ofVictorian designevoke an idyllic , almost doll’s house - like ikon which , while pretty , may not always be practical . In innovative times , families exist , cook , and entertain very otherwise than masses did two centuries ago . Even so , the modern Victorian aesthetic manages to bridge the gap between an grasp of the past and the demands of twenty-first - century life-time . The contemporary - meets - vintage stylus celebrates key characteristic of priggish design while raise them with modern touch .

" I live   and   work in the largest neighborhoods of   Victorian   homes   in the country — Old Louisville — but my taste definitely skew more   modern , as does that of a lot of my neighbors whose   family   I ’ve designed , " tell Bethany Adams , founder of Bethany Adams Interiors . " I ’ve found that there is a real connectedness between the incredible workmanship   and   economic consumption of cloth in our   house   and   the form of   modernistic   luxuriousness I play to all of my labor . "

How to Balance Victorian Design with Modern Features

Whether you ’re gutting your home or calculate for low - effort mode toincorporate modern priggish designin your space , there are several ways to accomplish the look .

Update Your Color Scheme

A straightaway and budget - well-disposed way to transubstantiate an superannuated space to fit the modern Victorian aesthetic is to refresh the color palette . Adding singular illumination fixtures also help to highlight the plan touches built-in to a house . " Brighten up a dark Victorian by painting wall a unaccented color and refinishing the floors to a less orangish - y chromaticity , " read Adams . " thrifty increase of recessed lighting can also help . "

Remodel Using Victorian Design Elements

If you want to do more extensive refurbishment to reach a modern Victorian look , Adams recommends that you find a way to link the chronicle of a 19th - century home with the present . This will achieve a fresh place that modishly and stylishly pay off court to the epoch .

" In the kitchen remodel of my own 1897 home , for example , I purposefully choose full slab of Carrara marble for the countertop and backsplash , " she says . " Not only is the feel on - trend and uber - luxe — it also direct cite the full slab Carrarawainscotingin the original bathroom upstairs , as well as the original marble walkway leading up to the house . "

Because Victorians do span dissimilar style , it ’s essential to yield attention to factor of the epoch that your house graciously underpin without trying to push designing selection because you intend a Victorian home base " should " have them . " give attention to the details of your nursing home too and keep off sum up false historical component like redundant moldings , metal cap tiles , or anything fussy , " Adams aver . " Some homes , like mine , never had crown molding , which give it a mod refreshing feel . "

sophisticated blue living room with chevron printed chair

Credit: Julie Soefer

Get Creative with Furniture and Decor

Adams also cautions against attempt to transform a home of another architectural style into a Victorian . However , that does n’t mean you ca n’t incorporate the advanced Victorian esthetic in your home design .

" If you ’re a fan of the prim aspect but your plate was built in the last century , work the way in with trappings and accessories ( needlepoint pillow , ferns , drear wood accents ) , and above all , avoid the faux historical elements cite above , " she says . " You wo n’t be fool around anybody and you could actually injure your house ’s value if , for illustration , you add tip molding and a cluster of columns to yourmidcentury modernranch home . "

By appreciating what makes a square-toed home Victorian , and understanding how to fetch it into the twenty-first century , you may modernise a space that honors its historical past — creating a timeless   home to treasure for years to make out .

staircase with blue wallpaper and artwork

Credit: Jean Allsopp

high contrast bathroom with white tile

Credit: Jay Wilde