DO'S AND DON'TS OF PERIOD HOMES PART 2

A SHORT CODE OF CONDUCT OF HANDLING OLD HOUSES

THE CREATIVE THINGS 

Before we dive in to the do's and don'ts of period homes, part 2, it is worth saying what ‘the creative fun things’ actually are. These are the expressive decisions: colour, pattern, texture, light, artwork, objects. They are the parts that visitors notice first but sit on top of everything the previous section ('The Big Things') established. A house with good bones will support bold choices; a house fighting its own architecture will make even the best decorating look strained. The aim here is not to be cautious but to be thoughtful. Let your boldness be guided by context rather than by fashion or, heaven forbid, what is trendy. With older houses, the fun things are not mere decoration; they are extensions of the house’s personality.  

For the points below, we are working on the assumption that your house is not listed. You might still need listed building consent for any more major works, but we will deal with the decoration of an unlisted house. The below points are not meant as advice or permission in any sense. Please make sure you understand your particular house situation. 

1. Don’t be timid. If you love colour, use it. If you love pattern, use it. Do not allow trends, or fashions, or what Mrs Miggins down the road thinks, to temper your style. However, do take your room aspect and usage into account. Bright red might not be the most calming for a bedroom. However, burgundy might be just fine. Samples are your best friends. Feel free to mix and match patterns. Florals with stripes, plaids with paisley. Opt for different sizes of patterns, try to find a common colour thread, and don’t fear the unexpected.  

   
   

2. You can consider painting your woodwork and ceilings in another colour than white. Yes, many Victorian ceilings were off-white, but equally you could find soft pinks and blues, dark brown woodwork in Georgian times and fantastic greens and red in the Regency period. Match your wallpaper with mustard or dark green woodworks, paint your ceilings a dramatic rust colour or even wallpaper it in honour of fantastic Georgian ceilings. All in all, if your house can take it, you can consider it, but again, take into account your house’s history. A small rural cottage can handle a full-on Morris wallpaper and a mustard skirting, but less so a mansion-like mural with gilded details. Context is everything.  A dark ceiling in a north-facing room may feel intimate; the same ceiling in a low-ceilinged cottage may feel oppressive. Decisions should flow from the house’s architecture, not from social media images divorced from context. See Colour for North-facing Room if the ceiling example resonates with you.  

   
   

3. Scale is one of the few areas where most people consistently go too small. A single oversized painting can steady a busy room; a large mirror can correct awkward proportions, so don’t shy away from oversized mirrors, paintings or even pendants. Bigger makes for unexpected impact. Use large mirrors in dark rooms, either reflecting light from a window or with artificial lighting placed in front or to the sides. Large pendants and patterned lamp shades do well being duplicated in this way. Always, consider what you see in a mirror. If the fantastic Regency mirror you have in mind reflects your less than orderly hallway, either tidy the hallway or move the mirror. Do not get rid of the mirror.

4. Talking about disorderly hallways, consider bespoke storage and bookcases, window seats and shelves. Bespoke is a way of solving functional problems without compromising a house’s character. If going bespoke, do however think about the details. Decorations, round openings, rounded edges, reliefs, carved initials, your house name or address, or even your initials (or those of your pet) at the back of shelves or doors–bespoke really gives you a full palette of possibilities to play with. Imagination and budget are the only limitations. The second stricter than the first, in most cases. If you need any ideas, please feel free to book a Parlour Consulation.  

   
   

5. Use multiple lighting sources. Most rooms can take far more lights than one thinks. I suggest a minimum of 6 light sources in a room, often far more than that. The old adage of pockets of glow really makes sense. Equally, make sure that not every corner or area of a room is lit. The magic lies in the correspondence between shadows and soft light. Too much light equals zero mystery and cosiness. Too little light and you will be guessing what you are eating, or indeed who your guests are.  

   
   

6. Top light on or off? Well, if it is a spectacular light with a dimmer, perhaps on at times. But mostly off.

   
   

7. Lights fall into categories such as task lighting (desk lamps, directed light sources in your kitchen, and reading lights), decorative lighting (side lamps, decorative floor lamps and wall sconces), and ambient lighting (top light, light that fills a large expanse of a room). Make sure you have sources of each category for a successful lighting scheme.  

   Vary the height of your lighting. Not all light sources should sit at the same height from the floor. Even table lamps can be very varied in height and size, helping to give interest in the lighting landscape.  

   
   

8. Make sure you light your paintings. Whether you have expensive artwork or a simple framed postcard, there is a reason why you wanted to put it on the wall. Make sure it is seen properly.  

   
   

9. Use window treatments, but if you have beautiful or indeed small windows, do not let them hang over the glass. Hang curtains high and let them fall about 1cm from the floor. If you like the pooling look, make sure you have time to dust them and the floor regularly. If you have little space on each side of the window and cannot avoid curtains falling over the actual glass, consider window pullbacks to make the most of the light.  Roman blinds are useful but consider how much of the window they will cover, even when pulled up, and how it will affect the lightness of a room. Feel free to use patterns and plains together. Window treatments are excellent for anchoring and enhancing colour schemes. If you have a grander house, you might wish to use pelmets and valances. In any case, make sure the window treatments follow the same rules as cornices and any woodwork decoration. There is such a thing as mutton dressed as lamb. 

   
   

Bringing It All Together 

The fun things are where personality shows. That is your personality and your house's. Colour, pattern, texture and light should feel anchored to the house rather than layered on top of it or forced onto it. Older homes reward imagination, but they also reward coherence so try to find a thread of connection that runs through every decision. When in doubt, look at the architecture, the light, the proportions and the history; they will tell you far more than trends ever will. 

Part 3: The Tactile Things shifts from the visual to the tactile. It concerns the things you touch every day: handles, switches, stair rails, floors. These are often overlooked but are some of the most powerful tools you have for making an old house feel alive.