There were many reasons we fell in love with our new home: the large garden, the spacious rooms, the location. However, it was the original period features that caught our eye in the first place. As I said in the previous home post, the house was built in 1873 and it has a wealth of original Victorian decorative features, many of which are in excellent condition. We are still in the chaotic midst of unpacking so for now, I’ll show them in isolation. When we’re more organised, I’ll share some photographs of the whole rooms.
Period Features: Front Entrance Porch Tiled Floor
The front entrance porch has an original tiled floor. It needs some re-grouting and needs a thorough clean and polish and possibly reglazing. Ian and I want to do as much work in the house as we can, but we think this calls for a professional.
Period Features: Cornice, Mouldings and Ceiling Roses
The mouldings and cornicing in the sitting room are absolutely spectacular and in excellent condition. I sit and stare at the detail and each time, I see more and more. I absolutely love them and cannot wait to redecorate to show them off even more.
There are some beautiful, ornate ceiling roses. We believe they’re original but I don’t know how we can tell for sure. They’re all made from plaster- not modern materials and look like they’ve been there for over a century! Even if they don’t date back to Victorian times, they add so much detail to the ceilings.
Period Features: Stained Glass
The entrance hall has three internal glazed doors. We know for a fact that the stained glass is original but it has had a few broken panes replaced over the years. Ian is going to see if he can install some lighting behind the doors to illuminate them and show the stained glass off to its full potential.
The house bathroom also has a stained glass window. It’s simple but incredibly effective. When we redecorate, I’d like to add some feature wallpaper but should I choose yellow to compliment the window or a contrasting colour like cobalt blue to make the yellow glass pop? I think it will be a few years before I need to make that particular decision though because the bathroom is in very good order and there is nothing we’re desperate to change.
Follow Our Journey on Instagram
We’d love you to follow @built_in_1873 on Instagram. I have a few mini upcycling and decorating projects in the pipeline- things that may just take a weekend to do. I’ll share the inspo and the processes there. Right now I’m surrounded by paint charts and wallpaper samples and I can’t wait to get started!
