I love Victorian, and always dreamed of a beautiful Victorian home!

I suppose that is why there were only a few examples on the page that I found appealing. Loved the hallway with the shining floor!

Interesting, though, thanks!

I like all those a lot -- I would consider most of that eclectic, because of the mix of old and new. the only one I really didn't like was the blue and white "beach" house -- hurt my eyes.

And learned a new word (always exciting -- am such a nerd!): "enfilade" --

"In architecture, an enfilade is a suite of rooms formally aligned with each other. This was a common feature in grand European architecture from the Baroque period onward, although there are earlier examples, such as the Vatican stanze. The doors entering each room are aligned with the doors of the connecting rooms along a single axis, providing a vista through the entire suite of rooms. The enfilade may be used as a processional route and is a common arrangement in museums and art galleries, as it facilitates the movement of large numbers of people through a building."

Kswl, thanks for the eye candy. Victorian furnishings can feel stuffy and "don't sit on me". This ramps it up to fun. Love the juxtaposition of Victorian architecture with MCM furnishings. Completely unexpected. Fresh.

Cool link -- thanks for sharing!! :)

Fascinating word "enfilade" -- and wonderful photos on Pinterest to illustrate the concept .....

... just wondering what the difference between the term "gallery" and "enfilade" ..... perhaps the arrangement of doors and connecting rooms ..... while a gallery could be a long passage way without the visual connections???

Here is a link that might be useful: Pinterest --- enfilade

I love that word enfillade...... It originated as a military term, as in 'a formation or position is "in enfilade" if weapons fire can be directed along its longest axis.' That also evokes the term "shotgun" cottage :-)

I'll be the dissenter. My first thought about the majority of the pictures was "do not want." It's too eclectic for me. Not true modern, but contemporary mixed with Victorian. I'm ok with Victorian in an old house but never liked contemporary at all.

Most of those do not appeal to me. A lot of painted woodwork'trim which I do not like in historic homes. My favorite is the hallway with the teal stripes and the beautiful runners. I also like the one with the built-in bookcases.

I love MCM and I love Victorian--funny that I like the extremes, but based on these photos I really don't care for them together.

I live in what he finds offensive I guess. Thank god my house is protected from people who feel tin ceilings are awful :). And even worse...those who think blowing out the walls for a modern feel or a kick ass kitchen is the right thing to do (all while claiming to like it when the architectural details are intact)?

I see there are purists in support of Victorian architecture :-). I think his blog post is aimed at people who dislike Victorian and need some mitigation of the relentless dark detail in order to respond positively to it.

My very favorite picture is of the Victorian-Modern kitchen, I think the judicious salvage of those cabinets is brilliant--- just enough original woodwork to let you know it was there.

I don't think I could be happy in a restored historical Victorian structure, but would happily move into a good hybrid of High Vic / Sleek Contemporary with the right furnishings.

Very cool.

Love the ideas here, great link! I do think Victorian furniture looks stuffy, but I don't really have experience on what it feels like to use. I like the way he showed before/after to demonstrate that it CAN look more modern and fun. I've always liked the look of Victorian homes, but when they are filled with Victorian furniture it's just too much for me. I'd be very happy in a Victorian home w/the architectural details and very simple furniture, maybe with a couple modernized Victorian pieces for fun :-)

Not feelin' this, except for a few pictures. Seems like the balance or mix could be better: mostly Victorian with a touch of modern, or vice versa. The blend in most of the photos strikes me as forced. (Except for Miles Redd's Regency/Victorian blend -- I generally like his work.)

I like most of the rooms. I especially like the tall windows and long drapes, very elegant.

Igloo, I remember looking at pics of your amazing house and I love it!

Also think the sofa in Queen Victoria's train car looks extremely comfortable!

The white wing chair in the fourth picture is so ugly, I really dislike that chair. The other chair looks extremely uncomfortable and the table near it, looks silly. I don't think mc m and victorian mix very well.

This post was edited by nancybee_2010 on Sat, Nov 22, 14 at 12:26

People who think that "Victorians" means dark and uncomfortable honestly don't know much about Victorian. :). Victorian is a very long period of time and it encompassed many styles within those years. We look at the old pictures and think dark, but much of that was due to lack of lighting and old photography. Victorians lived in a darker world overall, and as such they tended to decorate with bright colors. Deeply saturated tones that were rich and lux as well as bright pastels sometimes almost neon in feel.

Victorian furniture can be formal and stiff or it can be plush and comfy. The queens sofa is a great example of that.

Beverly my house is probably what you would refer to as a museum lol. We actually hope it will be some day when we are through with it. But there is no reason you can't "live" in a house like this. We have a dog, three cats, a nine year old and a three year old and we all "live" in this house to its fullest! Being period appropriate does not mean museum living lol. Anyone who knows my family knows we aren't the museum type :p. (She says as she pulls the three year old down off the mantel...how do you say don't climb the fireplace in Chinese?).

Nancy thank you :). We love the old box as you can tell. I feel sad that in the US we don't respect the history of our architecture as we should. I wish people who wanted open spaces would just buy a mcm house and leave the walls alone on a beautiful old Vic. And I'd agree with you. Those are two styles that just don't mix!

I'll be the big dissenter - it all made my head hurt. Too much of everything in all the rooms - that kitchen was just awful. By the time I was half-way through my teeth were clenched and I was speed-scrolling.

-I wish people who wanted open spaces would just buy a mcm house and leave the walls alone on a beautiful old Vic.-
Well said. That white kitchen made me cry. And not in a good way.

But after looking at that site of disasters I feel better about my evolving living room that I can't seem to get right. I have all the pieces. I need something to pull it together. The rug didn't do it. My $80 parlor set is giving me a huge head ache.

There are two issues here: One is Victorian architecture, and the other is Victorian interior design. My read on the article was that it was about keeping the former while not feeling restricted to the latter. I liked this quote (grammar error notwithstanding): "'Decorating trends' seem more decennial, therefore, houses will endure dozens of makeovers in its life. It's nice to find the original architectural details have remained and not removed for some heinous provisional decor."

Whether I liked the designs or not, it was nice to see the original architectural details in place. I have seen some truly awful changes to historic homes that would cost a fortune to restore to their former glory.

Yes, that is exactly how I read the blog post as well. On the whole I think it desirable to preserve architectural detail when possible, but I also think that houses are meant to be lived in, and therefore the architecture needs to service the lifestyle rather than the other way around.

I couldn't tell the difference between the examples he considers good and those that he thinks are bad. Most were too much for my brain. Dozens of focal points in a room almost make me feel dizzy.

A good childhood friend grew up in an historic Victorian home, furnished with a lovely collection of Victorian furniture, and I loved it. Most pieces had original upholstery and many were comfortable to sit on. The home's original architectural details were intact and gorgeous. But I would never have wanted to live in it. More dusting in one room than I'd want in my whole house.

Thanks for posting KSWL. I have two Victorian chairs from my great great aunts that need reupholstered. I want to keep the walnut original as it is gorgeous but I would like a fabric that is a bit more updated.

Thanks for posting this kwsl. I inherited some Victorian furniture from my family, nothing of real value except sentimental; but I really do want to use some pieces in our new house. This post helps me see that what I've had planned in my head for the blue velvet fainting couch might actually be OK. For me. Clearly most of you are not a fan.
My tastes are evolving as I have had just about every style of décor over the years but modern-contemporary. Well we did when I was about 5... So I have a bunch of stuff from family that's all over the map and this post gave me some ideas. Thanks again

what cawaps says: I have lived in Victorian houses, i.e. houses that happened to have been built during that time period with lovely molding and trim, 15 feet ceilings, parquet floors, sliding doors, etc. They were all more (or less) updated and furnished in typical student interior decor, i.e. simple blinds, IKEA, some flea market finds, light paint colors.
Love that look, perhaps for old time's sake.

I hate it. Victorian style is just distasteful this day and age. Yes, I said it.

Ok. Except you resurrected a 5 year old post to tell us that?

This just made me miss KSWL. :( I didn't always agree with her, but it takes us back to a time where GW was vibrant and there was so much to learn and see here.

I didn't even notice when it was posted. I didn't even know that commenting on an old post is "resurrection" or that you should pay attention to that. It's first time I'm commenting on this site. And anyways, it's my opinion, I can say it if I want to, whenever I want to, big deal..

LOL! And I guess others can point out the outdated nature of a thread if they want to, whenever they want to. Did you have to search for "Victorian" to make this old thread appear?

I was googling "I hate victorian style" or something like that, I was just curious if I could find other haters like me lol. Btw that was unsuccessful so I posted here instead because it's so frustrating seeing everybody praising this terrible style xD

Where, pray tell, are you hanging out that people are praising Victorian architecture? I need to join that crowd. It's my jam.

I just finished watching some Victorian cookery YouTubes and there was a tour of the garden, but not the house. I am now desperate for espaliered apple trees.

Gardens:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=U7yLO7rIkeI

Oh I was so excited I thought KSWL was back. Now I am sad again.

Mumble Fluff, what is your decorating style? Can you share some photos?

I miss so many of the former posters. This thread was a sad stroll down memory lane.

Yep. Igloochic. She was such an interesting and enthusiastic contributor.