How To Decorate Your Victorian Home

Victorian properties are beautifully unique, full of character and open to a world of design possibilities. Sturdy, well-built and full of lofty ceilings and large windows, they make the dream home for anyone, especially when it’s a renovation project and you can see your transformations and visions come to life! Within the interior design world, there is always modernisation, new trends, new interior mouldings, styles and design details, and often owners of Victorian homes are continuously on the lookout for how to bring their home into the 21st century whilst maintaining an element of their home’s original grandeur. We’ve got some top tips on how to freshen up the style of your interior whilst emulating its original, most enviable features. 

Victorian Home Features

The most recognisable and defining external features of Victorian properties include beautiful porchways, stained glass doorways, sash windows and multicoloured brickwork. On the inside, it’s often the high ceilings that grab people’s attention first. But you should also pay special attention to the other interior mouldings including cornicing, panelling and ceiling roses as these designs make a Victorian home elegant. Orac have various lightweight interior mouldings that would perfectly match your existing interior or give your interior a new look!  

Top Design Tips 

There are plenty of ways to recreate, redesign and change up your interior. We’ve listed some simple yet effective tips that will give your interior that long lasting design look and finish. 

1. Victorian Cornicing

Ornate cornicing is a principal feature of Victorian house decor. These decorative touches around the ceiling edge are one of the most iconic design elements within Victorian homes. If your interior boasts original cornicing, we’d recommend restoring these, or if you’d prefer a design change, add something new. We’ve got some beautiful ornate cornicing available to complement your Victorian architecture. 

As Victorian properties tend to have bay windows, we’d recommend the addition of standard cornicing in order to bend round your curved windows, covering imperfections whilst creating seamless transitions between the walls and ceilings. Our first recommendation would be our C219 Newcastle Victorian cornice with a delicate acanthus leaf design. Acanthus leaf designs are commonly found in Victorian properties; therefore this design allows you to emulate the era and history of your property through your interior design detail. 

C219 Newcastle leaf decorative cornice

On the other hand, if you’d prefer to change up your interior with more simplistic, yet elegant detailing, we’d suggest our C217 Flexible Cornice. With a swan’s neck and plain ovolo shaped moulding at the top and bottom, this design will complement any decor and curve beautifully around bay windows. This is one of our best sellers due to its traditional class and style. 

C217 flexible coving for curved walls

2. Dado Rails 

Once your elegant cornicing is in place, you’ll need to make sure it gets the attention it deserves. And we’ve got some tricks that will draw your guests’ eyes up those never-ending Victorian walls. Dado rails will help break up the blank spaces, complement the architecture and high ceilings, whilst providing your room’s interior with an elegant and decorative finish. 

We’d recommend breaking up the wall colours by adding a new colour above the dado rail, an accent colour or dark shade which would instantly give your walls character. Plus, they immediately take your eyes skyward as you’re drawn to the design and colour. Or you could simply keep the colour scheme the same, paint over the dado rail and create a continuous and consistent look. With that in mind, we’ve got some fantastic dado rail mouldings to give your Victorian interior that WOW factor! 

Our P4025 Autorie dado rail is a chunky design that features a sculptured profile making it perfect for traditional styled homes. It is multi-functional, it can be used as a simple dado rail, a ceiling astragal or used to create a simple yet effective wall panel design. Additionally, it’s a flexible moulding therefore it can bend round curved walls and bay windows. 

Alternatively, we’d recommend our timeless DX119 large dado rail which is perfect for traditional properties with high ceilings. Again, this design is multifunctional, as its chunky profile can be used to create a picture rail, door architrave or skirting board. If used as a skirting profile, it would create a unique and classic high skirting design.  

3. High Ceiling Features

With high ceilings being a staple feature of Victorian homes, we’d recommend dressing your ceilings with a touch of vintage glamour and authenticity with an ornate ceiling rose. The majority of properties built in the Victorian era all spotlighted a decorative ceiling rose in order to mirror the overall style and tradition of their homes. Here at Wm Boyle, we offer a range of beautiful lightweight ceiling roses that would perfectly complement your interior through their intricacy and aesthetic. 

For example, our R23 decorative ceiling rose boasts an acanthus leaf, egg and dart design pattern, making it perfect for all traditional Victorian homes. This particular design is also available in a smaller size, affording you the option of design consistency throughout your interior.  

Another option could be our large R64 decorative ceiling rose which features floral swings, bows and leaves. Perfect for all Victorian properties, especially when featured in formal rooms.

4. Make Fireplaces A Feature 

Victorian fireplaces are the ultimate home feature for all period properties. A distinguishing feature, fireplaces can create a striking focal point amidst your interior, radiating both warmth and elegance. Especially in the chill of the winter months and the dark nights, the warmth of red, orange and yellow flames provides both comfort and a great design aesthetic. 

Our Glasgow Fireplace Showroom offers a wide selection of beautiful designs and styles, perfect for all properties. The Asquith Limestone Fireplace is a timeless design, perfect for Victorian homes through its elegance, soft curves and tall mantelpiece. A cast iron insert or stove would blend perfectly within this limestone fire surround. 

Stoves are a beautiful addition to any interior. From our collection, we’d suggest an Esse Stove to further complement your home. Esse have manufactured both multi-fuel and gas stoves in various styles to ensure they have a design that will blend into your interior. The choice of design and style is yours, whether you stick to a traditional looking stove or take the plunge, give your interior a new look with a modern stove. We’d be happy to help you decide which style of stove would best suit your home and your design aspirations! 

5. Statement Wall Panelling Features

Walls themselves can also be the main feature of Victorian homes and not just because of their never ending height. Decorative wall finishes, wainscoting panels, and tongue and groove designs are a great way to add dimension and drama to your home’s interior. 

Our W120 Autorie wall panel is the perfect addition to any Victorian home. This panel creates instant depth. Whether it’s installed in the hallway, living room, dining room or formal bedroom, this design complements the Victorian character and ambience. 

Orac W120 and W121 wall panel

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to enhance your interior no matter whether it’s emulating the Victorian era or freshening up your interior with a modern twist, we offer a range of beautiful lightweight interior products which will give you the design finish you’ve always dreamed of.